A series of upgrades to the network have recently been completed! The highlights include:

• TLS/SSL certificates - connecting to irc.synirc.net on TLS port 6697 will serve a valid Let's Encrypt certificate that your client can verify. On most modern clients, TLS/SSL verification should be on by default.
• SASL authentication - the ability to authenticate to NickServ prior to connection with SASL PLAIN (using a username and password) and SASL EXTERNAL (using a client certificate). Search [your client] sasl (e.g. hexchat sasl) to get specific instructions for your IRC client.
• Typing indicators - IRCCloud users can now see when other IRCCloud users are typing a message. To enable it in IRCCloud, tick the box at Settings > Chat & embeds > Share typing status. Support in other clients is may exist, but is limited at this stage.
• Hiding idle time - users can hide their idle time in /whois from non-staff by setting usermode +I.

For the technically inclined, UnrealIRCd was upgraded from 3.x --> 4.x --> 6.x, and Anope services from 1.x --> 2.x.

If you have any questions about these changes, please consult your IRC client's documentation, or drop by #help where someone can assist.