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IRC in 2024!?
It's been like 30 years since I last touched IRC. 
I want to set up my own IRC server, and an IRC bouncer, and an IRC client. 🤠
How to start? Best, simplest, 100% open source, run on Linux or *BSD: IRC server, bouncer, and client?
Nothing against existing server servicess, but I want to self-host an IRC server, just for fun. Also, for right now, just IRC; no need for integration with other messaging services.
Comments
Come to #lowendtalk on irc.libera.chat and we'll talk about it!
Ratbox
Is EFNet (or IRCNet, Undernet, DALNet) still going strong?
no, not anymore. Undernet most of the channels are for useless content.
What about the other IRC networks I mentioned?
@Not_Oles - IRC is still popular nowadays. In my opinion is one of the most efficient ways of communication due to its simplicity and privacy.
If I were to recommend an IRCd server to compile, it would be InspIRCd or Unrealircd.
If I were to recommend a services bot, it would be Anope or Atheme. Please note that Anope has behind it one of the main developers of InspIRCd. Meanwhile Atheme has nice features too, but it does not support the latest connecting protocol of InspIRCd v4.
With regards to bouncer, I recommend ZNC.
Please note you might not need to open an IRC server and get into all the configurations required, since there are so many IRC networks available out there already.
Anyway, I wish you success.
So... just like most of the internet then?
Not as strong as it once was, but there are still a good amount of users, and #channels that have persisted through time. I am in a couple of chans over 20 years old, and have some very good friends from them.
For years I've been using IRCCloud which is an IRC client that provides IRC bouncer like benefits and works through web browsers and mobile apps.
A free account keeps the user connected for 2 hours while inactive (permanent for first 7 days) but there's a simple GO script that keeps users connected forever which can be run on any VPS or shell.
That's more than enough for my IRC usage today. In distant past I used to have znc but that's an overkill for me now, let alone hosting a server...
Simplicity is key!
share the address once its up!
I only know the clients, I use HexChat...
How does it compare to mIRC?
From a usability and features standpoint, how does IRC compare to Discord?
I just remembered that I have an IRC logger currently running that has been on 24/7 for 15 years logging garbage chats to disk. Forgot about it years ago.
Tangent: regarding the usability of Discord's API documentation, it's trash. I wasn't able to get thru it and learn anything, it contains more pointless jokes than information.
IRC, nowadays surpassed and totaly destroyed by discord and alike. With more advanced apis.
Will do! Thanks for your invitation!
Guys, how about the Simple IRC Client (sic) from suckless.org?
IRC is fast and uses very little resources to run.
Discord is the 'new' IRC, makes everything flashy and fancy but does all the same things IRC does.
it was fun in 2000 when i have 100 emechs, eggdrops. psybnc on hacked servers, also clones with proxys
just anoying channels with mirc xploits xD people going disconnected with a ctcp command xD
i was glined from undernet for many months,
"The suckless client sic provides a good tiny irc client but it is a bit too hardcore to use it on a daily basis. First, sic input is driven by a standard fgets and hence, no line editing goodies are supported except the ones provided by the tty kernel driver (^U ^H and friends). Second, sic will mess up the output if a message appears while typing a line. Third, sic does not multiplex channels (but it is a feature!). Finally, I wanted my client to provide infinite scrollback."
-- https://c9x.me/irc/
Now all I have to do is read about libera.chat and actually try it.
But, it's getting late here. 😴 So maybe tomorrow. 
Thanks, Jerry!
The Hexchat Github repo says, "This repository has been archived by the owner on Feb 10, 2024. It is now read-only."
Also, have you seen https://hexchat.github.io/news/2.16.2.html ?
Hexchat is / was a nice, open source, cross platform GTK graphical IRC client. Maybe someone will pick up and continue the Hexchat project?
It's open source and free...but now looks like ceased to exist...
I wasn't aware of that... last time I used Hexchat was like in 2022 for some private tracker...
Maybe try IceChat? https://www.icechat.net/site/downloads/
thelounge is awesome IRC cient web-based if you didnt want distinct your team/friends, regarding bouncer soju one most which easier got from your package manager (it available on debian/alpine).
server is should be ngircd, cause it was complete and nearly 0 issues for couple years i using.
I'm still on them.
No need for server, no need for bouncer.
screen/tmux+irssi👌Like @JoeMerit mentioned, we have #lowendtalk on LiberaChat if you want to come chill, or idle.
I prefer weechat to irssi
Sadly, things did not change until now. It seems Undernet still remains the IRC of bots even nowadays.
The thing about IRC is that it didn't evolve in like 20 years. Sure, it's nice and all but it also has some design problems (like account and channel management merely being an afterthought for example) and It's not really extensible (CTCP should have provided that but without any help from the server there's only so much that can be done these days given almost everything is NATed and client extensibility mostly leaves a lot to be desired too), which leads to it being stale and really having no future.
Given it's massive popularity 20 years back it will totally drag along for a couple more decades but it will also hardly see any new people. As much as i don't like Discord, IRC's inability to evolve is pretty much what has allowed it to centralize real time communication and i can't bring myself to get back on IRC. It just feels like a place that time has forgotten full of people that have forgotten time... No offense meant to anyone still on it - you are obviously more oldschool than i can bring myself to be.
Edit: IRC by the example of EFNet:
True.
Yeah, things definitely isn't like how it was 2 decades ago
We've lost a lot of users, and servers too.