7 ms·

New Chat Thing Convore Is Google Wave Minus the Suck

115 points by pg 16y ago

jhrobert 16y ago
IM for groups. Cool. Now I need to have this integrated with my other IMs. I just can't have so many windows open at the same time (or can I?). Maybe Google Chrome Destop Notification? Maybe http://imo.im http://imo.im ? just guessing. Nice work.
- ericflo 16y ago
  Thanks! One of the things we really wanted to have before we launched was an initial version of an API ready so that people could experiment with building things like you describe. We've been happy so far that people have started to do just that, including someone going so far as to start working on an Android client! https://github.com/Pewpewarrows/Convoid https://github.com/Pewpewarrows/Convoid We happily encourage efforts to integrate with other services, although it can be tricky due to our added layer of structure (topics) that both sets us apart, but also makes it match up less cleanly with existing clients and services.
  - jhrobert 16y ago
    I will get a look at your API. The one feature I will look for is the ability to get the list of the members of a group (so that I can dynamically create a wiki for them). Maybe I can do that using https://convore.com/api/groups/:group_id.json https://convore.com/api/groups/:group_id.json -- but where is the doc about what it returns? Anyways, it's nice to see that more and more new services come with an (often open) API. Well done :)
nicpottier 16y ago
Hrmm.. the image upload is not as cool as I'd hope. Yes it includes it, but you still need to upload and host it somewhere yourself. This could be really killer if it allowed uploads of arbitrary attachments and images. Could see it as an interesting way of keeping a log with a client.
- ericflo 16y ago
  We've definitely heard this feedback from others, especially those coming from other web-based chat products that tend to include this feature. Right now we haven't offered this as a feature because we're a free app, and hosting more than a few files and images would be cost prohibitive. We're definitely open to building it in the future if it can be subsidized somehow, or if we directly charge for it.
  - axod 16y ago
    FWIW, file upload is a drop in the ocean compared to the bandwidth of managing a large number of chat users lines of chat ;)
    - jhrobert 16y ago
      Is this true? I have a similar issue. So far I too consider that hosting files costs a lot, whereas bandwidth (for text) is reasonably cheap. Am I missing something?
      - axod 16y ago
        The much worse cost is in policing content and dealing with illegal content.
- dabeeeenster 16y ago
  Try http://grabbox.devsoft.no/ http://grabbox.devsoft.no/
- antimatter15 16y ago
  <shameless_plug> try drag2up http://drag2up.appspot.com/ http://drag2up.appspot.com/ </shameless_plug>
thwarted 16y ago
Eventually, we'll settle on a conversation formatting that really works for the Internet.
oomkiller 16y ago
I really liked being able to see what the other person was typing in wave, made having a conversation quicker as I could beging typing a response while they were still typing, like a real conversation.
- ez77 16y ago
  And this was possible (in the 90's!) with good old ICQ...
  - freakwit 16y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_%28software%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_%28software%29 1983 with talk. Anybody got anything earlier?
    - Groxx 16y ago
      1893: peeking over someone's shoulder as they use a typewriter to write you a letter.
    - ericflo 16y ago
      If this were Convore, I would star Groxx's message :)
buster 16y ago
Like Google Wave? So does this have an open protocol? Server-to-Server communication? I don't see where it can be compared to wave. They seem to compare it to IRC, but also IRC is a protocol, convore is just a service. I still hope wave sees some progress as apache project. :(
- geoffw8 16y ago
  Your saying you don't see ANY likeness to Google Wave? I'll give you a hint: the front-end user layer.
  - jasonlotito 16y ago
    The front-end? The technical demo? The least existing part of Google Wave? If that's all, it's nothing like Google Wave. Edit: I should point out that if you don't understand what buster or I am talking about, don't worry. A lot of people don't. It's Google's failed marketing of Wave that did this. Basically, people thought Google Wave was MS Outlook, or Gmail. It wasn't. Wave was essentially email, comments, chat, communication, etc. Once you start understanding everything it could do, and understand that everyone already knew how to use Wave, you really started to appreciate what they were trying to do.
    - geoffw8 16y ago
      Look at it at a higher level. Convore, to a certain extent is like Wave.
      - jasonlotito 16y ago
        To me that is like saying a glider is like the space shuttle. No disrespect to Convore, but comparing it to Wave is naive.
  - buster 16y ago
    Yes, so you didn't get it, too. Wave isn't the sandbox you've seen on the web. If i remember correctly, the webclient didn't even use the "real protocol" but some hacked-together protocol buffers for demonstration purposes. Not sure about today, but when the beta started there wasn't even an official client/server protocol. It was still under discussion[1]. Sadly, the world never saw the "real" Wave, with server-to-server communication, different clients, etc. [1] https://groups.google.com/group/wave-protocol/browse_thread/thread/184b66dfb3b9a24d?pli=1 https://groups.google.com/group/wave-protocol/browse_thread/...
tarvaina 16y ago
For another startup in the same space, see http://flowdock.com/ http://flowdock.com/
- Ezku 16y ago
  Flowdock is intended to fill quite a different niche. It's supposed to facilitate teamwork, not spontaneous group communication. But if that's what you're looking for, Flowdock does do the job. I participated in the beta and found it quite nice.
old-gregg 16y ago
