And you are correct Yahoo, AIM, MSN messenger are different of course, but they originaly all three did start out the same way, just text, but they evolved. Why can't mIRC do the same?
mIRC can't because IRC can't.
mIRC is and
should be limited by the technology available on IRC because it is simply an IRC client. When you add communications features that circumvent the IRC protocol -- such as audio and video -- the program ceases to be an IRC client. Whilst some of you may claim that to be not such a bad thing, if we developed every single 'chat program' in the same direction, then they would all be the same. Maintaining mIRC as an IRC client will help to keep diversity in the software pool -- which, frankly, is a godsend in this day and age.
[I just know someone will bring up the subject of DCC though. I would submit that the addition of DCC file transfers -- which do not go through the IRC protocol -- may be seen as an exception as they are not a method of person-to-person chat communication.]
