If the UI changes, the client has effectively changed for the user. Otherwise you might as well argue that clients are all equivalent if they are running on the same OS.
>but the UI also changes when you go from a Mac IRC client to a Windows one
Only if you use clients that don't look the same.
> if Freenode disappears, IRC will most likely die as a protocol as all major projects switch to non-IRC solutions
No supporting evidence that they would drop IRC if this happened. You must have missed the part about a network switch being literally a config change. Compare that to dropping irc which is all of your tooling.
>most clients just use text logs!
There is nothing wrong with a text log. Also, which common format is your browser storing your slack messages in?
Most of your complaints apply just as equally to chat inside of a web browser (other than the security issues).
>Propping up IRC as something it's not doesn't do anyone any favours
Tell me how my comment is incorrect. You literally change a config to change networks, that's it.
If the UI changes, the client has effectively changed for the user. Otherwise you might as well argue that clients are all equivalent if they are running on the same OS.
>but the UI also changes when you go from a Mac IRC client to a Windows one
Only if you use clients that don't look the same.
> if Freenode disappears, IRC will most likely die as a protocol as all major projects switch to non-IRC solutions
No supporting evidence that they would drop IRC if this happened. You must have missed the part about a network switch being literally a config change. Compare that to dropping irc which is all of your tooling.
>most clients just use text logs!
There is nothing wrong with a text log. Also, which common format is your browser storing your slack messages in?
Most of your complaints apply just as equally to chat inside of a web browser (other than the security issues).
>Propping up IRC as something it's not doesn't do anyone any favours
Tell me how my comment is incorrect. You literally change a config to change networks, that's it.