{"slug": "irc", "name": "IRC", "category": "communication", "category_name": "Email and chat", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 14, "warners": 5, "score": 0.594, "rising": 1.35, "first": "2025-11-15", "latest": "2026-10-12", "why": "", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 5, "compare": 0, "warn": 5}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "", "kind": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["IRC"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 751355313, "item_id": 46959707, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46959707", "by": "opan", "date": "2026-02-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use a mix of IRC, XMPP, and Matrix, mostly IRC", "excerpt": "This may be a good time to consider whether one program should really be handling all those things, or if it's putting too many eggs in one basket and asking too much of any one program. Discord seems comparable to a Chinese superapp, made to trap its users and become an irreplaceable part of their everyday lives. I think I understand it's hard to give up some of these features once you're used to them, but it seems ", "context": "", "use_case": "Chatting with internet people", "switched_from": "", "story": "Discord Alternatives, Ranked"}, {"id": 751127701, "item_id": 46945481, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46945481", "by": "superkuh", "date": "2026-02-09", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "XMPP and IRC are the better alternatives.", "excerpt": "Matrix is controlled by a single company Riot.im/Element.io who decides what the protocol is now. Element.io's income stream is hosting these extremely fat synapse servers for government. It doesn't really care about anything else. The Matrix Foundation has abdicated from it's role as of a couple years back (ref: https://element.io/blog/element-to-adopt-agplv3/ https://matrix.org/blog/2023/11/06/future-of-synapse-den", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Matrix messaging gaining ground in government IT"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 800713392, "item_id": 50044587, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50044587", "by": "qudat", "date": "2026-10-11", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "The lack of stored history for every user is a huge blocker for new users.", "excerpt": "Agreed. The lack of stored history for every user is a huge blocker for new users. They enter a pretty active chat but they see nothing. They wait 10 mins after asking a question and bounce. All of our comms for https://pico.sh are on irc and we have tons of users join and leave immediately because the room feels cold / dead even tho we were chatting 10 mins prior.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "IRCv3"}, {"id": 747423234, "item_id": 46713952, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46713952", "by": "cyberrock", "date": "2026-01-21", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "IRC didn't provide chat history for the common folk", "excerpt": "First of all not everyone wants spectators and gawkers on all of their conversations. As for open solutions, IRC didn't provide chat history for the common folk (no, most users are not able to host their own Pi Zero bouncer, especially back in 2017), and Matrix development was too slow (Elements implemented message pinning in 2022), so the rest was history. There was just no alternative to Slack or Discord.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Waiting for dawn in search: Search index, Google rulings and impact on Kagi"}, {"id": 742876019, "item_id": 46429751, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46429751", "by": "badc0ffee", "date": "2025-12-29", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "never got into it", "excerpt": "I'm (barely) under 50, but I kind of hate it. I have no idea how to handle the un-threaded flood of messages, and much prefer something like Reddit, message boards, or even FB groups. I felt the same way about IRC back in the day and never got into it. I use Slack at work, but at least there I have a workable plan: no notifications for most channels, read or at least skim all messages in every channel by EOD, don't r", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google is dead. Where do we go now?"}, {"id": 738969648, "item_id": 46185603, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46185603", "by": "sph", "date": "2025-12-07", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "When I used IRC, not much was accomplished apart from chatting on IRC.", "excerpt": "Tongue in cheek here, but no wonder you produce little with so many distractions. Two shells full of text, music and IRC open - how is one supposed to concentrate? I still produce little, but I have come to realize only pure, unadulterated silence free from any sort or distraction, however minimal, is worth anything. When I used IRC, not much was accomplished apart from chatting on IRC.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Screenshots from developers: 2002 vs. 2015 (2015)"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["chatting on servers", "chatting with internet people", "chat", "tech help chat"], "compared": [{"slug": "discord", "name": "Discord", "co": 14, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 1}, {"slug": "matrix", "name": "Matrix", "co": 7, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "signal", "name": "Signal", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "whatsapp", "name": "WhatsApp", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "slack", "name": "Slack", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "github", "name": "GitHub", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "element", "name": "Element", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041540", "title": "IRCv3", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46949564", "title": "Discord Alternatives, Ranked", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49875913", "title": "Parley: Federated, decentralised chat that speaks plain IRC", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47578741", "title": "Why I'm betting on ATProto (and why you should, too)", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46995046", "title": "Welcoming Discord users amidst the challenge of Age Verification", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46944245", "title": "Matrix messaging gaining ground in government IT", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"neutral": 3}, "2025-12": {"warn": 2}, "2026-01": {"warn": 1}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 2, "warn": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {"warn": 1, "recommend": 1}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 800801296, "item_id": 50050081, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50050081", "by": "alexfortin", "date": "2026-10-12", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "> will slowly fizzle out if we like it or not Good luck with that: https://xkcd.com/1782/", "context": "", "use_case": "Chatting on servers", "switched_from": "", "story": "IRCv3"}, {"id": 800713392, "item_id": 50044587, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50044587", "by": "qudat", "date": "2026-10-11", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "The lack of stored history for every user is a huge blocker for new users.", "excerpt": "Agreed. The lack of stored history for every user is a huge blocker for new users. They enter a pretty active chat but they see nothing. They wait 10 mins after asking a question and bounce. All of our comms for https://pico.sh are on irc and we have tons of users join and leave immediately because the room feels cold / dead even tho we were chatting 10 mins prior.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "IRCv3"}, {"id": 798123058, "item_id": 49882691, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49882691", "by": "sellmesoap", "date": "2026-09-28", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Or ANproto https://anproto.com/ without the nostr baggage, what little there is.