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0 pointsshanemhansen10y ago0 comments

Every week I have to use a Cisco jabber client, Hipchat, Slack, and Hangouts within the same company.

I know it's got less of a "cool" factor because it wasn't invented last week, but I soooo wish everyone would just use IRC. Use irccloud if you want some nice apps and picture embedding.

0 comments

rikkus10y ago

Is it possible to get what Slack provides using IRC? I mean the whole package, not just the text chat. Consider enterprise-friendliness, excellent mobile clients, zero-setup required (no separate keep-you-online relays), really easy integrations, etc.? We are adopting Slack because it's great and I'd have loved to make a case for IRC but I wouldn't know what server to recommend (we don't really want to install it, but we don't want to use a public server), where I can get commercial support, if there's a nice client (like irccloud is) for mobiles - there's a long list, unfortunately.

inopinatus10y ago

Also in-client searchable archives, media handling, history editing. All require going outside the IRC protocols.

IRC was designed by hackers, for hackers and it shows. Twenty years ago, IRC was my talk destination of choice and I operated a server within a major IRC network; these days my startup uses Slack which I determined to be the "least irritating" of the 21st century options.

I had high hopes for Google Wave but it was sadly stillborn.

e12e10y ago

Much of that can be had with a IRC bot. That doesn't include media handling, but you could do search via 1-on-1 /msg (query) with a bot. Then it'd truly be "in client" search.

Most would probably prefer a web ui, with search -- but recording chat could still be done via a bot.

I wouldn't say you could get most of the whole slack experience with just IRC, and you'd probably have to do some work (if only configuring channels/bots/find a web ui etc).

1 more reply

ara4n10y ago

Matrix.org is heavily inspired by Wave, albeit using HTTP rather than XMPp, for those searching a more alive option :)

bjeanes10y ago

> I had high hopes for Google Wave but it was sadly stillborn.

Yeah me too. Google really effed that one up. RIP

scrollaway10y ago

The closest you can get is a foss slack alternative such as Mattermost, and push for an IRC bridge (Mattermost is working on it it seems: https://github.com/mattermost/platform/issues/650).

But it's not possible to get what you're asking without breaking the IRC protocol - it's not easily extended and the formatting rules are icky mIRC crap.

voltagex_10y ago

Go help with IRCv3 - you're talking about capabilities, which are part of the v3 protocol.

http://ircv3.net/specs/core/capability-negotiation-3.2.html

1 more reply

bjeanes10y ago

Slack's IRC bridge is actually pretty good. I know that's not quite what you're asking, but at least you personally could still interface using IRC.

jwheare210y ago

Any reason you rejected IRCCloud? (disclosure: my company). We host private servers for teams and do the majority of what you're asking for.

rikkus10y ago

I didn't make the decision. Slack started to appear and I didn't know that IRCCloud had apps (which seem to have great reviews). If I had known, I would have suggested it as an alternative. As it was, I just kept quiet as Slack seemed great - even better than HipChat, which I used to use for the same purpose.

Perhaps IRCCloud could be sold as a rebranded Enterprise app as an alternative to Slack? I'd love to see some competition as it looks like only HipChat and Slack are getting talked about.

hermanradtke10y ago

I don't use it because I want to use my own irc client and not a web interface. I want ZNC as a service.

bsimpson10y ago

That sounds like a problem with the company. I can understand Slack and Hangouts (at least until Slack adds voice chat), but all that other stuff sounds like poor organization on the company's part.

voltagex_10y ago

What I posted in another thread still stands - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10256943. Things were better when everything was brought under one client. I know iMessage is almost impossible to reverse-engineer (due to Apple kicking non-iClients off) but I wish there was more effort going into reversing Hangouts. Someone's emulated the JS client from GMail but that's about as far as it's got

CydeWeys10y ago

IRC's lack of scrollback alone kills it for these considerations, unfortunately. If there's an incident or discussion in progress and you only join the room partway through you have no way of catching up to speed.

epsylon10y ago

That's what bouncers are for.

anentropic10y ago

you wish everyone would use the worse option?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

rikkus10y ago

inopinatus10y ago

Also in-client searchable archives, media handling, history editing. All require going outside the IRC protocols.

I had high hopes for Google Wave but it was sadly stillborn.

e12e10y ago

Much of that can be had with a IRC bot. That doesn't include media handling, but you could do search via 1-on-1 /msg (query) with a bot. Then it'd truly be "in client" search.

Most would probably prefer a web ui, with search -- but recording chat could still be done via a bot.

I wouldn't say you could get most of the whole slack experience with just IRC, and you'd probably have to do some work (if only configuring channels/bots/find a web ui etc).

1 more reply

ara4n10y ago

Matrix.org is heavily inspired by Wave, albeit using HTTP rather than XMPp, for those searching a more alive option :)

bjeanes10y ago

> I had high hopes for Google Wave but it was sadly stillborn.

Yeah me too. Google really effed that one up. RIP

scrollaway10y ago

The closest you can get is a foss slack alternative such as Mattermost, and push for an IRC bridge (Mattermost is working on it it seems: https://github.com/mattermost/platform/issues/650).

But it's not possible to get what you're asking without breaking the IRC protocol - it's not easily extended and the formatting rules are icky mIRC crap.

voltagex_10y ago

Go help with IRCv3 - you're talking about capabilities, which are part of the v3 protocol.

http://ircv3.net/specs/core/capability-negotiation-3.2.html

1 more reply

bjeanes10y ago

Slack's IRC bridge is actually pretty good. I know that's not quite what you're asking, but at least you personally could still interface using IRC.

jwheare210y ago

Any reason you rejected IRCCloud? (disclosure: my company). We host private servers for teams and do the majority of what you're asking for.

rikkus10y ago

Perhaps IRCCloud could be sold as a rebranded Enterprise app as an alternative to Slack? I'd love to see some competition as it looks like only HipChat and Slack are getting talked about.

hermanradtke10y ago

I don't use it because I want to use my own irc client and not a web interface. I want ZNC as a service.

bsimpson10y ago

That sounds like a problem with the company. I can understand Slack and Hangouts (at least until Slack adds voice chat), but all that other stuff sounds like poor organization on the company's part.

voltagex_10y ago

CydeWeys10y ago

epsylon10y ago

That's what bouncers are for.

anentropic10y ago

you wish everyone would use the worse option?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse