You missed the 'Just a point' part, as in an example of the various changes made to one version of ircd that decrease compatibility with another. This decreased compatibility has resulted in the various code forks, new versions, and even older versions of the same tree being unable to link to one another. While this is all done for advancement, there would be no point consulting them in order to maintain compatability, it isn't there.
How many times have you had to explain to someone that IRC is more than just one network?
