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Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

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Re: Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

#21

Post by jroll »

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #8

Not to be negative, but what does this have that couldn't be done better with ZNC and a proper IRC client? I get a persistent connection to the IRC server, logs and push notifications to my phone when I'm not connected or paying attention, and I can connect from as any IRC client I want to, or connect from multiple clients simultaneously. [1] Granted, the web client does look really really nice, but as a whole it see…

I would have loved to have this when I worked at a company that only allowed HTTP(S) through the firewall.

Re: Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

#23

Post by pavel_lishin »

thedjpetersen wrote: post #2

One of the collaborators here. Subway came to me as an idea a few months ago when I heard one of my co-workers trying to explain how to set up screen and IRSSI. The project has taken about 3 months to complete. There is still things to add like better IRC support and search. A quick disclaimer the logo right now is a Gowalla Icon, this is only a placeholder I am working on designing a new logo.

To me it looks like a G train - which is notorious in NYC for running behind an already crappy schedule. (The local nickname is the Ghost train, though it's apparently gotten better recently.)

Re: Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

#24

Post by Zev »

wickedchicken wrote: post #20
mattdeboard wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use a bouncer like znc (or this) and you don't have to get emails, it'll just be there when you get back

I'm thinking more of a notification. Imagine monitoring a product support channel: if someone mentions you you want to know about it so you can pop into the channel if needed. I don't want to stare at a chat screen all the time.

If you have an iPhone, you can use ZNC and Mobile Colloquy to get push notifications on highlights.

Re: Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

#25

Post by thedjpetersen »

patrickod wrote: post #19
akavlie wrote: post #3

The other collaborator here. I started with a similar client called web-irc, to make a better open source web IRC client. I combined forced with thedjpetersen because his tech stack was almost identical. And it looked better, to boot :-) Tech used: Node.js, node-irc, socket.io, Backbone.js, and MongoDB for optional message logging on persistent connections. Feedback and contributions welcome. This article is linked t…

The screenshots looks really beautiful. Unfortunately the demo link seems to be down at the moment

Should be back up.

Re: Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

#27

Post by thedjpetersen »

nextparadigms wrote: post #26

I like the interface, and I want to use it, but a lot of stuff seems to be missing, like I'd expect to double click on a user and open a private windows with him. Also most of the commands don't seem to work either.

There is a lot still missing. Mostly there is just basic command support. Messaging a user with /msg should work.

Re: Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

#28

Post by akavlie »

nextparadigms wrote: post #26

I like the interface, and I want to use it, but a lot of stuff seems to be missing, like I'd expect to double click on a user and open a private windows with him. Also most of the commands don't seem to work either.

Yeah, we realize that a lot of functionality and IRC commands are still missing, beyond the basics. It's still under active development, we just decided that it's in good enough shape now to post on HN.

It would help a lot if you could post issues on github for missing features.

Re: Show HN: Subway, a persistent web client for IRC

#29

Post by nuclear_eclipse »

akavlie wrote: post #13
nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #8

Not to be negative, but what does this have that couldn't be done better with ZNC and a proper IRC client? I get a persistent connection to the IRC server, logs and push notifications to my phone when I'm not connected or paying attention, and I can connect from as any IRC client I want to, or connect from multiple clients simultaneously. [1] Granted, the web client does look really really nice, but as a whole it see…

Main advantages are: 1. Accessible to those who don't have expertise or interest in setting up their own IRC bouncer 2. Usable from any web browser 3. More friendly UI 4. Usable by sites that want a chat room for their users (look at twit.tv -- embedded IRC client front and center). There is no proprietary backend; the whole client, and the library powering it (node-irc), are open source.

Sorry, perhaps "proprietary" was a bad choice. What I meant was that I would appreciate if the web client itself didn't require or rely on the nodejs/mongodb backend, and could instead operate directly on top of an IRC server or bouncer.

Ie, I would like to run your web client on my machine, have it connect directly to my IRC bouncer (or directly to a remote IRC server), and not require a local database to use it. I'm interested in using it as just another IRC client that connects to my IRC bouncer, rather than it being my primary IRC client. From what I see, this isn't possible.

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