Zanet.org.za
Title
ZAnet
Description
Once upon a time, many, many Internet-years ago, there was only one world-wide network of IRC servers. In August 1990, a "political" upheaval caused a split in this proto-network. The result was two IRC networks, quite distinct from each other - the EFnet and the Anet. The Anet has withered away with time, while the EFnet remains as the major international IRC network. It has over 130 servers connected to it, and at times 15000 to 20000 users can be found on it.
Early in 1993 a smaller alternative network was formed by individuals who were disillusioned with the EFnet. This net, known as the Undernet, has become securely established as the EFnet's main "competition".
The South African IRC network was formed out of necessity, long before localised IRC networks became "fashionable". The IRC servers in South Africa were originally connected to the EFnet. In the latter half of 1993 it became apparent that the 64Kbps (kilobits per second) line which connected South Africa's Uninet to the rest of the Internet was becoming too heavily utilised to support the IRC link to the EFnet. Often, "lag" of up to half an hour was experienced to the rest of the EFnet! The EFnet link was therefore severed, leaving South Africa's few IRC servers to operate as an independent little network. This has been the status quo ever since, even though individual servers have come and gone.
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