Personal experience here: Convore rocks. Take it from a long-time IRC junkie. Dump Skype/IM for all your project-related chats and try using them and you quickly will see why Convore works and works well. I remember Chatterous trying a similar play but can't recall what happened to them. Maybe the GUI wasn't so slick or maybe they pivoted into something we're unaware of...
- kul 16y ago
  Indeed, Chatterous are now A Thinking Ape and I believe making revenue in the millions. I think they have one of the highest grossing iphone apps of all time. http://www.techvibes.com/blog/a-thinking-ape-settles-into-vancouver-and-gets-serious-2011-01-12 http://www.techvibes.com/blog/a-thinking-ape-settles-into-va...
  - wallflower 16y ago
    A Thinking Ape is hiring engineers! And HN dedication is a plus! > and it would be a definite plus if... you are registered at and regularly read Hacker News (and send us your username if you do) http://www.athinkingape.com/jobs http://www.athinkingape.com/jobs
- eik3_de 16y ago
  Actually it rocks so hard that I see the risk of sucking up one's remaining productivity time slots that exist between HN visits ;)
- landtuna 16y ago
  I had more confidence that Goole Apps-based Wave would be able to secure company-sensitive discussions.
- thorax 16y ago
  Chatterous's Google Talk integration was so stellar (it's broken most the time now) that our teams used it exclusively for cross-team chat for the past few years. I was one of their biggest fans but now I know they're not giving it much attention anymore. Given that, I really want to see convore integration with jabber/gtalk somehow, but I'm not sure how it would work for rooms+topics versus just rooms.
eik3_de 16y ago
Any experienced campfire users around that have tried convore? Can you compare?
- jarin 16y ago
  The one thing I'm really sad that Convore doesn't have is auto-formatting of pasted code. Other than that it is basically like Campfire but with a lot of public groups as well (you can make private groups too).
fdhjrtkty 16y ago
Click on our website: ==== http://vurl.me/YDW http://vurl.me/YDW ==== Christan Audigier bikini $23 Ed Hardy Bikini $23 Smful short_t-shirt_woman $15 ed hardy short_tank_woman $16 Sandal $32 christian louboutin $80 Sunglass $15 COACH_Necklace $27 handbag $33 AF tank woman $17 puma slipper woman $30 ==== http://vurl.me/YDW http://vurl.me/YDW ==== ----- ~ ¤ ╭⌒╮ ╭⌒╮ ╭⌒╭⌒╮╭⌒╮～╭⌒╮ ,））））,''）~~ ,''~） ╱◥█◣ ╱◥█◣ ｜田｜田｜｜田｜田｜
stcredzero 16y ago
The service saves everything that's been said -- like Wave, only Convore exists Seems TR is like news, only without fact checking. I was playing with Wave just the other day. EDIT: TR, not TC. Thanks, internet!
- micrypt 16y ago
  ...only it's not TC.
augustl 16y ago
I don't consider centralized services "thing x if it was invented today", if thing x can be distributed. The UI looks nice, and they did a great job. But anyone can host IRC servers, only convore can host convore.
motters 16y ago
But I don't want to live in another walled garden where I can be spied on or herded as a cash cow. What's needed are open protocols, like IRC or Wave.
Zakharov 16y ago
"In chats, Convore ... automatically embeds images" This seems risky. There's a lot of public IRC rooms I'd avoid if they allowed anyone to show me anything they wanted. IRC solves this by not embedding images, Wave solves this by being oriented towards small groups rather than public discussions, forums solve this by making it difficult enough to register that a ban matters. How is Convore going to solve this?
dools 16y ago
I'm interested in using Convore to host some work discussions we currently use IRC for because of the "history" aspect and the fact I can grab the messages through an API and import into my task management interface. The only problem with it I have is the name! Maybe it's because I'm Australian. We say it like "Con-vaw". Is that right? I can't imagine telling someone in person "hey I was on CON-VAW the other night and this guy said such and such". Really weird name but a nicely executed product.
- stcredzero 16y ago
  Shorten that to "conv".
- dangrossman 16y ago
  I'm American and would not think to pronounce it like that. "Con-vor"/"Conv-or".
- rdouble 16y ago
  It does seem a bit difficult to pronounce with an Aussie accent. Since toilets are dunnys, chickens are chooks, Brits are Poms and Americans are Seppos why not just make a typical Australian linguistic move and make up some ridiculous word to use instead? I'd suggest Convizza but maybe that's too obvious.
  - mahmud 16y ago
    Never heard "Seppos" before. Most Aussies would probably take one of the -o or -ies/-ers "colliqualization" rules :-) My bet is on convo.
- mahmud 16y ago
  Dunno, I pronounced it like it's an Italian word: kon-voo-Re.
jsilence 16y ago
Uhh wow, another very beautiful walled garden? Ignore.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
eagleal 16y ago
Months ago I talked with a guy who was working on a similar idea http://tap.info http://tap.info. (Well, the site is down as of now) http://oi53.tinypic.com/2w1wfn7.jpg http://oi53.tinypic.com/2w1wfn7.jpg - I can't find a better screenshot
keturn 16y ago
Isn't this what we tried with Pibb? May they have a better go of it than Pibb did.
zwadia 16y ago
If convore is making collaboration cooler.. then I think what Asana has is superior as it currently stands. I see convore as a great alternative to the Twitter hashtag. A richer, more real-time, better indexed alternative. It can still use Twitter for Outreach but the action is in convore.
itsnotvalid 16y ago
I need to say one thing though, how is this going to beat against Facebook groups? The "new" facebook groups can group chat (with online members of a group) and also semi-message (via a news feed) and could potentially message a bunch of guys in the group via facebook messages. Of course they haven't done it to the point of having short topic threads of any kind, which is what I like with concore. (in fact, every topic in a group in convore is like a channel of its own.)

