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This comment is September in a nutshell. IRC has fragmented itself into new networks because of olines bickering with each other since the early 1990s. Look int
by sdm55 5y ago
This comment is September in a nutshell. IRC has fragmented itself into new networks because of olines bickering with each other since the early 1990s. Look into why EFnet, Undernet, and IRCnet (and sorta DALnet) came to pass. The history you’re confused about and that everyone else accepts as fact predates your birth, is the issue.
All one has to do to see that it hasn’t changed is read these logs. Something about getting an oline makes people think they’ve been cast in Othello and very serious, mortal stakes are on the line. It’s been pretty ridiculous since 1992 yet was very educational about power dynamics for a lot of young hackers (if you want to see who someone really is, oper them).
- varjag 5y agoMost IRC users today were kids during the fragmentation days. It's like still complaining about 1990s AI Winter.
- tarkin2 5y agoThere’s something about giving someone op. It’s like the electric shock power experiment: people generally end up abusing it. This, though, doesn’t seem as pronounced in online forums. I have a lot of good memories from IRC but it did create twisted dramas full of power crazy ops who, as you say, take it all far too seriously. That seems to be the key. Every mod seemed to be charge of their own school gang. Highly concerned with their own role and power rather facilitating communities and conversation.