history.shtml

<!--#set var="page_title" value="History and Growth" -->
<!--#set var="content_title" value="History and Growth" -->
<!--#include file="include/header-mainlogos.shtml" -->

<p>

  The chart below plots the increase in size of
  
  <span class="freenode">freenode</span>
  
  over time.  The network began as <i>#linuxneo</i>, a tiny GNU/Linux
  support channel, created by Rob Levin in 1994 on EFNet IRC.  That channel
  soon changed its name to <i>#LinPeople</i>. By 1995, after moving to
  Undernet and then DALnet, #LinPeople became a small network,
  <i>irc.linpeople.org</i>. In early 1998, it became <i>Open Projects
  Net</i>, with about 200 users and fewer than 20 channels.
</p>

<p>
  In 2002, Open Projects Net became <span class="freenode">freenode</span>,
  a service of Peer-Directed Projects Center, a tax-exempt corporation.
</p>

<p>
  In 2013, the Peer-Directed Projects Center shut down; however
  <span class="freenode">freenode</span> continues to operate as before.
</p>

<p>
  Over the years, <span class="freenode">freenode</span> has used a few
  different IRC daemons. In 1999, we began using dancer, which was based on
  IRCD-Hybrid. We switched to hyperion (based on dancer) in 2005. Since 2010,
  freenode has used <a href="seven.shtml">ircd-seven</a>, based on charybdis.
</p>

<p>
  Today <span class="freenode">freenode</span> peaks
  at around 85,000 users and contains around 40,000 channels.
</p>

<p style="text-align: center;">
  <a href="http://irc.netsplit.de/networks/details.php?net=freenode&amp;submenu=days"><img src="http://irc.netsplit.de/tmp/networks/history_freenode_uc.png" alt="freenode network growth" /></a>
</p>

<!--#set var="SPONSOR_LINKS" value="<small>
	</small>"-->


<!--#include file="include/trailer.shtml" -->