115 points by pg 16y ago

IM for groups. Cool. Now I need to have this integrated with my other IMs. I just can't have so many windows open at the same time (or can I?). Maybe Google Chrome Destop Notification? Maybe http://imo.im http://imo.im ? just guessing. Nice work.

ericflo 16y ago
Thanks! One of the things we really wanted to have before we launched was an initial version of an API ready so that people could experiment with building things like you describe. We've been happy so far that people have started to do just that, including someone going so far as to start working on an Android client! https://github.com/Pewpewarrows/Convoid https://github.com/Pewpewarrows/Convoid We happily encourage efforts to integrate with other services, although it can be tricky due to our added layer of structure (topics) that both sets us apart, but also makes it match up less cleanly with existing clients and services.
- jhrobert 16y ago
  I will get a look at your API. The one feature I will look for is the ability to get the list of the members of a group (so that I can dynamically create a wiki for them). Maybe I can do that using https://convore.com/api/groups/:group_id.json https://convore.com/api/groups/:group_id.json -- but where is the doc about what it returns? Anyways, it's nice to see that more and more new services come with an (often open) API. Well done :)

nicpottier 16y ago

Hrmm.. the image upload is not as cool as I'd hope. Yes it includes it, but you still need to upload and host it somewhere yourself. This could be really killer if it allowed uploads of arbitrary attachments and images. Could see it as an interesting way of keeping a log with a client.

ericflo 16y ago
We've definitely heard this feedback from others, especially those coming from other web-based chat products that tend to include this feature. Right now we haven't offered this as a feature because we're a free app, and hosting more than a few files and images would be cost prohibitive. We're definitely open to building it in the future if it can be subsidized somehow, or if we directly charge for it.
- axod 16y ago
  FWIW, file upload is a drop in the ocean compared to the bandwidth of managing a large number of chat users lines of chat ;)
  - jhrobert 16y ago
    Is this true? I have a similar issue. So far I too consider that hosting files costs a lot, whereas bandwidth (for text) is reasonably cheap. Am I missing something?
    - axod 16y ago
      The much worse cost is in policing content and dealing with illegal content.
dabeeeenster 16y ago
Try http://grabbox.devsoft.no/ http://grabbox.devsoft.no/
antimatter15 16y ago
<shameless_plug> try drag2up http://drag2up.appspot.com/ http://drag2up.appspot.com/ </shameless_plug>

thwarted 16y ago

Eventually, we'll settle on a conversation formatting that really works for the Internet.

