July 4th, 2022
I began hanging out at Romanian IRC servers in July, 2002. It is exactly 20 years now. I had used chat applications before that. I can’t remember their names. ICQ was one of them, which I used occasionally. By 1999 I would also “chat” using email, sending and getting email messages back and forth, in real time. What do you think about that?
I’m sure I used IRC before 2002. But I have the distinct recollection that July 2002 marked the beginning of my using regularly and consciously the Romanian IRC servers.
Also then I would start playing trivia. I am a pretty decent trivia player, I have to say. I was so in 2002, and so am I now.
By the end of 2002 or the beginning of 2003 I would quit the Romanian IRC servers. Never quit IRC though. I would hang out at Spanish or English language IRC servers. Seldom would I return to a Romanian IRC server. So rarely that I don’t have any distinct recollection of that.
In January 2020 I came back to the Romanian IRC servers, mostly to play trivia. To this day I still spend my time there, and quite a bit.
Here I would like to present to my English-language readers a list of the Romanian servers I know. I will add some comments about them.
For some reason, IRC is quite alive among the Romanian-language internet users, in 2022. I don’t know the entire genealogy of the Romanian IRC communities (except for the last two years), but it is my understanding that back in the day there was one big IRC server which acted as a monopoly of sorts, called Apropo. At some point Apropo was shut, and the name went up for grabs. The word “apropo” is so deeply associated with IRC chat in Romanian that they almost became synonyms. Nowadays, most of the Romanian IRC communities use the word “apropo” in their namings. Also, using the word “apropo” for search engine optimization purposes is a must.
There have been many splits, but hardly any merger, in the Romanian IRC communities. Perhaps this explains that the majority of these chats are small-size. There are rival chats with real hatred between owners, with DDoS and other attacks. There are also IRC communities which are friends with each other. There are also rogue users that flood or otherwise attack one community after the other.
In my review, I will try to avoid claiming what chat is a split-off of which one, since that might be debatable, and such claims would certainly be quickly challenged by the people concerned. Some would prefer to claim their chat was created out of the blue, perhaps admitting having been part of such or such other IRC server in the past.
Let me use this blog posting to invite my Romanian readers to contribute with their texts, essays or articles, to help explain the history and the present state of the Romanian IRC servers. I can include their contributions in my blog as guest writers. Contributions in Romanian would be great also.
I may not accept rants with the only goal of speaking ill about the rival IRC community, but well intended, respectful criticisms of others might be welcomed.
I don’t know the “real name” of all these communities. Many use several names, almost all of them have several URLs, both for their web page and for their IRC server. Often I will be giving them a name, just for the sake of this review.
I will classify them according to their size, namely according to the number of users usually logged there.
“Afterthought” :) My blog is hosted at http://www.sdf.org, which also has its IRC server
(irc.sdf.org). IRC lovers should give it a try. I encourage
my readers to get familiar with SDF, to browse their web site, and if
you believe you would feel comfortable in this community, to apply for
membership. The IRC server is for SDF members, but there is no automated
process not to accept non-SDF members.
“Big” in terms of number of users. This is what I learnt in these years of IRC: the bigger the server, the worse are the people there. It makes sense. You open the door to just anyone, the worst kind of people get in. There is a bitter rivalry to be placed first in the search engines, so the first two or three there, are, as a general rule, those with the most unpleasant and hostile people.
I suspect that owners of those chats are aware of this and are OK with it. I may be wrong. I suspect they are aware of it and that it is a trade-off for them. These chats, the “big players”, value quantity over quality. It is a choice. I’m sure we all have an opinion about this point. Also, submit some paragraphs to express your point of view about this, I may post them here as contributions from guest writers.
irc.desirenet.org
It is usually the biggest in terms of number of users logged. They have trivias, scrabble, and radio. “Radio” means audio streaming server, which is what I mean for this term henceforth and all along this article. They also have web cam chat. Their IRC daemon seems to be both old-ish and heavily customized.
mobil.clickchat.ro
Also, full of people. They have trivias, scrabble, radio, and web cam chat.
irc.romaniachat.ro
Trivias, scrabble, radio. Usually a pleasant environment. Ops do their part to keep a good mood there.
irc.cuplu.eu
Trivias, scrabble, the spinning bottle game, the bang a duck game, radio. Also a very pleasant place to chat. Admins really seem involved in keeping the community active and in order.
