You can now embed image and video links directly in your channels and conversations in the web app.
Just choose the “Embed image and video links” option from the drop down menu. The setting is per-channel, so make sure you only turn it on for channels you trust.
Any link from YouTube, Vimeo, or a URL that ends in .jpg, .png or even .gif will be embedded in the page. If media fails to load we’ll fall back to just showing the URL.
Hovering over embedded media reveals a close icon, so you can still hide individual images and videos.
At the moment, you’ll still need to upload media separately (e.g. on imgur, flickr or your own server) before embedding in IRCCloud, but we’re planning to allow drag and drop uploads in the future.
A note on security
The first time you enable media embeds, you'll see the following warning:
Embedding image and video links from other sites can cause your web browser to warn about “partially secure” content. Your IRCCloud session and data are always secure and private, but embedded media may load insecurely.
We'll never embed scripts from domains we don't trust, so there's no risk of malicious sites accessing your account via embedded media. This is guaranteed because images are passive content, and videos are embedded via an iframe, which your browser will block from accessing data on IRCCloud.
Our iOS app has landed. It’s free to
download now in the App Store and it works on Phones, Pods and Pads.
It has push notifications, an inline image viewer, and all the features you’d expect from an IRCCloud mobile app.
Like the Android app, it fully syncs with IRCCloud on the web—all your channels and messages are available, and the app will keep up to date with everything you’ve read.
The app runs in portrait only on iPhones and iPods, and landscape only on iPads. Alternate orientations will be available in future updates.
Note: You’ll need an existing IRCCloud.com account to use the app.
Join the #feedback channel on IRC to give us feedback on the app, and report any problems. As always, our Chief International Mobile Strategy Response Director, Sam “Man of” Steele, will be standing by to respond to any questions or problems you might have.
Pro tips
- Swipe left and right to open the channel and member lists
- Double tap a message to prefill the author’s nickname in a reply
- Long press on a message to interact with the author
- Tap the blue and red bars at the top and bottom of the channel list to quickly scroll to unread channels and conversations
IRCCloud is now hosted in the Black Lotus facility in Los Angeles.
The new data center boasts a stronger network than our previous host
(Hetzner), and should be better equipped to handle network attacks such
as DDoS.
We chose to move data center for two reasons:
- Hetzner’s IP range is blocked on some IRC networks (eg: EFNet) due to Hetzner-specific grievances;
- We have been experiencing an increase in the number, and intensity, of DDoS attacks
As a result, EFNet connections should work again, and a stronger network
infrastructure should help with site uptime and availability.
We’ve just finalised a round of seed funding for IRCCloud, led by Index Ventures.
We raised £500,000 (~$760,000) towards growing the team, investing in infrastructure so we can open up signups, and rolling out a bunch of new features.
Currently we’re looking to fill a variety of engineering, ops and design positions. We’re updating IRC for the modern always-on internet. If developing, scaling and designing new interfaces for 25 year old hacker technology strikes you as an exciting challenge, we’d love to meet you.
Have a look at our jobs page for details.
IRCCloud was started in 2010 in London as a team collaboration service built around the IRC community that’s fast, reliable, and a pleasure to use. The founders are Richard Jones (Audioscrobbler and Last.fm founder) and James Wheare.
We’re pleased to announce the first version of our Android app is now
available for download, for free.
It has push notifications, options for sound and vibration, various
settings to keep it connected in the background, and more.
It fully syncs with IRCCloud on the web—meaning if you
receive a private message or highlight, you’ll get a message on your device in
the Android notifications area. If you then read the message on the web
the notification is automatically cleared on all your other devices. And vice versa; reading
notifications on your device clears your highlights on the web.
We’ve developed and tested the app on many different devices and screen layouts—including a full screen landscape mode on tablets, and the app should work on anything above Android 2.2 (Froyo).
Note: You’ll need an existing IRCCloud.com account to use the app for now.
Join the #android channel on IRC to give us feedback on the app, and report any problems. Our Senior Executive Vice President of Mobile Strategy Solutions Sam Steele will be standing by to respond to any questions or problems you might have.
Pro tips
- Swipe left and right to open the channel and member lists
- Double tap a message to prefill the author’s nickname in a reply
- Long press on a message to interact with the author
- Tap the blue and red bars at the top and bottom of the channel list to quickly scroll to unread channels and conversations
What about iOS?
We’ll be incorporating ideas and suggestions we receive from the Android
App into building a top notch iOS app. Hang in there.
IRC