On r/ItalyInformatica A post has been circulating for a few days that signals a small return: the channel #linux on the network Azzurra IRC Networkthe historic Italian community born in 1997, is populated and active again. Small numbers, but enough to reignite the discussion about what has been lost – and what hasn’t – since decentralized text chats gave way to Discord and Slack.
#linux on IRC is back. And perhaps the Internet wasn’t to be thrown away after all
by u/DonBiroton in ItalyInformatica
THE’Internet Relay Chat is a text messaging protocol born in 1988, structured in independent networks of servers connected to each other: each network hosts thousands of channels (identified by the # symbol), thematic rooms where anyone can enter, talk and take charge. No proprietary company, no algorithm deciding what to show: just client, server and an open protocol.
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, IRC was the main support channel for free software: the help spaces of Linux distributions and open source projects lived there, before a large part of the FOSS world moved to Freenode (now split into Free.Chat) and, more recently, on Discord. Accessing it today requires only a client – HexChat, WeeChat, irssi, or directly the browser via a webchat – and a nickname, which you register with NickServ REGISTER to prevent someone else from taking it over.
How to join the #linux channel on Azzurra
The channel is located on the network Azzurra IRC Networkreachable at irc.azzurra.chat: port 6667 in clear or 6697 with TLS encryption for those who prefer a secure connection. Those who don’t want to install a client can connect directly from the browser via the official webchat, without configuration. Once connected to your client, just type /join #linux to enter the channel.
The numbers remain those of a niche, especially compared to the glories of the early 2000s when Azzurra was the reference Italian IRC community, but they demonstrate that the Linux community on IRC is far from extinguished.
The interesting detail is not the quantity of users, but the persistence of the model: an open protocol, without a company deciding on the server, moderation or future of the service, continues to find those who prefer it to centralized platforms. For those who have experienced IRC as their first Linux support channel, find it again #linux populated is less technical news and more confirmation that that piece of the internet never really disappeared.
