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0 pointswayoutthere4y ago0 comments

Probably ok for most current irc use cases; but the mobile clients for Matrix suck. I’ve also had “eventual consistency” issues with the protocol.

Discord is probably the closest spiritual successor to irc (the types of communities using discord are the same types of communities that used irc in the past).

0 comments

scarygliders4y ago

Discord is a centrally controlled walled garden.

The whole point of Matrix is decentralisation and federation - which is closer to the spirit of IRC than what Discord is.

Also, Matrix is a protocol, not a centralised service like Discord.

sascha_sl4y ago

And? The kinda of communities that used to be on IRC and aren't invested in the "indie web" are on Discord. That's just a fact. I don't like it either, but I totally get it when when Synapse+Element are still a slow inconsistent error-throwing mess if you don't disable federation (which all large-name adopters have done).

fastball4y ago

Right, people who want what Discord offers are already on Discord. For everyone else (the people that are still on IRC 20 years later) Matrix is probably more what they're looking for.

kitkat_new4y ago

> I don't like it either, but I totally get it when when Synapse+Element are still a slow inconsistent error-throwing mess if you don't disable federation

It isn't really. I can't confirm this despite being part of the biggest rooms in the network on matrix.org.

It was slow (very slow) once (when Matrix grow and Synapse wasn't scalable), but that has been in the past for a while now

1 more reply

_jal4y ago

> Discord is probably the closest spiritual successor to irc

Uh, some locked down corporate please-read-your-terms-of-service closed-source crapware?

That's pretty much the exact opposite.

simlevesque4y ago

Discord is a private company, IRC and Matrix are protocols.

dragontamer4y ago

Similarly, no one wants "email". They want gmail, or some other service that gives them email.

IRC is not a home. Discord is a home. FreeNode is (was?) a home. The admin and moderation team (and the corporate structure therein) makes a difference that technical details cannot replicate.

vbsteven4y ago

The point is that IRC as a protocol makes it possible to join the FreeNode “home” from any compatible client on any platform. And users can modify most of these clients to their liking. Same with email or Matrix.

But with Discord users are locked in to use the closed source Discord clients, or reverse engineer the discord “protocol” and risk being banned because of it.

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_flux4y ago

How many would want gmail if or any other service that could only exchange messages with other users of the same system?

Email is what makes it happen that systems can exchange messages with each other. Much like Matrix. Much unlike Discord.

ImPostingOnHN4y ago

> no one wants "email"

> They want ... some ... service that gives them email.

Aren't these two statements contradictory?

"I have email" and "I have email service" mean the same thing to me.

Macha4y ago

Compared to mobile IRC clients? Element is a big improvement.

Discord is out, as others have mentioned, for being controlled by a single corporation.

anticensor4y ago

Discord is also eventually consistent. It is centralised and offers weaker consistency guarantees than Matrix.

BlueTemplar4y ago

How do mobile clients for Matrix suck ?

scarygliders4y ago

No idea.

I've had no problems with either my homeserver nor with Element -desktop or -android.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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scarygliders4y ago

Discord is a centrally controlled walled garden.

The whole point of Matrix is decentralisation and federation - which is closer to the spirit of IRC than what Discord is.

Also, Matrix is a protocol, not a centralised service like Discord.

sascha_sl4y ago

fastball4y ago

Right, people who want what Discord offers are already on Discord. For everyone else (the people that are still on IRC 20 years later) Matrix is probably more what they're looking for.

kitkat_new4y ago

> I don't like it either, but I totally get it when when Synapse+Element are still a slow inconsistent error-throwing mess if you don't disable federation

It isn't really. I can't confirm this despite being part of the biggest rooms in the network on matrix.org.

It was slow (very slow) once (when Matrix grow and Synapse wasn't scalable), but that has been in the past for a while now

1 more reply

_jal4y ago

> Discord is probably the closest spiritual successor to irc

Uh, some locked down corporate please-read-your-terms-of-service closed-source crapware?

That's pretty much the exact opposite.

simlevesque4y ago

Discord is a private company, IRC and Matrix are protocols.

dragontamer4y ago

Similarly, no one wants "email". They want gmail, or some other service that gives them email.

IRC is not a home. Discord is a home. FreeNode is (was?) a home. The admin and moderation team (and the corporate structure therein) makes a difference that technical details cannot replicate.

vbsteven4y ago

But with Discord users are locked in to use the closed source Discord clients, or reverse engineer the discord “protocol” and risk being banned because of it.

1 more reply

_flux4y ago

How many would want gmail if or any other service that could only exchange messages with other users of the same system?

Email is what makes it happen that systems can exchange messages with each other. Much like Matrix. Much unlike Discord.

ImPostingOnHN4y ago

> no one wants "email"

> They want ... some ... service that gives them email.

Aren't these two statements contradictory?

"I have email" and "I have email service" mean the same thing to me.

Macha4y ago

Compared to mobile IRC clients? Element is a big improvement.

Discord is out, as others have mentioned, for being controlled by a single corporation.

anticensor4y ago

Discord is also eventually consistent. It is centralised and offers weaker consistency guarantees than Matrix.

BlueTemplar4y ago

How do mobile clients for Matrix suck ?

scarygliders4y ago

No idea.

I've had no problems with either my homeserver nor with Element -desktop or -android.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse