Microsoft Comic Chat is now open source
Microsoft has released the source code for its 1990s-era Microsoft Comic Chat IRC client, a graphical chat program that turned conversations into comic strips and shipped with Windows 98. Commenters recall it as both a beloved gateway to the early internet and an infamous example of Microsoft extending open protocols by embedding proprietary metadata into standard IRC traffic. Many see the release as valuable software preservation and a reminder of a more experimental era of consumer software, while also contrasting it with today’s AI-heavy, metrics-driven development culture.
Overall reaction & nostalgia
- Many commenters are delighted and nostalgic; Comic Chat was the first exposure to IRC or even the wider internet for several people, often via Windows 95/98 on dial‑up.
- Some recall assuming everyone on IRC saw the same comic view and later cringing at their own naivety.
- There’s appreciation that old “weird” software experiments from the 90s are being preserved and open‑sourced, alongside references to similar releases like 3D Movie Maker.
Behavior on IRC & culture clash
- Comic Chat’s protocol extensions added visual/emote metadata to every message (e.g., odd tags in channel text), which annoyed users of traditional IRC clients.
- Some server operators auto‑kicked or banned Comic Chat users due to this “spam,” though it inspired others to build their own IRC‑based multiplayer or comic tools in a less intrusive way.
- It’s remembered both as “a piece of Internet history” and as a “phenomenal pain” on public IRC networks.
Open‑source release & code details
- The GitHub repo includes multiple historical versions; one note highlights two releases sharing an internal version number while differing in most files.
- Discussion dives into Microsoft’s historical version control systems (SLM, SourceSafe, Delta) and their limitations (file‑level locking, lack of atomic commits, corruption).
- An easter egg in the source (a hidden riddle triggered by a specific word) prompts nostalgia for when such easter eggs were semi‑allowed in Microsoft software.
Microsoft, branding, and history
- Some see Comic Chat as a benign research‑driven experiment; others frame it as an example of “embrace and extend” applied to IRC, debating whether any “extinguish” phase ever existed.
- Broader criticisms of 90s Microsoft anticompetitive behavior surface, countered by reminders that large companies contain many independent, non‑nefarious projects.
- A side thread explains current branding terms like “Copilot” (AI), “365” (online), and “Azure” (cloud), and criticizes ableist language and political signaling in one comment.
AI, modern uses & related projects
- The blog mentions AI‑assisted modernization (getting old MFC C++ building, working on modern IRC servers and high‑DPI); commenters speculate about full Rust/Go rewrites, Discord/Teams clients, or AI‑driven video pipelines.
- Some lament AI‑generated‑sounding marketing text; the article’s author (in‑thread) insists they wrote it themselves.
- Related tools and descendants are shared: a modern Comic Chat‑style IRC client, a web comic creator used in education, XKCD‑style diagram tools, and long‑running comic sites that originated from Comic Chat.