It's ok if the IRC doesn't catch on, I don't expect it to. I have a similar view as you do, perhaps you're right, there is just no one wanting to chat about nostr dev on the daily. Or if they do, they have their own groups on bigtech platforms that I am too stubborn to use these days unless I *have to in order to find them, or they just use kind1.

Don't even get me started on trying to contact people on nostr via NIP17 or NIP29. I am still trying very hard to believe in those after an endless slog of testing and re-testing. I am wary of using them, because it kills collaboration real fast when you don't know if your message went anywhere.

The only thing that really works reliably in nostr is kind1. When I ping someone on kind1, they always receive it. End of story.