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We've gained many. Chatting in a discord is similar to this.

by ahstilde 3y ago

sho_hn 3y ago
And IRC was even better at it.
- subtra3t 3y ago
  I don't think so. I know everybody loves to say that IRC is better than [insert commercial chat application] but in this particular use case discord is superior to irc imo because of the voice/video chat features and greater convenience.
  - jorvi 3y ago
    IRC’s biggest fault is no history. Everything else is secondary. Yeah, bouncers exist, but it should have been baked into the spec at some point.
  - sho_hn 3y ago
    It's the structure/topology. Discord has a million deserted "servers" with redundant general channels. Peak IRC had a dozen or so large networks that often bundled a lot of e.g. adjacent FOSS projects. The chances of running into someone interesting a la the article anecdote was just higher. Discord is a massive net negative for chatting on the internet because of this flaw imho.
    - skeaker 3y ago
      This wasn't my experience with IRC. Our channel only ever had thirty people tops before being swallowed by discord. It's got the same discovery/accessibility issues that the Windows vs Linux issue has. Want Windows/Discord? Google Windows/Discord, first result, done. Want Linux/IRC? Weeeell, first you're going to have to find a distro/client. There's no singular trusted expert and everyone disagrees on what's best, so you better pick one and pray it was the right choice. Oh, you'll also have to configure it a bit, or a lot if you chose the wrong one.
      - sho_hn 3y ago
        > This wasn't my experience with IRC. The thing is, my experience is different, but of course similarly anecdotal. I essentially got my entire professional network and career on IRC, and that includes contacts all over the modern tech stack and adjacent interests, being on just two IRC "servers". And I could connect many other people in the same way. On Discord, there seem to be just more barriers against this. Getting someone into a new place doesn't just require hopping into a new channel with a single /join command, but an entire new "server" with a new crowd. There's more inhibition against that.
  - anthk 3y ago
    You mean, like Jabber did 10 years ago using 10x less resources?
lucb1e 3y ago
Well, yes, but I also see their point (even if I'm not sure I agree with it): by being forced to meet IRL, you're also forced to make real contact and seem more likely to form strong relations, and it is off-the-record by default so you can share more things Of course, the (massive) counterpoint is that you get to talk to way fewer people, particularly if they're more than half an hour traveling away. Quantity versus quality, but by having a lot of quantity through more diverse online interactions, you can find the conversations that have a lot of quality for you (overlapping fields of work, hobbies, or just a personality match). Which is better? Probably something in the middle, where you hang out in chat rooms but are also conscious of the advantages of arranging to meet up. I do find it inspirational (too strong a word, but you get the idea) to hear of other times or cultures where things are done differently

We've gained many. Chatting in a discord is similar to this.

sho_hn 3y ago

And IRC was even better at it.

subtra3t 3y ago
I don't think so. I know everybody loves to say that IRC is better than [insert commercial chat application] but in this particular use case discord is superior to irc imo because of the voice/video chat features and greater convenience.
- jorvi 3y ago
  IRC’s biggest fault is no history. Everything else is secondary. Yeah, bouncers exist, but it should have been baked into the spec at some point.
- sho_hn 3y ago
  It's the structure/topology. Discord has a million deserted "servers" with redundant general channels. Peak IRC had a dozen or so large networks that often bundled a lot of e.g. adjacent FOSS projects. The chances of running into someone interesting a la the article anecdote was just higher. Discord is a massive net negative for chatting on the internet because of this flaw imho.
  - skeaker 3y ago
    This wasn't my experience with IRC. Our channel only ever had thirty people tops before being swallowed by discord. It's got the same discovery/accessibility issues that the Windows vs Linux issue has. Want Windows/Discord? Google Windows/Discord, first result, done. Want Linux/IRC? Weeeell, first you're going to have to find a distro/client. There's no singular trusted expert and everyone disagrees on what's best, so you better pick one and pray it was the right choice. Oh, you'll also have to configure it a bit, or a lot if you chose the wrong one.
    - sho_hn 3y ago
      > This wasn't my experience with IRC. The thing is, my experience is different, but of course similarly anecdotal. I essentially got my entire professional network and career on IRC, and that includes contacts all over the modern tech stack and adjacent interests, being on just two IRC "servers". And I could connect many other people in the same way. On Discord, there seem to be just more barriers against this. Getting someone into a new place doesn't just require hopping into a new channel with a single /join command, but an entire new "server" with a new crowd. There's more inhibition against that.
- anthk 3y ago
  You mean, like Jabber did 10 years ago using 10x less resources?

lucb1e 3y ago

Well, yes, but I also see their point (even if I'm not sure I agree with it): by being forced to meet IRL, you're also forced to make real contact and seem more likely to form strong relations, and it is off-the-record by default so you can share more things Of course, the (massive) counterpoint is that you get to talk to way fewer people, particularly if they're more than half an hour traveling away. Quantity versus quality, but by having a lot of quantity through more diverse online interactions, you can find the conversations that have a lot of quality for you (overlapping fields of work, hobbies, or just a personality match). Which is better? Probably something in the middle, where you hang out in chat rooms but are also conscious of the advantages of arranging to meet up. I do find it inspirational (too strong a word, but you get the idea) to hear of other times or cultures where things are done differently