lol - I feel old now. I started using IRC when I was 16...I've been using it for about 7 years now.

I generally prefer using it (IRC) over torrents when possible because it has a more consistent download rate. I was so happy when I switched from IE over to Firefox and Opera that both had IRC built in! No need for another client.

I generally use it to download scanlations and ebooks. I've all but stopped watching anime but I've drifted towards dramas and most of those groups only have torrents. It is a little bit more complicated than bittorrent, but I have to say I wouldn't trade it away.

I use whatever tool I need to get the job done. If it happens to be IRC then I use that. Specifically in scanlation, some groups only release through IRC, so unless you wait for secondary uploads somewhere, it's the best way to go sometimes. It's also just nice to have as another resource to use if I can't find something using other means.

Naturally most people want to get the most with the least amount of effort and, younger people especially, often don't have the patience for anything that doesn't offer instant gratification because we've become accustomed to it now. File hosting sites, torrents and other p2p clients, etc... are very simple, fast and easy to use. IRC has a little bit of a learning curve in comparison and so requires a little bit more time and effort to use.

So yeah, as far as the age thing goes, I don't really know what "young" is here, but I would guess that there are more IRC users in their 20's and 30's than teenagers. Mostly just because they started using it before the filesharing floodgates opened up when the easy peasy p2p stuff came about. The younger people that found their way into it probably did so as a last resort to find something that they couldn't nab so easily elsewhere and once it's learned they see how useful it can still be.

This is weird. Maybe it's our generation, because I'm 24, and I have the same, exact problem.

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*shrugs* a lot of the tech user groups are on IRC, so it can be a great place to get support. That's my main reason for wanting to bypass the IRC block at school, not anime/manga. I can't remember when I started using IRC (22 now), but I've used mIRC maybe once in all that time. (Started with trillian, switched over to chatzilla when I learned about it.)

As for ages and whatnot, check out some of the shoujo channels on release day for groups that do channel only releases. As for lurk and sampling and stuff-lots of lurk users don't stick around to chat 'cause the topics are usually so off putting and the regulars can make it feel sort of difficult to join in, so your sample may be skewed.

IRC is old as sand and rocks.
That is why.

I started using MIRC when I was 16 (I'm 25 now). I'm far from a pro at it, but I learned how to do simple file downloads.

Pretty much the only time I'll use it nowadays is when I run into a manga translator that only has the download available on MIRC.

I used it for a few months when I was 15... but I guess I reverted back to direct download because most series were separated by chapters instead of volumes. I'm 17 now... I think I'll re-learn how to use it again.

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Well, back in the old days of scanlations, there was no_other_way to get them than through mIRC, so everyone was kinda forced to learn it.

Okay, I lied. My memory is fuzzy but in the early 2000s i think there were some groups who already had direct downloads, like ToriyamaWorld and MangaProject(only for the newer chapters though), but I'd say 90% of all groups then only released through mIRC. So really, as a manga addict, what else can you do?

So I guess people who started reading scanlations earlier tend to know how to use mIRC more than those who only got into manga the last 1-3 years, when file hosting and online reading came about.

Personally, I still go to mIRC. It's nostalgic, and I like the sense of community.

I really like using IRC for downloading manga. First, because there are groups that don't distro any other way (at least for a few days), and second, I love #lurk.

I like looking through the "I'm looking for..." forums to get ideas for what manga I should try. Then when I find one (a recent example being Ares), I hop on over to #lurk and get all of what's been scanlated in about 15 minutes . I love that.

But for bigger things like anime (seasons) I do still prefer bittorrent for its simplicity and ability to start and stop if I need to.

I am 24 and started using IRC when I was 20.

Honestly, there are easier ways to get manga these days. I started using IRC two years ago when I was 16, and I'm only 18 now and using it, mainly because #lurk is awesome.

To be fair, IRC isn't as straightforward or as easy to learn as other things on a computer. People have forgotten the old Unix/Linux command line things by now. Most of us use computers like they are instant magic. As for me, I'm in the nerdier crowd, so IRC was fun for me.

Old as sand and rocks, and yet it still rocks!
IRC UNO FTW!

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Everyday I'm tumblin'

Yes! Still using IRC. Also, the local computer community also hangs out at IRC.

IMO, DDL is the best, then comes IRC and torrent is on the very end.
But yeah, I almost didn't use irc before I turned like 19-20y/o. I guess I didn't search for series that had only active IRC downloads before that.

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Being the lazy person that I am, I'm not likely to accept anything long-term though.

Pfft... IRC old??

I have a UseNet account, so I guess that makes me a relic.

UseNet beats everything in terms of outright speed, btw... IRC speeds are great and you can find almost anything on IRC if you know where to look (classified military info, anyone?)... P2P is is overrated and not that fast unless you get private invites. DDL is hit and miss... same goes for FTP.

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of artifacts, with a teraton of antimateria.