Ask HN: Is there a better alternative to email?

#1

Post by DinakarS » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 2:11 AM UTC

Emails work in some cases. In many cases, it leads to threads of content that go missed.

Once we get a new batch of emails, the old content simply go unnoticed. Buried, never to be opened again.

Is this the best way to handle information in 2026?

Re: Ask HN: Is there a better alternative to email?

#2

Post by slwvx » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 2:27 AM UTC

Become an email completionist, and send emails to other people as if they should also be email completionists.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a better alternative to email?

#3

Post by djaouen » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 3:57 AM UTC

Yes. I call it, “Talking In Real Life” (TM).

Re: Ask HN: Is there a better alternative to email?

#4

Post by DinakarS » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 7:34 AM UTC

djaouen wrote: post #3

Yes. I call it, “Talking In Real Life” (TM).

Email Is mostly for work, government paperwork, and other professional setups even if we meet in person.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a better alternative to email?

#5

Post by DinakarS » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 7:35 AM UTC

slwvx wrote: post #2

Become an email completionist, and send emails to other people as if they should also be email completionists.

Pardon me. What is an email completionist?

Re: Ask HN: Is there a better alternative to email?

#6

Post by Bender » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 12:13 PM UTC

Email, chat and almost everything else is just text. All text is searchable. I think what you really want is something that searches email and chat systems for relevant topics and maps them together for your org highlighting things people are talking about. The search system would have to be aware of identities to avoid leaking sensitive information and causing corporate security incidents.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a better alternative to email?

#7

Post by slwvx » Mon, Jan 05, 2026, 5:22 PM UTC

DinakarS wrote: post #5

slwvx wrote: post #2

Become an email completionist, and send emails to other people as if they should also be email completionists.

Pardon me. What is an email completionist?

Someone who reads every email, or at least looks at the subject long enough to do something with it (delete, move, ...) and don't leave unread emails in their inbox