The chat network needs no introduction. The basic protocol was developed in 1990 by Jarkko Oikarinen and named Internet Relay Chat. In the 90's it gained many new features such as a nickname and channel registration service, while at the same time outlasting many proprietary chat protocols. Now it is a, if not the, main medium of instant communication worldwide.
But a little-known facet of its history is that only a few months after its creation a few operators dissatisfied with one server called Eris tried to make a new network called Eris Free Network (EFnet) which would be entirely separate from the chat network. Some alterations to the protocol were made and the split was averted.
But what if the split had succeeded? Would the instant communication scene be dominated by corporations? What would be the fate of the chat network without the servers that made up EFnet?
But a little-known facet of its history is that only a few months after its creation a few operators dissatisfied with one server called Eris tried to make a new network called Eris Free Network (EFnet) which would be entirely separate from the chat network. Some alterations to the protocol were made and the split was averted.
But what if the split had succeeded? Would the instant communication scene be dominated by corporations? What would be the fate of the chat network without the servers that made up EFnet?