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Parley: Federated, decentralised chat that speaks plain IRC"}, {"id": 761304304, "item_id": 47581519, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47581519", "by": "calvinmorrison", "date": "2026-03-30", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use hubs my peers and friends use. IRC, email and for the boomers - Facebook.", "excerpt": "if you are always looking for new 'audiences' it's probably just media and not social media. I use hubs my peers and friends use. IRC, email and for the boomers - Facebook.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Why I'm betting on ATProto (and why you should, too)"}, {"id": 751927937, "item_id": 46995496, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46995496", "by": "ranger_danger", "date": "2026-02-12", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Even if you self-host matrix there are still multiple ways you could be liable for content you don't even know exists. Especially the last 4 points here: https://telegra.ph/why-not-matrix-08-07 There are even custom message/media types that people use to upload hidden content you can't see even if you're joined to the same channel using a typical client.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Welcoming Discord users amidst the challenge of Age Verification"}, {"id": 751355313, "item_id": 46959707, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46959707", "by": "opan", "date": "2026-02-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use a mix of IRC, XMPP, and Matrix, mostly IRC", "excerpt": "This may be a good time to consider whether one program should really be handling all those things, or if it's putting too many eggs in one basket and asking too much of any one program. Discord seems comparable to a Chinese superapp, made to trap its users and become an irreplaceable part of their everyday lives. I think I understand it's hard to give up some of these features once you're used to them, but it seems ", "context": "", "use_case": "Chatting with internet people", "switched_from": "", "story": "Discord Alternatives, Ranked"}, {"id": 751305025, "item_id": 46956564, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46956564", "by": "hnlmorg", "date": "2026-02-09", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "", "excerpt": "Except the reason for Discords initial success, and the literal only reason I have it installed, is for voice chat when playing certain online games. I love IRC, I even wrote my own IRC client in the 90s, but it\u2019s clearly not going to be suitable for gaming in this context.", "context": "", "use_case": "Chat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Discord Alternatives, Ranked"}, {"id": 751127701, "item_id": 46945481, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46945481", "by": "superkuh", "date": "2026-02-09", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "XMPP and IRC are the better alternatives.", "excerpt": "Matrix is controlled by a single company Riot.im/Element.io who decides what the protocol is now. Element.io's income stream is hosting these extremely fat synapse servers for government. It doesn't really care about anything else. The Matrix Foundation has abdicated from it's role as of a couple years back (ref: https://element.io/blog/element-to-adopt-agplv3/ https://matrix.org/blog/2023/11/06/future-of-synapse-den", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Matrix messaging gaining ground in government IT"}, {"id": 747423234, "item_id": 46713952, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46713952", "by": "cyberrock", "date": "2026-01-21", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "IRC didn't provide chat history for the common folk", "excerpt": "First of all not everyone wants spectators and gawkers on all of their conversations. As for open solutions, IRC didn't provide chat history for the common folk (no, most users are not able to host their own Pi Zero bouncer, especially back in 2017), and Matrix development was too slow (Elements implemented message pinning in 2022), so the rest was history. There was just no alternative to Slack or Discord.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Waiting for dawn in search: Search index, Google rulings and impact on Kagi"}, {"id": 742876019, "item_id": 46429751, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46429751", "by": "badc0ffee", "date": "2025-12-29", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "never got into it", "excerpt": "I'm (barely) under 50, but I kind of hate it. I have no idea how to handle the un-threaded flood of messages, and much prefer something like Reddit, message boards, or even FB groups. I felt the same way about IRC back in the day and never got into it. I use Slack at work, but at least there I have a workable plan: no notifications for most channels, read or at least skim all messages in every channel by EOD, don't r", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Google is dead. Where do we go now?"}, {"id": 738969648, "item_id": 46185603, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46185603", "by": "sph", "date": "2025-12-07", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "When I used IRC, not much was accomplished apart from chatting on IRC.", "excerpt": "Tongue in cheek here, but no wonder you produce little with so many distractions. Two shells full of text, music and IRC open - how is one supposed to concentrate? I still produce little, but I have come to realize only pure, unadulterated silence free from any sort or distraction, however minimal, is worth anything. When I used IRC, not much was accomplished apart from chatting on IRC.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Screenshots from developers: 2002 vs. 2015 (2015)"}, {"id": 737371504, "item_id": 46085719, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46085719", "by": "pythonbase", "date": "2025-11-28", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I used IRC a lot to get tech help", "excerpt": "I started doing remote back in 2002, working with companies in the UK and US, something that was largely unheard of in my country. While our mode of communication was web messengers (AOL, Yahoo, MSN etc and the aggregators), I used IRC a lot to get tech help, and participate in online dicussions.", "context": "", "use_case": "tech help chat", "switched_from": "", "story": "Confessions of a Software Developer: No More Self-Censorship"}, {"id": 735845731, "item_id": 45990358, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45990358", "by": "JuniperMesos", "date": "2025-11-20", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "IRC wasn't encrypted and Discord isn't either", "excerpt": "I have started using Signal for large group chats in the past year or so, after spending many years using it as an encrypted replacement for SMS texting. Signal has gotten noticeably better at the UX of group chats during that time, although I am still annoyed that they basically require you to use their client to access the network in the name of security. I can't easily run a legitimate 3rd party Signal client on m", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Verifying your Matrix devices is becoming mandatory"}, {"id": 734984211, "item_id": 45936513, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45936513", "by": "nolok", "date": "2025-11-15", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "good old IRC for some open source things", "excerpt": "Like many I use a variety on those chat programs, Zulip for my companies, Slack for some customers, good old IRC for some open source things, Discord for gaming, ... They all have some strenght and some weakness. But then Teams keeps showing up because \"everyone knows it\", \"you already have it through office\", ... And somehow I can't name a single strenght for it. It's just plain bad. It reminds me of the galaxy of \"", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Unofficial Microsoft Teams client for Linux"}]}