Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#1

Post by HackyGeeky » Thu, Oct 28, 2010, 3:39 PM UTC

Want to know what fellow HN'ers use -

1.) When you have a production issue going on ( and if you ever do production support), what chat application do you use ?

2.) Do you wish there was a better application than the one you already use ?

3.) If you do, does it have capability to put attachments, etc. inside it and store the timeline for post mortem ?

I've not found one, which is stable, can be used internally(security concerns) and has the above. I'll start building one if I don't find one. One last check before I dive in.

Please let me know if you have any inputs.

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#2

Post by jordantbro » Thu, Oct 28, 2010, 4:34 PM UTC

see campfire - http://campfirenow.com/

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#3

Post by ojilles » Thu, Oct 28, 2010, 4:47 PM UTC

1) Usually use Skype.

2) Yes -- chat-wise Skype is absolutely fine though

3) I would love the ability to have longer term centralized storage of the chats with a decent search engine and the ability to have scripts post stuff as well.

As far as I can tell the best alternative is setting up an IRC service: it'll run within your corporate environment if you must, easy to integrate deployment scripts into (&c) and there is a lot of archiving/search apps already.

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#4

Post by HackyGeeky » Thu, Oct 28, 2010, 5:53 PM UTC

jordantbro wrote: post #2

see campfire - http://campfirenow.com/

Sounds like a good tool, but again, it can't be installed inside the network..

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#5

Post by HackyGeeky » Thu, Oct 28, 2010, 6:27 PM UTC

ojilles wrote: post #3

1) Usually use Skype. 2) Yes -- chat-wise Skype is absolutely fine though 3) I would love the ability to have longer term centralized storage of the chats with a decent search engine and the ability to have scripts post stuff as well. As far as I can tell the best alternative is setting up an IRC service: it'll run within your corporate environment if you must, easy to integrate deployment scripts into (&c) and there…

Thanks ojilles. I like the idea of IRC, never came to my mind !

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#6

Post by ojilles » Thu, Oct 28, 2010, 6:47 PM UTC

HackyGeeky wrote: post #5

ojilles wrote: post #3

1) Usually use Skype. 2) Yes -- chat-wise Skype is absolutely fine though 3) I would love the ability to have longer term centralized storage of the chats with a decent search engine and the ability to have scripts post stuff as well. As far as I can tell the best alternative is setting up an IRC service: it'll run within your corporate environment if you must, easy to integrate deployment scripts into (&c) and there…

Thanks ojilles. I like the idea of IRC, never came to my mind !

Check out this slidedeck from Flickr, see slide 108 and further:

http://www.slideshare.net/jallspaw/operational-efficiency-ha...

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#7

Post by HackyGeeky » Fri, Oct 29, 2010, 3:08 PM UTC

ojilles wrote: post #6

HackyGeeky wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks ojilles. I like the idea of IRC, never came to my mind !

Check out this slidedeck from Flickr, see slide 108 and further: http://www.slideshare.net/jallspaw/operational-efficiency-ha...

No access from office, have stored for reading later. I also found some great XMPP/jabber bases services I'm going to explore.

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#8

Post by bgraves » Fri, Oct 29, 2010, 3:25 PM UTC

Have you seen Holla? (http://github.com/maccman/holla or http://getholla.com)

I haven't used it, but seems like a open source competitor to Campfire (which is awesome).

Good write up on GigaOM http://gigaom.com/collaboration/holla-an-open-source-group-c...

Re: Ask HN: When you have production issues, what chat application do you use?

#9

Post by HackyGeeky » Fri, Oct 29, 2010, 4:17 PM UTC

bgraves wrote: post #8

Have you seen Holla? ( http://github.com/maccman/holla or http://getholla.com ) I haven't used it, but seems like a open source competitor to Campfire (which is awesome). Good write up on GigaOM http://gigaom.com/collaboration/holla-an-open-source-group-c...

That seems great ! Thanks bgraves.