What is Freenode?
{{Infobox IRC network |name = Freenode |image = [[File:freenode logo.png|240px]] |founded_on = {{start date and age|1995}}<br />as irc.linpeople.org |located_in = [[Asia]], [[Pacific Rim]], [[Europe]], [[United States]] |based_in = [[United Kingdom]] |website_url = http://freenode.net/ |primary_dns = irc://chat.freenode.net/ |average_users = {{IRC NQNS link|freenode|90,000–100,000}} |average_channels= {{IRC NQNS link|freenode|50,000}} |average_servers = {{IRC NQNS link|freenode|12}} |main_content = Public / unrestricted }} '''freenode''' (known before as '''Open Projects Network'''), is an [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]] [[computer network|network]]. It is used to discuss peer-directed projects.<ref>Mutton, Paul. ''IRC Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools''. Cambridge: [[O'Reilly Media]] 2004. {{ISBN|0-596-00687-X}}</ref> The freenode servers can all be used from the [[Domain name system|domain name]] [irc://chat.freenode.net chat.freenode.net]. This automatically switches the user to one of the actual servers in use. As of 2010, it was the largest [[free and open source software]]-focused IRC network. It had more than 70,000 users and 40,000 channels.<ref>{{cite web |author=Andreas Gelhausen |url=http://irc.netsplit.de/networks/details.php.en?net=freenode&submenu=weeks |title=Network statistics over the last two weeks |publisher=irc.netsplit.de |accessdate=2010-05-28 |archive-date=2014-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221091850/http://irc.netsplit.de/networks/details.php.en?net=freenode&submenu=weeks |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Peer-Directed Projects Center |url=http://freenode.net/project |title=Freenode history statistics |publisher=freenode.net |accessdate=2011-02-08 |archive-date=2016-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326204045/http://freenode.net/project |url-status=dead }}</ref> == History == [[File:Map of freenode servers.svg|thumb|left|There are 24 freenode server locations around the world {{as of|2010|10|lc=on}}.]] {{Anchor|ratbert}} <!-- R