Slack-like / IRC-alternative for #openbmc

I recently came across an open-source (and free) Slack / IRC alternative called 'riot.im' (https://riot.im). The underlying protocol (matrix.org) implements bridging between the native matrix protocol and IRC, so we get free mirroring between the two.

I set up a channel in matrix (openbmc, obviously) and set up the bridge to the Freenode IRC channel. If you see users with a '[m]' suffix, this is their matrix/riot account.

Advantages of riot.im:

* You can see the log of the chat room to read back on what happened while you were disconnected.

* Much better web-client than the Freenode one; it looks very similar to Slack. The client is also "easier" than an IRC client for the more casual users. (Not everyone likes a command-line IRC client with a IRC bouncer like ZNC, I hear.)

* Mobile clients for Android and iOS, with notifications.

* Allows pictures and documents. These are also sent to IRC as a link.

Feel free to try it out in addition to or instead of IRC.

Patrick Williams