coolchat.de

What It Is

MidiAndMore.Net (domain: coolchat.de) is an open-source real-time chat network based on the traditional IRC (Internet Relay Chat) protocol. Beyond basic text communication, it functions as a community ecosystem built around open-source projects. Its infrastructure relies on well-known open-source IRC server software such as UnrealIRCd and Anope, while it also develops its own modern web client, jwebirc, and services such as HelpServ.

Core Dimension Analysis

• Channels: Supports standard IRC protocol access. Users can chat directly in the browser via the WebIRC interface, or connect with any IRC client via ircs://irc.midiandmore.net/.
• Geographic Coverage: The physical server distribution is not clearly stated. However, the website supports 8 languages, including English, German, French, and Spanish, suggesting it primarily targets European and global multilingual users.
• Pricing: As an open-source community project, it is completely free to use and relies on user donations for operation.
• Deliverability & Performance: As a real-time chat protocol, IRC offers very low message delivery latency, but the official site does not disclose specific server performance or concurrency metrics.
• API & Integration: It does not provide a modern REST API. Instead, it follows the IRC protocol standard. Its main advantage is openness: developers can directly access the source code of projects such as UnrealIRCd, Anope, and jwebirc for customization, secondary development, or self-hosting.
• Compliance: The website provides a privacy policy and has recently disabled the unencrypted port 6667, fully shifting to TLS-encrypted port 6697. This reflects a focus on communication security and compliance. It also maintains clear network rules to regulate user behavior.

Pricing

Completely free, with no subscriptions or paid tiers. The project accepts community donations to help sustain operations.

Pros and Cons

Pros: 1. Fully open source, with a transparent and customizable technology stack; 2. Enforced TLS encryption for stronger security; 3. Provides a responsive web client, lowering the barrier to using IRC; 4. Multilingual support and good internationalization.
Cons: 1. The IRC protocol itself is relatively old and lacks modern IM features such as rich media and read receipts; 2. Community size and activity level are unknown, and it may be a niche network; 3. No commercial-grade SLA or technical support guarantees.

Who It’s For

Best suited for geeks who are nostalgic for or enthusiastic about the IRC protocol, open-source project developers who want to self-host or participate in IRC service development, and technical communities that need lightweight, plain-text real-time communication.

China Access

Unknown. IRC services typically depend on specific ports such as 6697, which may be affected by ISP port policies in China. Web access has not been tested, so connectivity cannot currently be confirmed.