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0 pointsAckSyn9y ago0 comments

* file uploads in your chat client are misplaced at best, and "rich" environments with formatting and images are 99.999% distractions

* channel services can provide archiving and notifications.

* scrollback can be handled by a bouncer, yes, but it's up to the IT dept to set it up per-user

* there are plenty of usable irc clients for mobile, web, and desktop to satisfy this need.

source: Started using telegram/slack but productivity went down so work launched an internal ircd (inspircd). Internal wiki, git, and sharepoint for documentation/files/code where it belongs. Not the chat client.

0 comments

zellyn9y ago

> * file uploads in your chat client are misplaced at best, and "rich" environments with formatting and images are 99.999% distractions

Nope. They're extremely useful. Just offhand I can think of tons of times we've (a) pasted metric graphs, (b) pasted annotated screengrabs, (c) pasted snippets of code, (d) pasted snippets of test output. None of this is easy in IRC.

mi100hael9y ago

But once they're pasted in there, they can only be used there. It's barely harder to upload a file to any myriad of file sharing/hosting services and paste a link which most graphical IRC clients can be configured to auto-expand (and users who don't care/don't want a bunch of images can choose to handle links differently)

zellyn9y ago

I want the text snippets to be shown inline. I'm fine with Slack owning the image assets, because I don't have to worry about permissions the way I would if I uploaded them somewhere else (unless it was to some other internal tool).

I've been on IRC since 1993, and I'm an accomplished programmer. I still find setting up and configuring ZNC and an IRC client complicated, error-error prone, and confusing. And it doesn't always work - sometimes it quits working for no reason and I have to restart things.

3 more replies

pavel_lishin9y ago

> file uploads in your chat client are misplaced at best, and "rich" environments with formatting and images are 99.999% distractions

We can agree to disagree, but I think that the wide adoption of things like Slack and Hipchat are strong indicators that most people side with me.

What sort of productivity problems did y'all have? Because I have a hard and fast rule - if someone tries to introduce a giphy bot into a channel, I will throw a full-blown tantrum and abuse it until it's gone.

I do agree with you wholeheartedly that Slack, etc., are not a place for documentation.

DontGiveTwoFlux9y ago

Life of the party here!

What's the problem with giphy? Is it too silly? Too much light hearted humor going on in your team's chat?

pavel_lishin9y ago

> Too much light hearted humor going on in your team's chat?

We have an off-topic room for light-hearted humor, and it generally gets more traffic than any of the work related channels!

> What's the problem with giphy? Is it too silly?

It's usually too irrelevant. Someone tries to do "/giphy smile", and the result is something that's not actually someone smiling. So they try again. And again. And then it's just people playing giggle roulette, without any actual content. Even off-topic, humor rooms need a decent signal to noise ratio.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsAckSyn9y ago0 comments

* file uploads in your chat client are misplaced at best, and "rich" environments with formatting and images are 99.999% distractions

* channel services can provide archiving and notifications.

* scrollback can be handled by a bouncer, yes, but it's up to the IT dept to set it up per-user

* there are plenty of usable irc clients for mobile, web, and desktop to satisfy this need.

0 comments

zellyn9y ago

> * file uploads in your chat client are misplaced at best, and "rich" environments with formatting and images are 99.999% distractions

mi100hael9y ago

zellyn9y ago

3 more replies

pavel_lishin9y ago

> file uploads in your chat client are misplaced at best, and "rich" environments with formatting and images are 99.999% distractions

We can agree to disagree, but I think that the wide adoption of things like Slack and Hipchat are strong indicators that most people side with me.

I do agree with you wholeheartedly that Slack, etc., are not a place for documentation.

DontGiveTwoFlux9y ago

Life of the party here!

What's the problem with giphy? Is it too silly? Too much light hearted humor going on in your team's chat?

pavel_lishin9y ago

> Too much light hearted humor going on in your team's chat?

We have an off-topic room for light-hearted humor, and it generally gets more traffic than any of the work related channels!

> What's the problem with giphy? Is it too silly?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse