SILC Secure Internet Live Conferencing

SILC Project FAQ

1. General Questions
- When was SILC Project started?
- Who is behind the SILC?
- Why SILC in the first place?
- What license covers the SILC release?
- Why SILC? Why not IRC3?
- How do you pronounce SILC?
- Is there anyone else than SILC Project implementing SILC protocol
- Where can I find more information?
- I would like to help out, what can I do?

1. General Questions

Q: When was SILC Project started?
A: The SILC development started in 1996 and early 1997. But, for various reasons it suspended many times until it finally got some wind under its wings in 1999. First public release was in summer 2000.

Q: Who is behind the SILC?
A: The SILC was developed by Pekka Riikonen in Finland. He also started the SILC project that now coordinates the SILC development. He has worked for years in the field of security, for example several years at the SSH Communications Security Corporation as Chief Engineer with responsibilities in IPSEC core development.

The SILC Project consists of several volunteers who maintain the SILC Network, its routers and servers. Volunteers who provide the silcnet.org internet access and administrates the silcnet.org sites. Volunteers who use their expertise and free time to develop the protocol and the software, and to provide support for SILC users.

Q: Why SILC in the first place?
A: SILC was originally developed for real need for secure conferencing as such thing did not exist when SILC was developed. As far as we know SILC is still the only conferencing protocol designed with security as the main design principle.

Q: What license covers the SILC release?
A: All SILC software developed here at the silcnet.org are Open Source projects and are covered with non-restricting licenses.

Q: Why SILC? Why not IRC3?
A: Question that is justified no doubt of that. SILC was not started to become a replacement for IRC. SILC was something that didn't exist in 1996 or even today except that SILC is now released. However, I did check out the IRC3 project in 1997 when I started coding and planning the SILC protocol.

But, IRC3 is problematic. Why? Because it still doesn't exist. The project is almost at the same spot where it was in 1997 when I checked it out. And it was old project back then as well. That's the problem of IRC3 project. The same almost happened to SILC as well as I wasn't making real progress over the years. I talked to the original author of IRC, Jarkko Oikarinen, in 1997 and he directed me to the IRC3 project, although he said that IRC3 is a lot of talking and not that much of anything else. I am not trying to put down the IRC3 project but its problem is that no one in the project is able to make a decision what is the best way to go about making the IRC3 and I wasn't going to be part of that. The fact is that if I would've gone to IRC3 project, nor IRC3 or SILC would exist today. I think IRC3 could be something really great if they just would get their act together and start coding the thing.

Q: How do you pronounce SILC?
A: SILC is usually pronounced as `silk', but you are free to pronounce it the way you want.

Q: Is there anyone else than SILC Project implementing SILC protocol?
There has been others developing their own implementations of the SILC protocol as well. See our links page for links to those projects.

Q: Where can I find more information?
A: For more technical information we suggest reading the SILC Protocol specifications. You might also want to take a look at the documentation page on the web page.

Q: I would like to help out, what can I do?
A: All help is really appreciated and needed. We need programmers, technical writers, and webmasters. You should read the documentation on the Community Resources page, and contact us for more information.