I have a background in macOS applications, back when it was Objective-C. I have always loved native apps. When i decided to start Halloy the goal was to create a native application for multiple platforms, and for that Rust is perfect.
if you type /mode it should show the mode next to the channel name. this should happen automatically - will look into that. i'll also add the nick-user mode next to the input field. a few has requested it.
I've spent over 20 years on IRC and im still on every day. Two years ago, I felt the community could use more client options, so I created Halloy. It has since become my primary spare-time project, and I love seeing people enjoy IRC.
On IRC since 1997 - even still in the first channel I joined!
Writing an IRC client is really a fun and rewarding exercise.
I also more or less started my career as a software engineer by maintaining a mildly popular Linux one, at the time.
Some things I learned ...
- A lot about shipping to real users and their pain points, since the devs are naturally accessible by IRC and you get to meet directly
- A whole lot about what makes a successful technology
- Equally much about tech warts, as IRC suffers from a fair number misguided early decisions and many years without functioning governance
- How incredibly rewarding it is to work on products that users directly "live their lives" in and that can help facilitate anything they do - it taught me to look out for jobs that have similar substrate-like qualities
Good luck with your project, I'm glad to see the cycle of renewal continue.
It's beautiful but from decades of experience in app development, I moved away about 10 years ago from using images as icons to insisting that all icons be vector files.
But hiring an Adobe Illustrator expert to professionally recreate the icon as a layered SVG wouldn't cost much. Well done!
