[smichel17]

Here's the catch.

I'm someone who likes the idea of IRC being impermanent, available only if I was online at the time.

However, I also want people to be able to @mention me so that I can see it later, even if I was offline, overriding the default. AND, when that happens, I also want to be able to read the context before the message and probably some conversation after. In other words, I want "@smichel17 ^" to be a thing.

I don't see any way to combine those features. I can approximate this experience in Discord and its ilk by having all history about l available; muting conversations, except for notifications; and relying on willpower not to read the backlog unless I was mentioned. So that's what I do. Maybe the closest thing would be Snapchat, where messages can be "saved" by any of the participants so the whole group can read them later.

There's no way to approximate this experience in IRC. So although I still use IRC, it's mostly over a matrix bridge; matrix becomes my bouncer.

[bmn__]

> There's no way to approximate this experience in IRC.

Yes, there is.

   <bmn__> !tell smichel17 crowdmatch me, see HN frontpage
   <reminder`bot> 1 message stored. will deliver when smichel17 rejoins or unaways.
   ⋮
   * smichel17 is no longer marked as being away, gone 04:30:55
   <reminder`bot> smichel17, bmn__ wants you to know: "crowdmatch me, see HN frontpage" (2021-12-28 13:12)

[smichel17]

I've done that, too. It misses the context bit. As I said in the post you replied to,

> In other words, I want "@smichel17 ^" to be a thing.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

You could run a quassel server somewhere. If you're already running a server somewhere for something else, adding quassel to the mix is pretty easy. Then use quassel as your IRC client.

I've been doing this with IRC for about 3-4 years now, and it means that I'm "always online" as far as IRC is concerned (except for server maintainance stuff). To a reasonably approximation, I never miss anything.

[smichel17]

I feel like this and most of its sibling comments are missing the context of the thread: I agree with the viewpoint that "not always online" is a feature. The problem is the lack of "some things available when returning from offline".

From this perspective, the "always online" approach just makes IRC like Discord et al, where you receive everything and have to choose what to read when you get back.

Snapchat is the closest, with its "messages disappear after 24h by default, but can be saved by members of the group".

[andrewzah]

You can use a ZNC bouncer, or a client like TheLounge. It's always "online" so I see the context for any pings. It's trivial to set up.

[rollo]

Most networks support leaving memos to registered users when they're offline. So IRC does have that functionality.

[Karunamon]

It sounds like you're referring to MemoServ. This requires both parties to have an account on the server, and a separate private message to a dedicated bot.

What was being described was more like saving a highlight; with much less friction. On Discord, I can @someone even if they're a nickname-only user with no account.