Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000) • Hacker News Board

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#11

Post by bsuvc » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 2:54 AM UTC

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #7

bsuvc wrote: post #6

I am sure IRC was good for some people, but I can say for me personally it was a net negative and real life was so, so much better. I wish I never used IRC. I also personally witnessed multiple friends who dropped out of college due to IRC addiction in the early 1990s. I am curious if anyone else has a similar memory of IRC.

> irc addiction How quaint

Touched a nerve I guess.

Care to elaborate?

I also knew people who had MUD addictions.

These were very similar to how in later years people became addicted to Second Life or EverQuest and essentially dropped out of society.

I don't know if there is a modern-day equivalent, to be honest.

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#12

Post by JCharante » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 2:58 AM UTC

bsuvc wrote: post #11

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> irc addiction How quaint

Touched a nerve I guess. Care to elaborate? I also knew people who had MUD addictions. These were very similar to how in later years people became addicted to Second Life or EverQuest and essentially dropped out of society. I don't know if there is a modern-day equivalent, to be honest.

Discord addicts?

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#13

Post by dmbche » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 2:59 AM UTC

bsuvc wrote: post #11

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> irc addiction How quaint

Touched a nerve I guess. Care to elaborate? I also knew people who had MUD addictions. These were very similar to how in later years people became addicted to Second Life or EverQuest and essentially dropped out of society. I don't know if there is a modern-day equivalent, to be honest.

League of legends and the likes today

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#14

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 3:01 AM UTC

bsuvc wrote: post #11

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> irc addiction How quaint

Touched a nerve I guess. Care to elaborate? I also knew people who had MUD addictions. These were very similar to how in later years people became addicted to Second Life or EverQuest and essentially dropped out of society. I don't know if there is a modern-day equivalent, to be honest.

[deleted]

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#15

Post by corndoge » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 3:03 AM UTC

bsuvc wrote: post #6

I am sure IRC was good for some people, but I can say for me personally it was a net negative and real life was so, so much better. I wish I never used IRC. I also personally witnessed multiple friends who dropped out of college due to IRC addiction in the early 1990s. I am curious if anyone else has a similar memory of IRC.

Perhaps it was the experience of irc which led you to appreciate real life so much more when you finally did engage in it

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#16

Post by goshx » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 3:08 AM UTC

Most of the real life friends that I still have today I met on IRC.

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#17

Post by Guestmodinfo » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 3:10 AM UTC

bsuvc wrote: post #6

I am sure IRC was good for some people, but I can say for me personally it was a net negative and real life was so, so much better. I wish I never used IRC. I also personally witnessed multiple friends who dropped out of college due to IRC addiction in the early 1990s. I am curious if anyone else has a similar memory of IRC.

Even though I really like irc because I can get answers really quickly from helpful people but it's a net negative I have felt if you linger on and listen to people conversing. IRC is good for short help needs but if you spend lot of time then it's net negative. I feel for the helpful ppl on various irc channels who are there to help out of their own goodness. They must be having a lot of net negative

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#18

Post by neom » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 3:17 AM UTC

bsuvc wrote: post #6

I am sure IRC was good for some people, but I can say for me personally it was a net negative and real life was so, so much better. I wish I never used IRC. I also personally witnessed multiple friends who dropped out of college due to IRC addiction in the early 1990s. I am curious if anyone else has a similar memory of IRC.

QuakeNet in the 90s, I don't know what to say, thank you? It was high school for me, like, I got through high school, got into computers in high school, have great memories of that time: because of QuakeNet in the 90s. hackernews community is the closest things I've felt to that since then, but it's pretty hard to beat QuakenNet in the 90s.

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#19

Post by squidsoup » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 3:17 AM UTC

bsuvc wrote: post #6

I am sure IRC was good for some people, but I can say for me personally it was a net negative and real life was so, so much better. I wish I never used IRC. I also personally witnessed multiple friends who dropped out of college due to IRC addiction in the early 1990s. I am curious if anyone else has a similar memory of IRC.

I met my wife on IRC and migrated to New Zealand as a result. Worked out pretty well for me/us, well over twenty years later.

Re: Why IRC is better than Real Life (2000)

#20

Post by blondie9x » Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 3:23 AM UTC

This made me really nostalgic about mIRC. I miss Dalnet. The colors of IRC. How fast and reliable it was. The rankings of members and trying to build credibility with the community to move up in the channel.

Fun times.