I think there are three problems here: first is that the new generation of developers that Mozilla is trying to attract are not used to systems which do not per

I think there are three problems here: first is that the new generation of developers that Mozilla is trying to attract are not used to systems which do not persistently store data in an API-accessible database backend. Second that there is a perception of plain text as an antiquated medium of communication (and yet we persistently reinvent markdown as a way of simplifying rich text). Third and most importantly, the issue is not that IRC is old or is missing features, it is that IRC encodes a specific model for running a communication network (hubs, leafs, operators, etc). When we try and replace IRC with a system like Matrix we are giving up the old model of "owned" nodes and the decentralised nature of it to instead bow to a centralised model where certain people wield absolute power. Is this really the right way? what if I want to write a bot to perform some unusual administrative function? do I have keep updating it every time the API changes? that's why IRC is good, I don't need to do that.