IRC update

[Mir]

So in case none of you know we have had an irc channel on freenode since  the genesis of Tinycore Linux.  The problem now is there are new owners of the host irc network called Freenode who say they have the best interest of the communities they host in mind but have been taking over project channels left and right.  right now andyj and i both are keeping the channel on freenode up, yet for how long before freenode takes it over, who knows.  It seems to right now be a matter of time. 

If #tinycorelinux is taken over there is an alternitive started by one of the active members on the irc channel over on irc.libera.chat:6697 in #tinycorelinux.  A lot of the staff from freenode resigned over the hostile takeover of the freenode network, a lot of projects have moved over there.  Right now AndyJ and i dont really have any open discourse with the admins here on the forum or the main devs of Tinycorelinux.  Hopefully we can have some open discourse about what to do.  This being do we stick with having the official IRC channel on freenode, and risk eventually losing it to some hostile new owners of the network, or do we change years worth of information to point to a new network.

Let me know what your thoughts are, i will be lurking over on both the libera tinycore irc channel and freenode channel, at least until something is decided or until the new owners of freenode take over the project channel on freenode.

Mir/Mirppc

PS in case you havent heard of the current freenode fiasco here are some links to bring you up to speed.  News article, freenode staff resignations and some project notices.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/05/freenode-irc-has-been-taken-over-by-the-crown-prince-of-korea/

https://twitter.com/IRCCloud/status/1404153550159159298

https://www.kline.sh/

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/21/06/13/184251/also-leaving-freenode-fsf-gnu-plus-linux-and-python-support-channels

[curaga]

All the takeovers appear to be because of advertising the move to other IRC servers, ie the new freenode owner doesn't appear to be actively hostile, just normal drama?

If this is so, then we don't necessarily need to do anything. Don't make any official move, and if the community naturally gathers in one over the other, that's how it goes. We can add the other irc links in the circulating forum thingy that currently just has freenode.

[Mir]

This is a bit more than normal drama.  Also the other issue is collaborating with other project may be increasingly difficult if they are all elsewhere.  The channel takeovers can be triggered by jsut talking about other servers. 

In the case of some projects they advertised with the intent of doing both. Then they lost control of their channels on freenode.  This doesnt likely involve here but if freenode staff takes over a channel project channel, and the name is trademarked there are legal ramifications that could be involved with this.

Another thing with the move to other networks, will it be wise to have a channel on a ghost town of a server?

EDIT

As for having them both i am ok with this as long as andyj and i can get the information we need to get the community channel setup on libera.  We might also add some more mods who have been consistent members of the tinycore community for nearly a decade now.

[Mir]

Welp we lost #tinycorelinux on freenode.  the founder cand is not there and all the mods and admin.  I repete #tinycorelinux on freenode is gone and no longer under control of the people who where made stewards of the irc channel.

Edit so what happened?  Well Freenode's new owners and staff decided to fork freenode.  This meant taking it onto new servers.  In the prcess of doing this they purged all server and channel databases meaning any registered channel is no longer registered, all users and user accounts are gone.

So what can be done.  Well we already have a channel on libera.chat so for now that will be the new unofficial home until the documentation is sent to make it official and the project approves it. 

[Mir]

I made a mistake above, the other OP is Andyjp.  some reason the forum isnt allowing me to go back and edit it. 

[Rich]

Hi Mir

... some reason the forum isnt allowing me to go back and edit it. 

You only have 30 minutes after you post to make changes.

[curaga]

Well, if freenode got nuked, then it's fine for libera to be the new irc.

[netpipe]

libera seems to have more people but freenode seems to have the same old people. someone suggested using matrix.org or discord to connect irc channels together somehow probably like a ircbnc bouncer.

[Mir]

It is a bit late as we already moved to Libera.chat.  Anyone who had admin rights at the old freenode lost them in the great purge and the new freenode staff where not willing to work with the few of us who had channel rights before the purge.

Edit:  oh and the new freenode staff do project channel takeovers with any talk of migrating to some other service or irc server.  so just be aware.  Also I have been ip blocked on freenode for some reason, i have been with the community since before the split between tinycore and dsl.  The situation with freenode happened very quick and required swift action.  There was also a lot of fallout.  Another thing with libera is some of the server staff that helped us on freenode are with libera and are more than willing to help out if the need arises.

On libera you do pop in at times that i am not awake and when i get ready to reply you are netpipe.  So an irc bouncer or quassel might be a wise idea.