> In my experience IRC channels being rude is the norm rather than the exception.
But it doesn't have to be that way. Rust has a very clear code of conduct (http://www.rust-lang.org/conduct.html) aimed at avoiding exactly that kind of rudeness, and it has so for a long time. As a result the #rust IRC channel is a very pleasant place to be.
In my experience many IRC channels are fine. If you run a project's IRC channel, there's really no excuse for forcing users to deal with a bad community, and a bad community is an excellent reason to find another project to spend your time with.
But it doesn't have to be that way. Rust has a very clear code of conduct (http://www.rust-lang.org/conduct.html) aimed at avoiding exactly that kind of rudeness, and it has so for a long time. As a result the #rust IRC channel is a very pleasant place to be.