Everyone has their favorite network, i've been on DALnet and Efnet for several years and yet there are ppl who refuse to go to either of those. i dont know that there are any networks/servers that havent been subjected to attack or had technical difficulties at some time. Running a server is timeconsuming and costly, so it isnt surprising that any network will have regular changes in their server list.
Every network has their own policies about bots and services. Even within a network, some servers will allow a user one friendly bot, others wont. One place you can compare different networks is
http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/networks/There are networks that have been around for many years, but that doesnt mean a newer and smaller one is less reliable. It really is a matter of personal choice. Check out that website and visit a few of the network websites to get a feel for what they are all about.
