Many members of ShadowWorld have served together in IRC network administration for many years, and continue to be devoted to offering their time and services to the IRC community. This file is intended to give you, the ShadowWorld user, more information about the history of the IRC network that we all enjoy so much.

ShadowWorld.Net was launched on September 9, 1999 (9/9/99). Before this date, many of ShadowWorld's servers and staff members made up the GammaNET IRC Network (irc.gamma.net) which was disbanded by its Network Founder for personal reasons. Because many of ShadowWorld's staff members served on GammaNET, and it was responsible for the existence of ShadowWorld today, the following is the history of ShadowWorld's predecessor, GammaNET, leading up to the present ShadowWorld network.

Jesse Schachter (AKA Jesse), the GammaNET IRC Network Founder, was an IRC Server Administrator for a Network called Earth International. This was at a time when IRC networks were few and far between, and IRC Administration was still a relatively new undertaking. Here he learned how to run servers, link them together, and form a network... like the one we all use today. Frustrated by internal politics of this network, Jesse left Earth International in search of other prospects.

While on Undernet IRC Network's administration channel #wasteland one day, he met Jim Bresler (AKA JFB), who was 11 at the time. Jesse, age 15, began using JFB's servers on his darkstar.inlink.com account, and the two future Co-Network Administrators decided to start an IRC Network of their own. Deciding on their new network's name together, GammaNET I, the original GammaNET IRC Network, began in January of 1996, with Jesse and JFB Co- Network Admins, and an assistant Network Admin who left shortly thereafter. It was a fairly large network with multiple servers and a fair user base. Disaster soon struck, however, and the fledgling network lost servers, users, mailing lists... making it impossible to run an IRC Network anymore.

As often happens in the world of IRC Administration, by May '96 all that was left of GammaNET I was Jesse, JFB, and their lone server. Jesse decided to then link that server to another IRC Network named WindsorNet. This was an action that brought about the rebirth of GammaNET. On WindsorNet, Jesse met a man named Thomas Edwards (AKA Traderjac), whom Jesse made first a Local IRC Operator, then a Global IRCop on his WindsorNet IRC server. Due to being away at summer camp for a month, Jesse left Traderjac to fend for himself in running this IRC server, and when Jesse returned in August '96, Traderjac's knowledge was such that they decided to leave WindsorNet and start another network of their own. In the process, several other WindsorNet servers decided to go with them, and GammaNET II was in the making.

Linking servers together and recruiting new IRC Operators and Server Admins began under Jesse, Traderjac, and JFB's direction. GammaNET II ran smoothly until November '99, when again, internal politics created tension between the Server and Network Administrators. By November, Traderjac had left GammaNET, taking several servers with him in the process, to start his own network, CobraNet. The GammaNET Hub server Admin, Jupiter, took over as Co-Network Admin under Jesse and JFB, but over a conflict regarding personnel, he too resigned. By this time, Wildstar and its Admin Mike Monteleone (AKA BaDSeCtoR), and MLink and its Admin Benoit Beausejour (AKA CyBeReAL), were GammaNET's main servers, with various smaller servers also connected.

In September '96, Beau Edgington (AKA DAEMON) joined the Network as an IRC Operator, a few weeks before Traderjac resigned and left to create CobraNet. Several months later, DAEMON was promoted to Server Admin for Galaxy. With Michele Breaux (AKA Spottie), the Admin for Pluto, GammaNET began building up a solid base of servers and staff once more. With the addition of Dave LaBadie (AKA ChiTaz) and his internet provider, Webservintl.Net, GammaNET continued to diversify the services it offered to the public.

Over the years GammaNET was in operation, it was single-handedly responsible for the formation of countless other IRC Networks, whose founders got their start in IRC Administration while serving on the GammaNET IRC Network. When those persons left GammaNET to form their own Networks, GammaNET lost valuable staff members, but the IRC community as a whole grew in diversity. GammaNET was a springboard for many IRC Networks which are still in operation today, and GammaNET was proud of its contributions to the IRC world.

In September '99, after four years of IRC Network Administration, Jesse decided to focus on pursuing his career goals, and disbanded the GammaNET IRC Network. DAEMON and Spottie, who were acting as GammaNET's Network Administrators under Jesse at that time, decided to form a new network of their own. Most of the GammaNET servers and staff members re-united under their leadership to form the ShadowWorld IRC Network on September 9, 1999. The name ShadowWorld was chosen to reflect the nature of the internet relay chat experience, which for many people is a shadow of their "real" world. DAEMON and Spottie, along with their Network Co- Administrators Jimmy Cancilla (AKA BlackHole) and Mike Waldstein (AKA MacDamon), ensured that ShadowWorld picked up where GammaNET left off.

As is common for all IRC networks, staff members and servers came and went over the months that followed, but the core of ShadowWorld and the service it provides to its users has remained unchanged. With the extensive support of Matt Godden (AKA Matt) and his corporation iGlobalSales.com, ShadowWorld looks to a long future of continued service to the IRC community.

Under ShadowWorld's current leadership, consisting of DAEMON and Spottie as Network Administrators, ShadowWorld strives to provide users with a fun and safe chatting environment free of the harassment and annoyances of larger IRC networks, while providing users with services and stability that are superior to ShadowWorld's peers.

For information on all of ShadowWorld's current servers and staff members, as well as policies and other information about this Network, please feel free to check out the rest of our website (http://www.ShadowWorld.Net), and let us know if you have any comments or suggestions on how we may be able to better serve the needs of all our users.

If this information leaves you with unanswered questions regarding the ShadowWorld IRC Network, please feel free to e-mail the author, DAEMON at daemon@ShadowWorld.net.

Thanks for using ShadowWorld, and we hope you enjoy your stay!