[haasn]

This is not true, many are moving to OFTC. But the obvious answer is, Libera is run by the ex-freenode staffers, and runs on the same software. (Unlike OFTC)

So Libera is basically Freenode's spiritual successor with a different name.

[c0l0]

I don't see that (some communities opting for libera.chat, some for OFTC) as a problem, though. Recent events show that some amount of IRC network diversity can only be a good thing.

[est31]

While you are right that Libera is ran by former freenode operators, it's not 100% the same software. When you connect to freenode the server tells you it's running ircd-seven-1.1.9, while libera tells you it runs on solanum-1.0-dev. OTC says hybrid-7.2.2+oftc1.7.3.

[marcan_42]

AIUI the old freenode folks had been working on solanum for a while now, and this was the perfect time to switch to it. So it's not the same software, but it's the spiritual successor too.

[hnlmorg]

Freenode was in the process of migrating to Solanum but this was one of the projects that Lee halted (and in a very underhanded way too). So it makes sense that Libra runs Solanum