Ubuntu has moved its IRC infrastructure away from the Freenode network following recent changes within the management of the latter company.
Libera Chat is the new home for all of Ubuntu’s official IRC channels, including the various support channels that users looking for help with Ubuntu are often directed to visit.
If this all seems a bit sudden it’s because it is.
Ubuntu’s wholesale move to Libera Chat happens ahead of schedule. Freenode’s new management took back control of the namespaces used by Ubuntu IRC channels (including those of many flavours) necessitating immediate action by Ubuntu IRC team.
“In order to provide you with the best experience on IRC, Ubuntu is now officially moving to Libera Chat. You will be able to find the same channels, the same people, and the same tools that you are used to. In the event that you see something is not quite right, please, don’t hesitate to reach out to our Ubuntu IRC Team, on #ubuntu-irc,” Ubuntu Community Council’s Jose Antonio Rey writes in a message to the Ubuntu IRC mailing list.
If you’re an avid user of IRC and want to continue chatting in your favourite Ubuntu IRC channels you can continue to do so, but you may need to reconfigure your IRC client (and possibly register a new nickname) to use the Libera Chat network.
You can connect to #ubuntu on irc.libera.chat:6697 (TLS) and take it from there. The irc.ubuntu.com Url is in the process of updating to point to the new network.
While this particular communication standard isn’t as popular as it once was, IRC channels remain a key plank in many free and open source project’s community outreach. They are often bridged with newer chat services like Matrix and Telegram, allowing users to interact in the same space regardless of which protocol they are using.