oomkiller 16y ago

I really liked being able to see what the other person was typing in wave, made having a conversation quicker as I could beging typing a response while they were still typing, like a real conversation.

ez77 16y ago
And this was possible (in the 90's!) with good old ICQ...
- freakwit 16y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_%28software%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_%28software%29 1983 with talk. Anybody got anything earlier?
  - Groxx 16y ago
    1893: peeking over someone's shoulder as they use a typewriter to write you a letter.
  - ericflo 16y ago
    If this were Convore, I would star Groxx's message :)

buster 16y ago

Like Google Wave? So does this have an open protocol? Server-to-Server communication? I don't see where it can be compared to wave. They seem to compare it to IRC, but also IRC is a protocol, convore is just a service. I still hope wave sees some progress as apache project. :(

geoffw8 16y ago
Your saying you don't see ANY likeness to Google Wave? I'll give you a hint: the front-end user layer.
- jasonlotito 16y ago
  The front-end? The technical demo? The least existing part of Google Wave? If that's all, it's nothing like Google Wave. Edit: I should point out that if you don't understand what buster or I am talking about, don't worry. A lot of people don't. It's Google's failed marketing of Wave that did this. Basically, people thought Google Wave was MS Outlook, or Gmail. It wasn't. Wave was essentially email, comments, chat, communication, etc. Once you start understanding everything it could do, and understand that everyone already knew how to use Wave, you really started to appreciate what they were trying to do.
  - geoffw8 16y ago
    Look at it at a higher level. Convore, to a certain extent is like Wave.
    - jasonlotito 16y ago
      To me that is like saying a glider is like the space shuttle. No disrespect to Convore, but comparing it to Wave is naive.
- buster 16y ago
  Yes, so you didn't get it, too. Wave isn't the sandbox you've seen on the web. If i remember correctly, the webclient didn't even use the "real protocol" but some hacked-together protocol buffers for demonstration purposes. Not sure about today, but when the beta started there wasn't even an official client/server protocol. It was still under discussion[1]. Sadly, the world never saw the "real" Wave, with server-to-server communication, different clients, etc. [1] https://groups.google.com/group/wave-protocol/browse_thread/thread/184b66dfb3b9a24d?pli=1 https://groups.google.com/group/wave-protocol/browse_thread/...

tarvaina 16y ago

For another startup in the same space, see http://flowdock.com/ http://flowdock.com/

Ezku 16y ago
Flowdock is intended to fill quite a different niche. It's supposed to facilitate teamwork, not spontaneous group communication. But if that's what you're looking for, Flowdock does do the job. I participated in the beta and found it quite nice.

old-gregg 16y ago

Personal experience here: Convore rocks. Take it from a long-time IRC junkie. Dump Skype/IM for all your project-related chats and try using them and you quickly will see why Convore works and works well. I remember Chatterous trying a similar play but can't recall what happened to them. Maybe the GUI wasn't so slick or maybe they pivoted into something we're unaware of...

kul 16y ago
Indeed, Chatterous are now A Thinking Ape and I believe making revenue in the millions. I think they have one of the highest grossing iphone apps of all time. http://www.techvibes.com/blog/a-thinking-ape-settles-into-vancouver-and-gets-serious-2011-01-12 http://www.techvibes.com/blog/a-thinking-ape-settles-into-va...
- wallflower 16y ago
  A Thinking Ape is hiring engineers! And HN dedication is a plus! > and it would be a definite plus if... you are registered at and regularly read Hacker News (and send us your username if you do) http://www.athinkingape.com/jobs http://www.athinkingape.com/jobs
eik3_de 16y ago
Actually it rocks so hard that I see the risk of sucking up one's remaining productivity time slots that exist between HN visits ;)
landtuna 16y ago
I had more confidence that Goole Apps-based Wave would be able to secure company-sensitive discussions.
thorax 16y ago
Chatterous's Google Talk integration was so stellar (it's broken most the time now) that our teams used it exclusively for cross-team chat for the past few years. I was one of their biggest fans but now I know they're not giving it much attention anymore. Given that, I really want to see convore integration with jabber/gtalk somehow, but I'm not sure how it would work for rooms+topics versus just rooms.

