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There should be a way to decouple the UX from the program and if people want a Discord “skin” for IRC that looks nearly 1:1 they should be able to have that.

kelnos 4y ago
I don't think that would help. The IRC protocol is missing so many messaging features that platforms like Discord have. Just looking like Discord wouldn't fix that.
- unknownaccount 4y ago
  What doesnt it have?
- Jolter 4y ago
  This very initiative (IRC 3) seems to be trying to fix that. At least parts of it.
Gigachad 4y ago
This is lipstick on a pig. I'd be perfectly happy with a client that looks like IRC but has the features of Discord. I'd like to be able to chat on my phone without running an external service that provides a modern HTTP based protocol.
- palata 4y ago
  Not sure I get your point. Say you use IRCCloud on your phone, you don't need anything else, do you?
  - lmm 4y ago
    IRCCloud is fine, but it's more expensive than Discord, the UX is not quite as nice for reasons inherent to the IRC model, and it's not really more open in any substantive sense (my phone will be running the proprietary IRCCloud application that speaks a proprietary IRCCloud protocol). So why would one bother?
    - palata 4y ago
      > and it's not really more open in any substantive sense [...]. So why would one bother? Not for you, because you want to use a turnkey solution, and you don't want to pay for it (instead relying on whatever model they have where you are the product, I guess?). But if you use IRC to talk to me, I can run my own bouncer for free, and I can run the client I want. I can even write my bouncer and my client, and still talk to you. That's infinitely more open than Discord. It's just that you don't care about others.
      - lmm 4y ago
        > Not for you, because you want to use a turnkey solution, and you don't want to pay for it (instead relying on whatever model they have where you are the product, I guess?). But if you use IRC to talk to me, I can run my own bouncer for free, and I can run the client I want. I can even write my bouncer and my client, and still talk to you. > That's infinitely more open than Discord. It's just that you don't care about others. I care a bit about whether you can run your bouncer. But I also care about whether non-technical people can talk to me without an unreasonable level of effort. Expecting everyone else to pay extra for a worse experience so that you can use it the way you want seems pretty entitled.
        palata 4y ago
        > Expecting everyone else to pay extra for a worse experience so that you can use it the way you want seems pretty entitled. Yeah, the price is an issue indeed. I guess that's why we keep having monopolies: it's easier to get VC money if you can ensure user lock-in, and it's easier to make a nice UX if you have VC money. Now, don't think you don't pay those proprietary messengers. You just pay differently.
  - Filligree 4y ago
    IRCCloud regularly gets stuck, has to be manually reset, doesn’t cope well with network changes and seems to have database overloads once per day. I use it, but discord’s mobile client is a far better experience.
    - palata 4y ago
      But this is not fundamentally a limitation of the IRC protocol, is it?
      - Filligree 4y ago
        It’s got nothing to do with the IRC protocol. The mobile application is effectively a remote for a client running in their datacenter. I’m just pointing out that… well, discord has advantages other than the protocol.

kelnos 4y ago

I don't think that would help. The IRC protocol is missing so many messaging features that platforms like Discord have. Just looking like Discord wouldn't fix that.

unknownaccount 4y ago
What doesnt it have?
Jolter 4y ago
This very initiative (IRC 3) seems to be trying to fix that. At least parts of it.

Gigachad 4y ago

This is lipstick on a pig. I'd be perfectly happy with a client that looks like IRC but has the features of Discord. I'd like to be able to chat on my phone without running an external service that provides a modern HTTP based protocol.

palata 4y ago
Not sure I get your point. Say you use IRCCloud on your phone, you don't need anything else, do you?
- lmm 4y ago
  IRCCloud is fine, but it's more expensive than Discord, the UX is not quite as nice for reasons inherent to the IRC model, and it's not really more open in any substantive sense (my phone will be running the proprietary IRCCloud application that speaks a proprietary IRCCloud protocol). So why would one bother?
  - palata 4y ago
    > and it's not really more open in any substantive sense [...]. So why would one bother? Not for you, because you want to use a turnkey solution, and you don't want to pay for it (instead relying on whatever model they have where you are the product, I guess?). But if you use IRC to talk to me, I can run my own bouncer for free, and I can run the client I want. I can even write my bouncer and my client, and still talk to you. That's infinitely more open than Discord. It's just that you don't care about others.
    - lmm 4y ago
      > Not for you, because you want to use a turnkey solution, and you don't want to pay for it (instead relying on whatever model they have where you are the product, I guess?). But if you use IRC to talk to me, I can run my own bouncer for free, and I can run the client I want. I can even write my bouncer and my client, and still talk to you. > That's infinitely more open than Discord. It's just that you don't care about others. I care a bit about whether you can run your bouncer. But I also care about whether non-technical people can talk to me without an unreasonable level of effort. Expecting everyone else to pay extra for a worse experience so that you can use it the way you want seems pretty entitled.
      - palata 4y ago
        > Expecting everyone else to pay extra for a worse experience so that you can use it the way you want seems pretty entitled. Yeah, the price is an issue indeed. I guess that's why we keep having monopolies: it's easier to get VC money if you can ensure user lock-in, and it's easier to make a nice UX if you have VC money. Now, don't think you don't pay those proprietary messengers. You just pay differently.
- Filligree 4y ago
  IRCCloud regularly gets stuck, has to be manually reset, doesn’t cope well with network changes and seems to have database overloads once per day. I use it, but discord’s mobile client is a far better experience.
  - palata 4y ago
    But this is not fundamentally a limitation of the IRC protocol, is it?
    - Filligree 4y ago
      It’s got nothing to do with the IRC protocol. The mobile application is effectively a remote for a client running in their datacenter. I’m just pointing out that… well, discord has advantages other than the protocol.