Yes, but there are many networks still going strong. QuakeNet, Undernet, EF, DAL, etc. Freenode is still the best place to get instant tech support for basically everything that matters. GameSurge is still hugely popular.
Many people probably left when better file sharing methods showed up. I remember all that, before bittorrent was even a dream, when you'd have a bunch of fserves instituting their own caps and queues and stuff on dozens of different mostly-content-specific servers. You'd have to navigate all those insane directory trees trying to find stuff and make drug deals to get the "good" files. Ah, the good old days.
The scariest thing to me is that I'm not even that old, and yet so many people these days don't even know what IRC is. It's like Usenet or something. I think I did a good job of loosely applying this monologue to your reply :P
Many people probably left when better file sharing methods showed up. I remember all that, before bittorrent was even a dream, when you'd have a bunch of fserves instituting their own caps and queues and stuff on dozens of different mostly-content-specific servers. You'd have to navigate all those insane directory trees trying to find stuff and make drug deals to get the "good" files. Ah, the good old days.
The scariest thing to me is that I'm not even that old, and yet so many people these days don't even know what IRC is. It's like Usenet or something. I think I did a good job of loosely applying this monologue to your reply :P