Re: [9fans] irc client (maybe server) project looking for contributors

[cLIeNUX user <r@your_host.com>]

humbubba@smart.net
>Okay, we're developing the irc thing at work. So while my head is full of
>irc stuff I'd like to take the opportunity to develop some IRC stuff for
>plan9 / Inferno.
>
>I've done the bot but it was pretty simplistic.
>
>I'm inspired to do a client (and I kinda promised ;).
>
>Is anyone interested in contributing?
>Even if it's just at the design and planning stage.

I'm interested in contributing just a design :o)

IRC doesn't scale well. EFnet is the biggest IRC network, and it's at
capacity at about 50k users with the trunk servers needing big pipes, t1
or better. Maybe t3, I don't recall clearly.

When the topic comes up I try to promulgate a cli-serv/moderator model.
The idea is to get message traffic distributed over the cli-servs, which
is analagous to what are now the clients, and leave control communications
like joins, nick changes and so on on the moderators, which are now the
servers. This is re-factoring the boundary between client and server,
while remaining the same in overall functionality. The idea is that each
client is one of the message servers for the channels it is on, and just
those channels. Each channel then is it's own tree topology, like IRC as a
whole is now, and the moderators control things by having all the info on
all connectivity. It's a very tricky design challenge though.

Another thing I suggest is opless channels. 

Rick Hohensee
http://linux01.gwdg.de/~rhohen

 



>
>I'd welcome anyone's input.
>I've got plenty of ideas of what I'd like to see.
>
>I know I said it'd be Limbo on Inferno but that's not set in stone.
>Acme strikes me as a good application host for irc which would make it
>"cross platform" (plan9 AND inferno!)
>On the other hand I'd like to get to grips with tk on Inferno (and then I
>might get a free T-Shirt too!)
>
>Matt