irc.eurochat.org
I don’t know much about this one. I think they have a trivia. They place emphasis in linking IRC servers together.
irc.radioclick.ro
I don’t know much about this one. I know they have a trivia.
mobil.ro.chat
They have trivias, scrabble, other games, and radio. They place emphasis on the audio server. They have many DJs. Usually they play music, they take dedications from the listeners and say hi live to listeners. When off, they leave a play list on. But there is almost always a DJ on. The audio streaming server is what sets Sunrise’s server apart. I often listen to their audio streaming while playing trivia somewhere else. Guilty.
irc.enjoychat.net
They have trivias. They have a radio stream.
irc.apropochat.ro
irc.apropo-chat.ro
They have trivias.
irc.davnet.ro
Small, they have a trivia with few players. Great environment, peace most of the time, no abusive users. Their trivia bot seems to be unique, either an existing one but heavily customized, or coded from scratch by them. Recommended if you want to play good trivia and feel alright.
irc.funworld.ro
I don’t know if it still exists. It seems to have been short-lived.
irc.dot.org.es
This is my chat. I don’t know when I created it. I remember I had an “appointment” with my cousin for May 2015 there (he didn’t show up), which indicates the IRC daemon was up and running then. I’m sure it was up and running also in 2014 but, heck, I don’t have a distinct recollection. I did not place any importance on the creation of the IRC server, its launching was not memorable at all for me. May 2015 is the earliest distinct recollection I have of it, so it is its official birth date. But again, it dates back from 2014 at least, in some form or another.
I hosted the IRC daemon at home, in a Raspberry Pi 3, for years. The Raspberry Pi ran many servers (ssh, sshfs, audio streaming, email, Apache2, IRC, and others), and it ruined many an SD card for me. It was taking me a lot of time and attention, and right now I have other priorities. My partner mattf moved the IRC daemon somewhere else. But the community as such is in a process of self redefinition right now (July 2022). I can’t be the owner, or co-owner, of it anymore. I don’t have the time for it. My plan is to merge with an existing, welcoming and humane IRC community and have my own channel or channels there. My partner has different plans. Oh… yet another split, hahahaha. I don’t want to split from my loyal, feral, partner, so the chat right now is in a purgatory. We’ll keep you guys updated :)
There is one trivia, an audio streaming server, the shoot a duck game, a flirtbot, a translator bot, and many other bots.
irc.apropomania.ro
I don’t know much about this one.
irc.aproponet.ro
Quality people, quality chat. They advertise their trivias and games on their web site. I didn’t really check those out yet. Their radio sets this server apart. Not only do they play music with live DJs, they also offer original content, like providing comments, fun news, fun facts. Also a radio station that I enjoy listening to. Real effort put there, and it is noticeable.
irc.aproporomania.ro
I don’t know much about this one.
Launched in March 2022 or so.
diesel.lolchat.ro
Too new. I have no data about them.
irc.d3x.ro, port 6697
Created, I believe, on May 18th, 2022. Also, quality people and quality chat. A most pleasant milieu. Posting in English is allowed. They have a radio, which runs a play list. A trivia bot will be installed soon. This server is one of the very few that values security.
Possibility to jump from web-based IRC to live video conference. A great effort by BlackBishop’s team.
Unfortunatelly, knowing the real trend in the Romanian IRC servers, I foresee many a split in the near future.
Also, outside from IRC, let me point to you guys that there is a Romanian trivia at Discord, called Komodo. Mr. LuckyShadow has done an excellent job there at Discord, and he has probably the largest question and answers database from all the online Romanian trivias, IRC or otherwise.
Feel free to comment in the box down below, but if you feel you have a substantial contribution to make, please contact me and we’ll find a way of posting your comments in my blog.
I’ve found this one also:
irc.roircop.info
I lack info about them. They have trivias.
Funworld and Ares’s are closed.
This one was created most likely in September 2023:
irc.chatapropo.online
A trivia is most likely to be opened soon.
irc.whiteheaven.ro
And their web interface, http://eurochat.ro/
They have trivias and an audio server.
radiocondor.zapto.org
port 6697
Old community, middle-size, they have their audio server and also a trivia.
irc.whiteheaven.eu
port 6697
Its mainainers may have had something to do with other IRC communities that also use the name “whiteheaven”. This one has a trivia and an audio channel.
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