Good thing anyone is allowed to make a more user-friendly IRC client so that can be improved on, then. As long as we all follow protocols my choice of client doesnt concern you even as we chat in the same room. IRC does not proscribe any particular UI or UX.
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For vertically integrated propriatery closed Discord it's both forbidden and made difficult. There is one alternative and you take it or leave it. Hopefully the latter. There's a reason clients like ripcord never make it.
wasn't slack initially built on top of IRC? they had at least support for IRC clients, much like google message or however it was called at the time used to support jabber/XMPP clients.
well, there is another alternative, namely the EU laws forcing interoperability. i don't know if they have passed yet, or how likely it is that they will pass, but i seem to remember a recent announcement of one system going to be interoperable with whatsapp.
For vertically integrated propriatery closed Discord it's both forbidden and made difficult. There is one alternative and you take it or leave it. Hopefully the latter. There's a reason clients like ripcord never make it.