NorthernIRC

Close the tab.
You're still on IRC.

A web IRC client whose connection belongs to you rather than to a browser tab. Shut the laptop and you stay joined; open it again and the conversation you missed is still there, read from disk rather than from a server's goodwill.

Apply for an account Sign in Accounts on this server are approved by hand — there is no instant sign-up.
The client: four networks in the sidebar, a channel with its topic and user list, and an unread mention badge.
Click to see it full size

The connection outlives the tab

A bouncer is built in. Your networks stay connected with every window closed, and reconnect on their own after a restart.

The backlog is on disk

Every line is written down, searchable across networks you have since left — including the ones you were never online for.

It reaches your phone

Install it to the home screen and a mention finds you through Web Push, with nothing open and no app store involved.

Applying

This is a small private server, so accounts are handed out by a person rather than a form. Tell me who you are and why you want one; you will hear back.

  1. Fill in the application — a name, an email address, a password, and a sentence or two about you.
  2. It lands on my phone. Nothing happens automatically.
  3. Once it is approved you sign in with that email and password, and the client is yours.
Apply for an account I already have one