It's a simple protocol that you can easily write software for.

It is usually not hosted by a corporation that has its shareholders to answer to.

It is an open protocol.

Since it is an open protocol, you can use whatever client you want, which means you don't have to deal with pop-up ads and begging for money whenever you sign in, and can use it from a terminal instead of needing a GUI app that is probably written in JavaScript and forces new, unwanted features and UIs on you.

It is once again obscure enough that the Eternal September is abated a little bit.

Software development has long been discussed over IRC, so it is part of a certain subculture of folks who are involved.

why not.

many people just want some text. i know its hard to beleive, but not all systems can be EEE when the users dont give 2 shits about your bells and whistles. fuck discord.

irc is simple, incredibly flexible and not reliant on big giant server products. so i would push back.. why not irc?

Mostly momentum.

It works.

Knowledgeable people are using it.

IRC is great but I think discord recreates a lot of the functionality with a "web 2.0" or whatever feel that newer internet users are used to and more comfortable with. I like IRC but it was the dominant chat protocol when I was growing up. I like bulletin board style forums too. Things move on and not always for the better.

Last I checked Twitch supported IRC for its chat system, which makes integrating into games and stuff easier.

I’ve still got a fancy IRC setup with a bouncer and whatnot.

These days discord has pretty much taken over its niche though, and it’s what I’m on 99% of the time outside of chatting with the community for a half-dead 20 year old game. But, not long ago in my lifetime IRC was 100% the way to go for this sort of text chat, and a lot of that still exists. And well, it’s absolutely dead simple and resilient as a protocol.

I use IRC occasionally for XDCC piracy :)

At this point, familiarity and nostalgia. In the heyday of IRC it was a good way to get help (or flamed) for questions that couldn't be found anywhere else online. As a former IRC user I've never used matrix and have only heard of it on social media like lemmy.

As a programmer I like IRC because it has a simple protocol. Writing a basic irc bot is pretty easy if your standard library supports sockets and string manipulation. I was doing this sort of thing in the late '00s but things have changed a lot in 15 years.

IRC is nice, but recently started chatting on XMPP, and I'm enjoying it just as much.

I don't and pretty much refuse to unless it goes through matrix. It's archaic, has cryptic commands, and serves only the purpose of stroking ego + gatekeeping.

Same as mailinglists. It might take another 10 years for both to finally die.

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