{"rewrite":{"id":"r_543c6c12c6b10e7029b829c2","clusterId":"c_6af4fc011b63fa1fec661913","slug":"microsoft-open-sources-comic-chat-the-irc-client-that-turned-chat-into-manga","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Microsoft Open-Sources Comic Chat, the IRC Client That Turned Chat Into Manga","summary":"Microsoft released the source code for its 1996 IRC client Comic Chat under the MIT License. The repository includes code from pre-release to 1998 beta versions, plus modifications to run on modern Windows. The software converted chat conversations into manga-style panels and helped popularize the Comic Sans font.","whyItMatters":"The open-sourcing preserves a 30-year-old experiment in visualizing online conversation and documents the software that gave Comic Sans its first major use.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eDavid Kurlander developed Comic Chat in 1995 as part of Microsoft Research\u0026#39;s Virtual Worlds Group. The software used an expert system to analyze chat messages and automatically generate manga panels with characters, expressions, and speech bubbles. Character designs came from independent manga artist Jim Woodring. The repository also includes a Java version called JChat and internal design documents. Microsoft called the release a historical archive aimed at preservation and research.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Microsoft open-sourced Comic Chat, the 1996 IRC client that turned text conversations into manga panels. The code includes versions from 1996 to 1998 and modifications for modern Windows. It's the software that first put Comic Sans in front of people.","twitterPost":"Microsoft open-sourced Comic Chat, the 1996 IRC client that turned chat into manga panels. The repo includes code from 1996-1998 and mods for modern Windows. Also the first major use of Comic Sans.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Microsoft released the source code for its 1996 IRC client Comic Chat under the MIT License. The software converted chat into manga-style panels and helped popularize the Comic Sans font. The repository includes code from pre-release to 1998 beta versions, now buildable on modern Windows.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GIGAZINE\",\"url\":\"https://gigazine.net/news/20260717-microsoft-comic-chat-open-source/\",\"title\":\"Microsoft Comic Chat Goes Open Source\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5028,"outputTokens":2696,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1784309488,"createdAt":"2026-07-17T17:24:16.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-17T17:27:28.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-17T17:24:16.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_6af4fc011b63fa1fec661913","canonicalTitle":"マンガ形式でチャットするIRCクライアント「Microsoft Comic Chat」がオープンソース化","representativeArticleId":"a_2deaa4f85363f65527ec7159","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-17T06:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-17T06:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-17T17:27:29.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GIGAZINE","url":"https://gigazine.net/news/20260717-microsoft-comic-chat-open-source/","title":"マンガ形式でチャットするIRCクライアント「Microsoft Comic Chat」がオープンソース化"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}