@paddy I don't think they have a free offering. You can download and host yourself.

@paddy that's a new one for me.

@paddy I assume so it's the current backlash against slack.

@paddy but, to ban people who have apparent _links_ to countries is a crappy way to do things. I've read stories of people being banned whose link appears to be nothing more than their ethnicity. If that's the case, that's more than a little shitty.

@paddy I just need to make sure I'm not being too credulous.

@d3z @paddy this was posted by Claire over on the Slack this morning: https://slackhq.com/an-apology-and-an-update

@d3z @paddy as for Discord vs Slack... I’m probably seeing something that isn’t there, but I feel like there’s a generational divide between them. Discord seems like the platform of choice for a younger group.

@mo @paddy maybe. I've nothing useful to say whatever platform is decided on.

@nivrig @d3z @paddy morning

@nivrig @mo @paddy I was going to suggest running our own IRC server.

@nivrig @d3z @paddy I think it has mostly blown over already.

Self-hosting isn’t the worst in the world though. A self-hosted Slack clone would be really nice.

@nivrig @d3z @paddy I’m not opposed to paying for stuff myself, or taking donations. All depends on how people use it - if it’s just a dumping ground for their own private communities, then I’m not advocating that individuals or donations pay for that.

That said, I’m not sure people would move from Slack. Many companies are using Slack these days and it’s very handy to have NI Tech stuff in the same window as the work stuff. (Though for some, I guess it’s a downside).

@nivrig @d3z @paddy wonder if the Fediverse can support a Slack style of chat.

Channels could be based around hashtags, threads based on replies. With the right client you can marshal regular Mastodon-style messages into something more akin to Slack, and with restrictions on federation (eg no incoming follows supported) you can have the effect of a private server.