irc

IRC is a text chat protocol built around servers, channels, direct messages, and client commands.

If Discord is your reference point, IRC is an older, simpler version of the same basic idea: join a server, enter channels, talk in public rooms, and send private messages.

The important difference is ownership. IRC is an open protocol: the rules for speaking IRC are public, many clients can implement them, and anyone can run their own IRC server. Discord is a closed, proprietary app and service controlled by one company.

IRC does not include Discord-style voice rooms, rich profiles, reactions, threads, embedded media, or a single company-owned app. That simplicity is part of why IRC still works well from terminals, servers, and lightweight clients.

An IRC client is like the Discord app: it is the program you use to connect. Gamja is the browser client. WeeChat is a terminal client.

In this workshop, IRC is the live support and community space. Use the browser frontend first when you need help quickly. Use a terminal client when you want chat to live beside your shell work.