eik3_de 16y ago

Any experienced campfire users around that have tried convore? Can you compare?

jarin 16y ago
The one thing I'm really sad that Convore doesn't have is auto-formatting of pasted code. Other than that it is basically like Campfire but with a lot of public groups as well (you can make private groups too).

fdhjrtkty 16y ago

Click on our website: ==== http://vurl.me/YDW http://vurl.me/YDW ==== Christan Audigier bikini $23 Ed Hardy Bikini $23 Smful short_t-shirt_woman $15 ed hardy short_tank_woman $16 Sandal $32 christian louboutin $80 Sunglass $15 COACH_Necklace $27 handbag $33 AF tank woman $17 puma slipper woman $30 ==== http://vurl.me/YDW http://vurl.me/YDW ==== ----- ~ ¤ ╭⌒╮ ╭⌒╮ ╭⌒╭⌒╮╭⌒╮～╭⌒╮ ,））））,''）~~ ,''~） ╱◥█◣ ╱◥█◣ ｜田｜田｜｜田｜田｜

stcredzero 16y ago

The service saves everything that's been said -- like Wave, only Convore exists Seems TR is like news, only without fact checking. I was playing with Wave just the other day. EDIT: TR, not TC. Thanks, internet!

micrypt 16y ago
...only it's not TC.

augustl 16y ago

I don't consider centralized services "thing x if it was invented today", if thing x can be distributed. The UI looks nice, and they did a great job. But anyone can host IRC servers, only convore can host convore.

motters 16y ago

But I don't want to live in another walled garden where I can be spied on or herded as a cash cow. What's needed are open protocols, like IRC or Wave.

Zakharov 16y ago

"In chats, Convore ... automatically embeds images" This seems risky. There's a lot of public IRC rooms I'd avoid if they allowed anyone to show me anything they wanted. IRC solves this by not embedding images, Wave solves this by being oriented towards small groups rather than public discussions, forums solve this by making it difficult enough to register that a ban matters. How is Convore going to solve this?

dools 16y ago

I'm interested in using Convore to host some work discussions we currently use IRC for because of the "history" aspect and the fact I can grab the messages through an API and import into my task management interface. The only problem with it I have is the name! Maybe it's because I'm Australian. We say it like "Con-vaw". Is that right? I can't imagine telling someone in person "hey I was on CON-VAW the other night and this guy said such and such". Really weird name but a nicely executed product.

stcredzero 16y ago
Shorten that to "conv".
dangrossman 16y ago
I'm American and would not think to pronounce it like that. "Con-vor"/"Conv-or".
rdouble 16y ago
It does seem a bit difficult to pronounce with an Aussie accent. Since toilets are dunnys, chickens are chooks, Brits are Poms and Americans are Seppos why not just make a typical Australian linguistic move and make up some ridiculous word to use instead? I'd suggest Convizza but maybe that's too obvious.
- mahmud 16y ago
  Never heard "Seppos" before. Most Aussies would probably take one of the -o or -ies/-ers "colliqualization" rules :-) My bet is on convo.
mahmud 16y ago
Dunno, I pronounced it like it's an Italian word: kon-voo-Re.

jsilence 16y ago

Uhh wow, another very beautiful walled garden? Ignore.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

eagleal 16y ago

Months ago I talked with a guy who was working on a similar idea http://tap.info http://tap.info. (Well, the site is down as of now) http://oi53.tinypic.com/2w1wfn7.jpg http://oi53.tinypic.com/2w1wfn7.jpg - I can't find a better screenshot

keturn 16y ago

Isn't this what we tried with Pibb? May they have a better go of it than Pibb did.

zwadia 16y ago

If convore is making collaboration cooler.. then I think what Asana has is superior as it currently stands. I see convore as a great alternative to the Twitter hashtag. A richer, more real-time, better indexed alternative. It can still use Twitter for Outreach but the action is in convore.

itsnotvalid 16y ago

I need to say one thing though, how is this going to beat against Facebook groups? The "new" facebook groups can group chat (with online members of a group) and also semi-message (via a news feed) and could potentially message a bunch of guys in the group via facebook messages. Of course they haven't done it to the point of having short topic threads of any kind, which is what I like with concore. (in fact, every topic in a group in convore is like a channel of its own.)