I use a local IRLP repeater to link up with folks who don't have Allstar (gasp! :-)
One of the many reasons I like DIAL is the option to setup my own node(s). IRLP requires their access to your node to set it up and register, a process I have experienced first hand, and don't like ( not exactly the spirit of amateur radio I've come to enjoy and respect. To all the true Elmers out there, thanks much for all you do.
Another reason I like DIAL is the fact I understand the Linux platform better than others. It is a lot like CentOS, which I first learned. One of the difficulties I've had with other "types" of Linux is the customized and undocumented features that make my experience awkward, to say the least. There is also the fact the system established and setup by "The Duuuude" and team is still the basis for the seamless operation of Allstar, regardless of what version of app_rpt used. I am pleased to see that original team spirit continues to be alive and well in the Allstarlink community, for which I continue to be thankful.
In Doug's defense, this is a hobby, and like many volunteer based Linux applications, finished documentation is usually the last thing to get done. I have learned a lot from him, but then again, I'm still very much in a learning mode from all of you, even from many of the questions, which get to me to thinking beyond my own little problems :-)