My point is that the forums are more easily regulated than the IRC, and are a better place for communicating and welcoming new players, old players, etc., - and yet the forums are what's under fire here, unjustly, while the IRC is held up as some bizarre gold standard.
I...don't feel that that's the case. As I understand it, Tom dislikes IRC about as much as you do. People (like me) have been pointing out IRC's good points, but no more so than they have been doing for the forum.
Your argument for keeping the IRC works just as well, if not better, for keeping the forums intact. If you're going to axe the forums, the IRC needs to be axed as well for promoting the same behavior. Otherwise, keep them both and regulate/moderate what you can.
I don't
want to axe the forums. I think Tom's overreacting, largely due to preconceived notions and confirmation bias. However, whatever you do to the forums, my point is that IRC
cannot be "axed". It's just not possible, because it's not something that Tom controls. The link can be removed from the left bar, but
all that will do is prevent new players from being able to get to it as easily. It will not stop the IRC regulars—the "old boys", as you call us—from going there and continuing to hang out with our friends.
Or, in my case, at least, from trying to help some new devs get up to speed so that we might be able to see improvement in the game at more than a glacial pace.
