[falcolas]

Which is fine, but it doesn't make IRC any more effective than mailing lists for getting answers for open source projects.

[jlgreco]

Which is better depends entirely on what the question is. Most questions asked on IRC have absolutely no business on a mailing list, and the ensuing discussions would render the mailing list unusable.

Nobody advocates abandoning email for IRC. Right tool for the job, like anything else in life.