Mozilla to drop IRC as main communications platform

[harlan4096]

Mozilla plans to drop IRC as a main communications platform and the server infrastructure that powers IRC.mozilla.org in the coming months.

One of the better ways to reach out to Mozilla and to talk about Mozilla products such as Firefox is IRC. Internet Relay Chat is accessible using modern browsers but also with the help of standalone IRC clients.

IRC may look ancient to the modern eye but it is a long standing communications platform with a loyal following.

Mozilla employee Mike Hoye, charged with finding a new communications product and retiring IRC, revealed on April 26, 2019 that Mozilla will drop IRC as a communications platform. Hoye acknowledges that IRC has been Mozilla's "main synchronous communications tool since the beginning". On the downside, Hoye argues that IRC has aged badly and that the chance of things getting better is slim to non-existent.

He notes that abuse and harassment has been experienced by colleagues and that it is difficult from a technical perspective to connect to IRC.

We’ve come to the conclusion that for all IRC’s utility, it’s irresponsible of us to ask our people – employees, volunteers, partners or anyone else – to work in an environment that we can’t make sure is healthy, safe and productive.

All of that, and the fact that IRC is not accessible from "inside schools, colleges, or corporate networks" led to the decision to drop IRC as a communications platform.

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