Experiences self-hosting an IRC bouncer?
I've been enjoying chatting on IRC and was wondering if anyone has any relevant experience with any bouncers?
I tried setting up ZNC but could not get any clients to work with it.
I finally settled on soju with goguma as client, but since no up-to-date Docker container existed, I had to create my own Dockerfile for that.
For now, it's only available on my LAN (proxied through nginx), and am uncertain if exposing it externally is a good idea (I already have a VPN, but prefer to expose services if it's safe to do so).
While not exactly a bouncer, I like Quassel
Maybe you can try The Lounge? It is somewhat different than an IRC proxy since it has a web client (that is always connected)
The Lounge is how I got into IRC and it's very good! However, the web UI isn't that great on mobile, which led me to check out Android IRC apps and bouncers to sync everything across clients.
I set up ZNC and got it working but it was a pain in the neck, took some trial and error, and the docs were confusing. Once I got it going I basically left it alone rather than try to clean up the situation.
Any reason to not just use TMUX and Weechat or irssi? I had sessions up for years when I was active in IRC
None of those work on Android, which is where I'll probably be the most active.
I've seen weechat recommended elsewhere too, I'll probably use it as desktop client.
There's an Android client for Weechat:
https://github.com/ubergeek42/weechat-android/
Or you can directly use Glowing Bear without installing anything.
IRC is pretty dated and dead. The only people still using it are die hards, for the most part.
Matrix is probably the new IRC, XMPP close second. There is literally no reason to keep using IRC except habit.
If you're looking for a more community based experience, get into mesh hubs or something.
I've been on IRC long before the stone age (so to speak) and its neither dated nor dead.
Not everyone needs the fancy audio, video and imagery that new protocols provider for. Some of us are content with just text. And for me thats the great value of IRC.
We all have our own opinions :)
Can you give more details about mesh hubs? A quick search only returns stuff related to wifi.
@just_another_person @bluelion Eh, don't discount inertia. A lot of debian development channels are still active on IRC.
Yeah, but again...habit and effort.
I can't think of a single reason that IRC is still used except for people being too lazy to adopt something else.
People still use it for the same reason we use email... Why move an entire community to matrix if IRC works fine? Anyone who wants to use matrix can set up a bridge, anyway. And I wouldn't consider discord a good alternative.
My point exactly. There are easier and better ways of doing this dated interaction.
If you still don't understand why people use IRC then we clearly didn't make the same point, and you misunderstood mine.
I don't think anyone still recognizes this wisdom you seem to be all about.
Enlightening us with that wisdom would be beneficial to everyone, no?
Quoting my previous comment:
In other words, why "fix" it (and risk fragmenting the community) if it ain't broke?
Because IRC doesn't "work fine".
It's a 50-year old solution to no modern problems where everything about it has been solved in better ways.
If you aren't willing to give the OP the information he was requesting, why respond at all?
I very much did. Read up.
OP: asks for advice about IRC
just_another_person: only stupid and lazy people use IRC
...
just_another_person: why doesn't anyone appreciate how helpful I am?