The irc userbase is pretty technical and maybe forgiving of glitches. So perhaps that is more OK there.
For the general population, the user may not know to doubt reliability, nor do I think they ought to. So I think there is value in higher reliability of delivery.
> you ask if you missed anything during the period
For high-volume, fast-paced channels this may not be appropriate. For slower channels where people rarely post anything, you constantly asking "did I miss anything while I disconnected" might be considered spam.
> I might not want a 24/7 archive
What you may or may not want has no bearing on what the technology should be capable of providing when others may require it.
Technology can, and already has, solved these problems. If that's not your cup of tea, fine, but don't impose your own use cases on others through "but it works fine for me"-ism.
> The social structure in those two examples will be very different. You would not want to do what you suggest.
I didn't suggest anybody do anything in my post. I merely postulated on scenarios where technology can (and does exist to) solve problems that aren't your own.
> IRC remains popular
I don't doubt it; in fact, I never disputed that. Further, in no way did I imply that IRC should cease to exist because other options are out there that address other peoples' needs, nor did I indicate that I think any IRC users are wrong to prefer it.
> so same to you buddy
Please keep your language respectful; your tone in that reply was nothing short of dismissive and needlessly condescending.
For the general population, the user may not know to doubt reliability, nor do I think they ought to. So I think there is value in higher reliability of delivery.