I think that comparing IRC&Mailing lists to Etherpad is like comparing pears and apples and doesn't make sense.
This post was posted by Peachey88, but signed as Nikerabbit.
Topic on Talk:Parser 2011
At w:pear:
- "The pear is a fruit tree of genus Pyrus (play /ˈpaɪrəs/) and also the name of the tree's edible pomaceous fruit. The pear is classified in subtribe Pyrinae within tribe Pyreae and is a perennial. The apple (Malus domestica), which it resembles in floral structure, is also a member of this subcategory."
They're not identical, but they're related. Communication is necessary in various forms; that we have some in existence does not constitute a reason why no other forms of communication should be considered.
A common use case for etherpad is to create and edit a document collaboratively. Another common way to do that is by having someone write up a draft, then send it around to other people via e-mail for comments and additions.
Another way to do that is to write the document on a wiki, then have people edit and comment on it, using a mailing list, or IRC, or wiki discussions, or direct emails, or IM, or another communication method to inform each other of interest or ideas.
These things are all related, and it's the actual use cases that matter, not the underlying technology -- when we see that different technologies can be helpful, we certainly should consider how we can make use of them and if we can do anything to make it easier or better.
This post was posted by Peachey88, but signed as Brion VIBBER.
Maybe it's the use case what is not visible in that comparison.