Ubuntu’s developers have officially decided to transition their primary communication platform for real-time discussions to Matrix. Starting March 1, 2025, critical conversations involving the Ubuntu distribution, such as development requests and meetings, will shift from the existing IRC channels to Matrix.
The change will primarily affect the #ubuntu-devel and #ubuntu-release channels on the Libera IRC network; however, some other development-related channels may also opt to migrate if they haven’t already been using Matrix. It is crucial for developers to establish a presence on Matrix as all significant requests that require privileged access will be handled exclusively through this new platform.
This decision follows a recent internal survey conducted by Canonical, indicating considerable support among developers for making the switch. The move aims to enhance organization, expedite decision-making processes, and ensure key developers are consistently reachable, eliminating fragmentation of conversations across various platforms.
Canonical’s Robie Basak emphasized the importance of this transition: “From 1 March 2025, the primary official realtime communications channels for Ubuntu developers will be on Matrix. To avoid fragmentation of conversation, Ubuntu developers should please make sure that they are appropriately present on Matrix, and conduct conversation there instead of the now deprecated IRC channels.”
While end-users of Ubuntu will not be directly impacted by this change, the goal is to create a more cohesive and transparent environment for development discussions. With many newer contributors finding IRC’s features limited compared to richer platforms, Matrix is expected to cater to these needs better. The transition also reflects the current trend within the open-source community, where various projects already utilize Matrix for communication.
For more information, you can read the mailing list announcement.