Well it's been burnt to the ground, they wiped services and started anew on a different IRCd. And I noticed that user's hostnames are hidden by default now. Things like "@freenode-tbu.1hs.4lttne.IP" & "freenode-0ji.04k.68srct.IP."
Making everyone more anonymous seems very chan-like.
On a related note, he changed his nick to root. I'm pretty sure he did it because of the saying "root is god," which is true on *nix platforms. (The root user can do anything, including deleting the entire filesystem while the computer is running. It's powerful and meant to be used in moderation.)
And you have to use Discord's client, which looks the same in the browser and on the desktop. Among other things you simply cannot watch multiple channels at the same time, even on the same server. You have to switch back and forth between them, and in my experience you give up and stay in one or the other. If they're on different servers, it's even more of a pain.
It's not as bad as one from their message when they wiped Freenode, which include the line "freenode is freedom." Someone either hasn't read 1984, or deliberately echoed it.
I also feel validated, because I pointed out he was showing all the signs of Malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and even linked a very thorough article[1] explaining what happens when narcissists fail, and also got flagged.
Since this move fits in with the steps in that article, next up will be him turning on his current toadies when the "forked" Freenode continues to fail. He'll never accept that he failed personally, he's incapable of it.
That's not quite how it happened, DALnet suffered prolonged DDoS assaults that took the network offline for several weeks. (I remember it being a couple of months.) Once they got past the DDoS was when they banned all file trading. It wasn't just warez and mp3 channels, it also targeted manga scanlation and anime fansub groups.
The reasoning I heard was that the DDoS was triggered by someone getting upset about something that happened in a file-trading channel, and decided to DDoS the entire network as a result. After being offline for so long from the attack, DALnet admins wanted nothing to do with that kind of bullshit again and just purged it all. I really can't say that I blame them.
I believe everything we're seeing Lee do is because he's a narcissist[1] and is simply incapable of accepting failure. I read an article[2] recently on how a narcissist handles failure and it fits this situation perfectly. Just some of the steps (it's a long article):
▣ Insist everything is fine, claim any evidence otherwise is false.
▣ Attack not only the evidence, but anyone presenting it.
▣ Find someone to blame for their troubles (in this case Libera).
▣ Never take responsibility, EVER, it's always someone's else fault.
▣ Lies increase and are repeatedly exponentially.
▣ If it appears the narcissist is going to be brought down, they will start lashing out to make others suffer. They will NOT go down alone.
▣ As the end nears, the suffering of others becomes paramount.
IRC was important to Lee growing up as jeltz noted. So he obtained control over Freenode because it was the largest IRC network in the world, and owning it made him feel good. But eventually, because he's a narcissist, he wasn't satisfied merely owning it, he wanted to run it. He probably felt only he knew best how to do so, because he's a narcissist. That started the failure and it's all been downhill ever since, because he can't accept that failure.
If I'm correct, it's going to get much worse, and much uglier, in the weeks and months to come. Lee's going to start attacking his current toadies and enablers as well, and doing more and more things to cause suffering to anyone he feels is remotely connected to the "appearance" of him failing. (Because remember, he's incapable of admitting he failed.)
[1] In particular Malignant Narcissist Personality Disorder, an actual mental health disorder, not just someone who likes themselves a bit too much.
I doubt any nonprofit credible enough is going to risk damaging their reputation by taking on Freenode after what Lee's done with it. Nearly everyone's already moved to Libera & OFTC, people aren't going to want to move back after all that work, and well, frankly, Freenode's very name is toxic now.
Also, I doubt Lee would ever give up control, because it's clear controlling the network is what he wanted all along.
I'm pretty sure the bans & channel closures have hastened the transition. People log in and see pretty much no one on the channel, search to see if something happened, and turn up the news about Lee fucking Freenode up. Then they leave, too.
Lee's showing signs of Malignant Narcissism Personality Disorder. People with that condition simply cannot accept failure. They _can't_ fail, it's always someone else's fault, and anything/anyone who makes it look like the narcissist failed much be punished.
Looked at in that light, everything Lee's done makes twisted sense. A new network was created by the IRCOps who left, so Libera has to be punished, and any mention of it must be punished. IRC Cloud dared to criticize Lee, no matter how mildly? They must be punished, who cares about collateral damage.
He's going to continue this pattern until there's nothing left, and he'll rant and rave continually that it's everyone else's fault, not his. It's going to get much, _much_ worse.
Making everyone more anonymous seems very chan-like.