What is plaintext in my point of view:
Its simply text without any makeup or add-on, it is just an organic content. For example,

• A handwritten grocery list what our mother used to give to our father
• A To-Do List
• An essay/composition writing in our school days

Why plaintext is important?
– The quality of the content only going to get score here: there is no marketing by giving some beautification or formats.
– Less storage
– Ideal for long term data storage because Cross-Platform Compatibility
– Universal Accessibility. Many s/w using plain text for configuration files (.ini, .conf, .json)
– Data interchange (.csv – interchange data into databases or spreadsheet application)
– Command line environments, even in cryptography.
– Batch Processing: Many batch processes use plain text files to define lists of actions or tasks that need to be executed in a batch mode, such as renaming files, converting data formats, or running programs.

So plain text is simple, powerful and something special we have no doubt about it.

What is IRC?
IRC – Internet Relay Chat is a plain text based real time communication System over the internet for one-on-one chat, group chat, online community – making it ideal for discussion.

It’s a popular network for free and open-source software (FOSS) projects and developers in olden days. Ex. many large projects (like Debian, Arch Linux, GNOME, and Python) discussion used. Nowadays also IRC is using by many communities.

Usage :
Mainly a discussion chat forum for open-source software developers, technology, and hobbyist communities.

Why IRC?
Already we have so many chat platforms which are very advanced and I could use multimedia also there. So this is very basic, right?

Yes it is very basic, but the infrastructure of this IRC is not like other chat platforms. In my point of view the important differences are privacy and decentralized.

Advantages over other Chat Platforms:

• No Ads Or Popups: We are not distracted from other ads or popups because my information are not passed to any company to track my needs and give marketing.
• Privacy: Many IRC networks does not need your email or mobile number or even registration. Simply you can type your name or nick name, select your server and start chat instantly. Chat Logs also getting stored if required.
• Open Source and Free: Server, Client – the entire networking model is free and open source. Anybody can install the IRC servers/clients and connect with the network.
• Decentralized : As servers are decentralized, it could able to work even one server has some issues and it is down. Users can connect to different servers within the same network which is improving reliability and performance.
• Low Latency: Its a free real time communication system with low latency which is very important for technical communities and time sensitive conversations.
• Customization and Extensibility: Custom scripts can be written to enhance functionality and IRC supports automation through bots which can record chats, sending notification or moderating channels, etc.
• Channel Control: Channel Operators (Group Admin) have fine control over the users like who can join, who can be kicked off.
• Light Weight Tool: As its light weight no high end hardware required. IRC can be accessed from even older computers or even low powered devices like Rasberry Pi.
• History and Logging: Some IRC Servers allow logging of chats through bots or in local storage.

Inventor
IRC is developed by Jarkko Oikarinen (Finland) in 1988.

Some IRC networks/Servers:
Libera.Chat(#ubuntu, #debian, #python, #opensource)
EFNet-Eris Free Network (#linux, #python, #hackers)
IRCnet(#linux, #chat, #help)
Undernet(#help, #anime, #music)
QuakeNet (#quake, #gamers, #techsupport)
DALnet- for both casual users and larger communities (#tech, #gaming, #music)

Some Clients-GUI
HexChat (Linux, macOS, Windows)
Pidgin (Linux, Windows)
KVIrc (Linux, Windows, macOS)

Some IRC Clients for CLI (Command Line Interface) :
WeeChat
Irssi

IRC Clients for Mobile :
Goguma
Colloquy (iOS)
LimeChat (iOS)
Quassel IRC (via Quassel Core) (Android)
AndroIRC (Android)

Directly on the Website – Libera WebClient – https://web.libera.chat/gamja/You can click Join, then type the channel name (Group) (Ex. #kaniyam)

How to get Connected with IRC:
After installed the IRC client, open.
Add a new network (e.g., “Libera.Chat”).
Set the server to irc.libera.chat (or any of the alternate servers above).
Optionally, you can specify a port (default is 6667 for non-SSL, 6697 for SSL).
Join a channel like #ubuntu, #python, or #freenode-migrants once you’re connected.

Popular channels to join on libera chat:
#ubuntu, #debian, #python, #opensource, #kaniyam

Local Logs:
Logs are typically saved in plain text and can be stored locally, allowing you to review past conversations.
How to get local logs from our System (IRC libera.chat Server)
folders – /home//.local/share/weechat/logs/ From Web-IRCBot History:
https://ircbot.comm-central.org:8080/

References:
https://kaniyam.com/what-is-irc-an-introduction/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGurYNb0BM8

Our daily meetings :
You can install IRC client, with the above link help, can join.
Timings : IST 8pm-9pm
Server : libera.chat
Channel : #kaniyam

ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN, DISCUSS and GROW

What is IRC?

IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. Its simply text messaging service (real time online communication service) and even with hundreds of people at once in fractions of a second messages are getting shared.

• Actually it is a protocol for real-time text messaging created. It is mainly used for group discussion between the like minded people in chat rooms called “channels” (Ex. #Kaniyam) although it supports private messages between two users.

• Mainly this is used in lots of open source community knowledge share – Ex. If you want to chat with a developer from linux, firefox etc.

• The Chat Process works on a client-server networking model.

Wait! Wait!! Is it a Protocol or Chat App?

Its a Protocol which is implemented in client server for the text chat. WeeChat is one of the terminal application for IRC client and Pidgin is one of the Desktop client app.

Founder & Year :

IRC was developed in 1988 by Jakko Oikarinen in Finland

Merits/Advantages :

Simplicity : IRC is a simple, text-based environment for communication, without the multimedia features of other platforms. 

Community building : IRC is ideal for interest-based or topic-based chat rooms, and is designed to foster a sense of community

Decentralized : IRC isn’t controlled by a single company, so anyone can set up their own server and network. 

Privacy : Users can control their privacy with access levels, invitation-only channels, and one-on-one messaging. 

Accessibility : IRC is accessible across various platforms, including desktop, laptop, and mobile devices.

Speed : IRC is a good option for fast text-based chat apps with a geographically distributed user-base, as it has low latency and can transmit large amounts of data quickly. (Simply its all texts – so speed is high).

Flexibility : IRC can be used for a variety of purposes, from critical operations to gaming discussions. 

File sharing : IRC clients can be used to create file servers and share files with other users. 

Everything is Fine, But already we have so many Apps for Chats, Why IRC?

So many People have so many answers, but according to me,

Reading is a Best Habit compares to watching video (unless it is necessary). It will increase our imagination capacity. Imagination is the key factor for our more technologies and inventions.

Environmental friendly – We are making so much of carbon footprints everyday. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions.

We are wasting so much of energy (electricity and other resources) while sharing tons of files or images or videos everyday.

I am not asking you to stop watching TV or using internet etc…

Why don’t you contribute to our Mother Earth at least by doing this simple help.

I want to Know More about IRC :

• https://kaniyam.com/what-is-irc-an-introduction/ (in Tamil Blog)
• https://goinggnu.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/why-i-like-irc-internet-relay-chat-even-in-2020/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGurYNb0BM8 (in Tamil Video)
• https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc2810
• https://chi.cs.uchicago.edu/chirc/irc.html (IRC Protocols)

Thanks Note: My sincere Thanks to our Professor Mr. MuthuRamaLingam and Mr. Shrini