Canonical shuttering some of its legacy chat channels

Canonical is discontinuing some of its older tools and communication channels for users, although certain ones may persist – albeit unofficially. In May, Canonical's Aaron Prisk announced on Discord that the Ubuntu Pastebin would cease operations by the end of June. Aaron Rainbolt has now confirmed that the IRC channels will follow suit.

The official Ubuntu chat channels have transitioned to Matrix, with an introductory site and a Matrix link provided for joining Ubuntu's area. This shift is not a new phenomenon; the Linux Mint project previously underwent a similar transition when Mint 22 was released a few years ago. Although the Ubuntu Wiki still lists the IRC servers and channels, they are hosted on Libera Chat, which was established in 2021 following the decline of Freenode.

For now, the IRC channels will continue to be accessible but will no longer serve as official methods of communication, and users should not anticipate any staff availability for assistance, moderation, or other support. The reporter expresses concern that Canonical may also choose to discontinue the Ubuntu mailing lists, which have provided valuable information and support over the years.