Freenode
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| Founded | 1995 as irc.linpeople.org 1998 as irc.freenode.net |
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| Geographic location | Asia, Pacific Rim, Europe, United States |
| Based in | United Kingdom |
| Website URL | https://freenode.net/ |
| Primary DNS | irc://chat.freenode.net/ |
| Average users | 90,000–100,000 |
| Average channels | 35,000–45,000 |
| Average servers | 32 |
| Content/subject | Public / unrestricted |
Freenode, formerly known as Open Projects Network, is an IRC network used to discuss peer-directed projects. Their servers are all accessible from the host names chat.freenode.net and irc.freenode.net, which load balances connections by using the actual servers in rotation. In 2010, it became the largest free and open source software-focused IRC network and, as of 2013, the largest IRC network, regardless of focus, encompassing more than 90,000 users and 40,000 channels, gaining almost 5,000 new users per year.
Freenode is centrally managed. Staffers or staff (as IRC operators are called) have the same access across all servers. A list of active staff can be viewed using the /stats p command. Some operations that would normally only apply to one server (like k-lines) are propagated across the whole network. Servers are "donated" to the network, rather than "linked."
The network focuses on supporting peer-directed and open source projects. Channels not related to these things are considered off-topic and encouraged to find a home elsewhere. To support this distinction, channels are divided into namespaces. Primary on-topic channels begin with a single #, and groups wanting to use such a channel must officially register with freenode. "About" channels begin with two ##, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis without needing a group registration.
Freenode currently runs Atheme IRC Services and ircd-seven, a set of freenode-specific patches on the Charybdis ircd (based on ratbox). In 1999 freenode ran an ircd called dancer (based on IRC-Hybrid) then switched to hyperion in 2005. By 2010 hyperion was replaced with ircd-seven which occurred on 30 January 2010.
Freenode began as a 4-person Linux support channel called #LinPeople on EFnet, another IRC network. By 1995 after moving to Undernet and then DALnet it moved from being just a channel to its own network, irc.linpeople.org. In early 1998 it changed to Open Projects Net (OPN) with about 200 users and under 20 channels. The OPN soon grew to become the largest network for the free software community, and 20th largest in the world. In 2002 the name changed to freenode and the Peer-Directed Projects Center (PDPC) was founded. PDPC was a registered IRS 501(c)(3) charity from 2002 until approximately 2010, during which it received support from such organizations as the Linux Fund in 2007.
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