Please note: Our Discord server is 18+ and SFW.
If you're interested in joining the 32-Bit Cafe Discord, click the "Join Discord" button below:
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Discord, for better or worse, has become synonymous with modern chatting in the post-pandemic age. IRC, Matrix, and Slack are adequate alternatives, but there are a few reasons we choose to be on Discord:
- Discord is user-friendly and easier to use for folks becoming more acquainted with internet culture and technology.
- The barrier for entry to Discord is much lower than IRC or Matrix for new users.
- Having full access to channel histories upon joining without any additional work is attractive for new folks in the community.
- Discord is easier to moderate with a smaller team.
- Slack being used for modern workspaces can make a leisurely hobby server feel like work.
- Discord's free features beat Slack's free tier.
- Discord is still an independent company, whereas Slack is owned by Salesforce.
- Matrix and IRC require more server resources, and we'd want to completely self-host our server.
- It's not hard to find Matrix and IRC servers that are already full of chatrooms with professional developers, hardcore self-hosted hobbyists, and indie web enthusiasts.
- Matrix and IRC feel like the "old web," but that's not necessarily what we're about.
We respect and tip our hats to folks who have IRC and Matrix servers. We plan on having guides to both IRC and Matrix for more advanced users.