[Newbie] Why are IRC channels seemingly dead? reddit / irc ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mathmare · 2021-08-06 13:12 Hey. I'm new to IRC. So basically, I'm trying to join various IRC channels and it seems that there's no activity going on in them (with the exception of one channel with ~10 users logged in, and it was just one bloke responding to me). There are channels with ~90 people logged in and it seems like nothing is really going on. Am I missing something? Am I doing it wrong? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- m1itchkramer · 2021-08-06 13:30 I think social media pretty much killed irc. The channels I've gone to are mostly bots. Try different networks ---------------------------------------------------------------------- cities7 · 2021-08-06 13:39 people leave their connections on while they are away ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jimb0z_ · 2021-08-06 14:14 There's really no way to answer this question because every network and every channel is different. The modern mentality is that all information should be available all the time, ie logs, chat history, search functions etc. But remember irc is just a protocol and in it's barest form you either catch the convo or you don't. I'm in several channels that are only active at certain times of day, or the activity revolves around certain events or sports seasons. If the majority of people are from a particular country then you also gotta consider timezones. Most people are just idling for 23 hours a day. Try to remember that many channels are communities that have been around for several years or even decades. If you aren't willing to stick around for a while to figure out how they operate, it might be worth checking a different platform. with irc you either catch it, or you don't. Very few chans will do the leg work for you ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2021-08-06 14:36 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mccobsta · 2021-08-06 15:29 a lot of users on bouncers that keep them connected to the channel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mcpcpc · 2021-08-06 15:33 fwiw, i see *tons* of activity from real users on the software development libera.chat IRC channels I monitor (1000+ messages daily). so your mileage may vary =\… ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SqualorTrawler · 2021-08-06 18:20 IRC was in its heyday when most people logged in to any server were actually present at the keyboard. Early dial-up ISPs often had timeouts where, having detected a lack of activity, the Internet connection would be severed and with it, the IRC login. Always-on internet connections + bouncers (basically IRC proxies which keep your connection alive) have changed this such that people can be logged in for weeks or months at a time, and forget about it completely. IRC, as well as much of the Internet, has a balkanization issue where rather than have one, say, Linux channel with lots of activity, people would rather have 50 of them scattered across different networks, with different levels of activity. (There are, in fact, a ludicrous amount of networks out there generally, given the user base.) Some of these exist for historical reasons, some maintaining decades-old communities of people who just like to talk to each other, but then again, there are a lot of recent redundant ones created because someone really badly wanted to be a channel op. You have to keep trying different networks and channels to find active ones. There is activity out there; you have to dig. Also, remember that we're scattered across the globe so depending on where you are, channel activity may peak at a different time than you expect. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- syfydesigns · 2021-08-06 19:42 Just because nobody has responded to you immediately, don't think that they won't. I check all the rooms I'm connected to a few times per day, but if I need to contact someone in particular, I'll schedule a meeting time with them and have my conversation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rgraves22 · 2021-08-06 19:58 IRC has become Discord. IRC was popular 20-25 years ago but fell off for a long time when majority of people stopped chatting ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mathmare · 2021-08-06 20:58 I stay in irc channels literally for hours and no response lol. But yeah I think it depends on the channels one visits—as others have pointed out. I have a small sample of channels I visited (like an n=10 ish, so I could be guilty of hasty generalization). But yeah, just keep surfing for dem rooms :D ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _xsgb · 2021-08-06 21:42 Are you going on freenode ? People deserted cause network takeover. Please check at libera.chat. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PyLemon · 2021-08-06 21:48 still not as bloated as discord though :3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Muteb · 2021-08-06 22:00 Yeah it's a hit or miss. Just gotta find the active channels. EFNET is barely active with few channels like #LRH and #IRC30 that actually are active with people chatting throughout the day. Quakenet might have some active channels. I've tried bunch of servers with no luck. Most are just full of idle bots. ​ Discord is pretty much the today's IRC. You'll find more active channels on there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mathmare · 2021-08-06 22:09 thanks for protip :D ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Gabmiral · 2021-08-06 22:36 +1, gl running discord in a telnet session ---------------------------------------------------------------------- agnostic-infp-neet · 2021-08-06 23:14 Discord has bad policy (doesn't it shit on privacy?), was shilled too hard, gatekeeps, is indeed bloatware, and the owners can nuke whatever they want from it, entire groups. Also, irc you can download whatever content with those bots. Discord is just 'new myspace'. Just because a bunch of gen z is on discord due to the way sheep follow sheep does not mean irc was replaced. If irc is dead then the Internet is dead, of which it kinda is. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- oneletterzz · 2021-08-06 23:29 Books or ebooks is usually pretty active. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Te0sX · 2021-08-07 02:24 Irc is by far my favorite place to chat with my online friends for years and years from diff communities. What you need is znc, or something similar, that enables you to be connected 24/7 from a server either have you pc open or not. Your irc client connects with that znc and when you open your client you receive all the messages you lost, and people can mention you and pm you while you are away. It's completely brights irc for me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- carbolymer · 2021-08-07 09:37 Check #gnulag on snoonet. Shitposting in all timezones. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- zoredache · 2021-08-07 09:52 You just have to go to the right places. Also, at the right time of day. Many of the various sysadmin focused channels I regularly check tend to be most active during US work hours. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PyLemon · 2021-08-07 12:26 https://github.com/gord-project/gord ---------------------------------------------------------------------- snowflakeplzmelt · 2021-08-07 12:38 join #antisocial on irc.zoite.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SmallerBork · 2021-08-09 00:40 How do you connect? I set a password for snoonet, but gnulag says TLS users only +z is set. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- carbolymer · 2021-08-09 05:50 You're right. https://snoonet.org/modes/ Just use SSL port then https://snoonet.org/help/#Connecting%20to%20the%20network ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ComputerTech312 · 2021-10-02 16:19 Rizon is super active, i know this because i am on the majority of it's channels. try /list there :)