Mozilla recently announced that we are planning to de-commission irc.mozilla.org in favour of a yet to be determined solution. As a long time user and supporter of IRC, this decision causes me some melancholy, but I 100% believe that it is the right call. Moreover, having had an inside glimpse at the process to replace it, I’m supremely confident whatever is chosen will be the best option for Mozilla’s needs.

I’m not here to explain why deprecating IRC is a good idea. Other people have already done so much more eloquently than I ever could have. I’m also not here to push for a specific replacement. Arguing over chat applications is like arguing over editors or version control. Yes, there are real and important differences from one application to the next, but if there’s one thing we’re spoiled for in 2019 it’s chat applications. Besides, so much time has been spent thinking about the requirements, there’s little anyone could say on the matter that hasn’t already been considered for hours.

This post is about an unrelated, but adjacent issue. An issue that began when mozilla.slack.com first came online, an issue that will likely persist long after irc.mozilla.org rides off into the sunset. An issue I don’t think is brought up enough, and which I’m hoping to start some discussion on now that communication is on everyone’s mind. I’m talking about using two communication platforms at once. For now Slack and IRC, soon to be Slack and something else.

Different platform, same problem.

https://ahal.ca/blog/2019/fragmented-communication/