I know that many would disagree, but in many respects, IRC today is basically the same as it was 10+ years ago. Without plugins/addins, you cannot see pictures as part of the conversation. It's text only. And when I say pictures, I mean besides ASCII art. I think one of the popular factors of IRC is that it gives you raw power to chat, and sticks to text chatting, instead of going the way of becoming a graphical MUDD.
