events/2021-05-26-freenode-migration

 Migrating Off Freenode  was an IndieWeb meetup on Zoom held on 2021-05-26.


 * https://events.indieweb.org/2021/05/migrating-off-freenode-UWf9sjpkSqet
 * When: 2021-05-26
 * Archived from: https://etherpad.indieweb.org/irc-migration

Session: IRC Migration

Goals

 * Primary: Get off of Freenode
 * Secondary: Reduce reliance on IRC entirely, let people join from multiple different clients (Matrix, Jabber, etc)

Easiest option today is Libera.chat because we have the channels set up and the staff is the same people who were running Freenode, this is the smallest change. +1

Alternatives

 * Matrix (main one)
 * Matrix (self-hosted)
 * IRC (self-hosted)
 * Cons: requires admin time to defend against abuse/attacks
 * IRC (Libera, OFTC)
 * Web logs as canonical, treat IRC as another channel like Slack

Considerations


 * Single-nick gateways are a dealbreaker

Things to Switch

 * https://indieweb.org/discuss
 * Loqi
 * Kaja
 * Chat logs
 * Slack bridge
 * Matrix bridge - no current solution
 * IRC channel topics (but not mentioning L*bera — maybe “The Swedish Network”)
 * "News: https://indieweb.org/discuss" +1

When?
HWCs are starting in a couple hours. This could also be a good way to let people know about the change.

Preparation

 * DONE: Update https://indieweb.org/discuss to link to new channels, with a note about the time for the switch, and note about Matrix bridge not being ready
 * Prepare a new bot to respond to chat messages in Freenode directing people to the new channels
 * Any time someone says something, say:
 * "This channel is no longer active. See https://indieweb.org/discuss for details"
 * Don't repeat the message more than once an hour
 * DONE: Make a Nickserv account for the Slack gateway

The Switch

 * Remove Freenode channels from https://indieweb.org/discuss
 * Review mentions of freenode on the wiki, alter where appropriate https://indieweb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&redirs=1&search=freenode&fulltext=Search
 * DONE: Change Loqi scripts to point to Libera instead of Freenode
 * DONE: Move chat log hooks to Libera
 * DONE: Restart Slack gateway talking to Libera
 * DONE: Update Microformats wiki to point to libera
 * DONE: Update channel topics on Freenode
 * DONE: Update channel topics on Libera

Announcements

 * Add a big notice to the newsletter

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