Early Internet Connectivity and Global Interaction
The discussion highlights the profound impact of IRC in the early days of the internet, enabling free, real-time communication across vast distances. This was particularly significant when long-distance calls were a major expense.
- davidw recalls the amazement of connecting to an #italy channel in 1993 and talking with people in Italy for free, something that was mind-boggling given the era's communication costs.
- BurritoKing shares a similar sentiment about the cost of communication, mentioning their father eventually setting up a 128k leased line at home in the late 90s, which provided a permanent 24/7 connection and led to them spending an entire weekend "glued to the keyboard."
- thom laments the days of parents taking away modem cables due to exorbitant IRC-induced phone bills.
Nostalgia and Enduring Appeal of IRC
Many users express deep nostalgia for their experiences with IRC, viewing it as a foundational and in many ways superior internet experience.
- weinzierl notes the longevity of mIRC, an IRC client first released in 1995, which is still active and regularly updated, indicating its persistent relevance.
- timonoko reminisces about trying to stay logged into IRC channels for 24 hours straight, attempting to test the limits of their "faux expertise" and even discovering a minor issue in a book due to it.
- Toorkit fondly remembers asking "stupid questions" on IRC as a kid when they first learned about "Linux."
- mezod declares, "IRC is the epitome of the internet. Only downhill from those times. :/"
- INTPenis states, "Been on IRC since the 90s and had soooo much fun. Still there but it's just a tiny private channel with IRL friends."
IRC as a Catalyst for Learning and Career Development
The platform is credited with being a significant learning tool and a starting point for many individuals' technical careers.
- dopp0 fondly recalls scripting for mIRC as one of their first programming languages.
- codespin "immediately hooked" on mIRC scripting as a child, stating it was their "first dev language" and that the ability to write code that interacted with the world "blew my mind." They were particularly drawn to "war channels" where "optimization was key."
- photios shares that IRC "brought me to Linux in the 90's and started my programmer career," driven by the need to avoid WinNuke, a vulnerability that could BSOD Windows machines but was mitigated by using Linux.
Community, Social Interaction, and Modern Alternatives
The social aspect of IRC is discussed, with comparisons made to modern platforms like Slack and Discord, and reflections on what made IRC unique.
- davidw mentioned meeting "cool people" on IRC, including a woman who is now the Prime Minister of Italy.
- blindriver describes a roommate in the 90s who "hooked up with" a "jaw dropping" number of girls from IRC, highlighting its success as a reliable way for people to connect.
- varjag recounts meeting their best friend on IRC in 1999, who later found his wife on the platform. They also describe communal experiences like following the 9/11 attacks in real-time.
- antupis suggests that "Some discord/slack spaces have kinda same feel."
- grg0 counters this, asserting that platforms like Discord and Slack are "centralized" and often require phone verification, unlike IRC. They believe that "social networks do not scale" and that IRC's success was due to its decentralization and lack of commercial interests, which prevented "narcissistic tendencies" and the pursuit of "points."
- kogasa240p finds IRCCloud, a Slack alternative based on IRC, "very interesting," comparing it to the Movim client for XMPP.
- gryzzly, who worked on the IRCCloud client, describes it as a "fun project" where they learned about fuzzy matching and string metrics.
IRCv3 and the Evolution of IRC Standards
The discussion touches upon the ambition and challenges of IRCv3, an effort to modernize the IRC protocol, highlighting user opinions on features like message history.
- kogasa240p expresses disappointment that "IRCv3 never took off (at least currently, libera.chat still doesn't have the /history command)."
- capitainenemo clarifies that IRCv3 is being "incrementally adopted," though slowly, and that the /history command's implementation is still a draft with networks like Libera.chat having specific concerns. They also note that Libera.chat does support some other IRCv3 features.
- kurisufag expresses a preference for ephemeral chats, stating, "HISTSERV blows. keep chats ephemeral."
- magackame argues for the importance of message history for productivity and user preferences, stating, "For productivity and even personal groups usecases people usually don't want ephemeral chats."
Critiques and Perceived Downsides of IRC
While many express fond memories, a critical perspective on IRC's security and its current relevance is also present.
- devwastaken strongly criticizes IRC, calling it "a flawed and dangerous tech responsible for the doxxing of users," and deeming it "insecure and unfit for use." They also suggest that "old people like their control over their artificial kingdom" and have prevented its modernization.
- th0ma5 recalls a negative interaction where a fellow user on IRC became angry because they hadn't shared information about downloading files from IRC bots, indicating a less than ideal user experience in some cases.
The "Ghost" Phenomenon and the Evolving User Base
A poignant observation is made about the enduring presence of "ghosts" on IRC channels, representing users or presences that are no longer actively engaging but whose accounts or bouncers remain.
- varjag describes one channel they are still on as being "full of VPS hosted ghosts; its topic had been set by a man who had passed away."
- Cu3PO42 resonates with this, stating, "This hits hard. I might be one of those ghosts.... My bouncer is still running, I suppose I'm not quite ready to let go yet."
- INTPenis echoes this aging sentiment, noting they are "old and dying" and that IRC is now just a "tiny private channel with IRL friends."
The fundamental qualities of IRC
grg0 posits that "IRC is the epitome of the internet. Only downhill from those times. :/" and that "social networks do not scale." he asserts that IRC worked because it was decentralized and had no commercial interest, nor did it cater to "narcissistic tendencies."
- "No interest to comment for points, and decentralized enforcement where you'd fuck around and simply get banned from the(that) server."
cobertos, while acknowledging they haven't delved deeply into IRCv3, questions IRC's ability to support complex conversations, noting that a recent "really in-depth conversation" with a friend with "multiple interesting lines of thought going at once" was only possible due to a per-message reply feature in the chat they used. * "I'm not sure IRC could have supported a chat like that..."