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+_Last updated: 2020-07-30_
+
+# Using IRC on 9front
+
+While 9front comes with an irc client called `ircrc`, it can be quite annoying that it does not
+keep a persistent connection.
+
+A different program `irc7` provides a server part which keeps a connection open to an irc server,
+and a client part which allows for connecting to the server. This works great since it makes it possible to
+get all the messages on a channel without being online all the time.
+
+## Setup
+
+Download the irc7 code via `hg`:
+
+	hg clone https://code.9front.org/hg/irc7/
+
+Build and install
+
+	cd irc7
+	mk install
+
+## Usage
+
+First the server program `ircsrv` must be started, so I would run
+
+	ircsrv -e -p VerySecretPassword pmikkelsen net!irc.freenode.net!7000
+
+to connect as `pmikkelsen` to freenode over tls and with password for my nickname. 
+After this, it is possible to connect to different channels by opening new rio windows
+and running
+
+	irc -t '#cat-v' -b
+
+to connect to the cat-v channel. The `-b` option without any extra arguments
+prints the entire conversation since the ircsrv was started, 
+so it might not always be desirable.
+
+To see all the messages sent directly to me, I would run
+
+	irc -t MSGS
+
+and maybe start a conversation with user 'mousehater' by running
+
+	irc -t mousehater
+
+I run this on a remote cpu server that is rarely powered off, and then I just connect via
+drawterm from linux to chat, or via rcpu from other 9front machines.