11 ms·

Using Github issues to track house repairs

75 points by aaronpk 14y ago

guptaneil 14y ago
Is there any particular reason you are using GitHub issues instead of a more traditional todo list app? I'd be worried about strangers opening issues about my house...
- kmfrk 14y ago
  GitHub's Issues system is pretty undervalued as a workflow/project management system. Especially once you learn to use milestones regularly. It also lets you tack on collaborators to share the blame and responsibility. :) Of course, you could well argue that it's a problem that it doesn't have the push, alert, and geofencing capabilities that make to-do services great to have.
  - helpermethod 14y ago
    So true. I use it to track every detail of my personal projects and never had the feeling that anything was missing.
- masklinn 14y ago
  > Is there any particular reason you are using GitHub issues instead of a more traditional todo list app? Better support for discussions and tagging/prio?
- frabcus 14y ago
  I'm the person who's repository and issue tracker (and house!) this is. I've been using Github for tracking house issues for nearly a year. Partly I chose Github for user experience - it's a pretty good and simple issue tracker. Partly it was ease of setup time, Github was to hand. Partly I'm curious whether it being public can help. People might come and give advice on bugs, and in theory workmen could turn up and give me spontaneous quotes. I was going to write a blog post about it before posting to Hacker News, looks like somebody else beat me to it!
- fudged71 14y ago
  Time stamps, collaboration, accessible from anywhere, etc
  - BHSPitMonkey 14y ago
    Have a look at Astrid Tasks; It's what I use, and supports all of that.
    - fudged71 14y ago
      I worry that an app like Astrid wouldn't live the long life of my house, whereas GitHub might.
thefreeman 14y ago
I think this is cute but I would be worried about trolls unless you have it locked down somehow.
- kmfrk 14y ago
  You can get a private repo or just sort by issues created by yourself, FWIW.
- frabcus 14y ago
  Really not an issue. I haven't had any, and have been using it for a year!
  - cdrxndr 14y ago
    Well it took significant willpower not to submit a pull request for a screened-in porch and a water slide ...
- 5teev 14y ago
  I just figured he open-sourced his house so more people could "contribute" to the repair work.
PuerkitoBio 14y ago
That's funny, though I think something like Trello is more appropriate for this.
- clintboxe 14y ago
  We started using Trello at work and a QA on the team instituted it at home with his children for household chores.
- portman 14y ago
  I got my wife to use it for home projects and it actually works really well.
- reledi 14y ago
  Trello is definitely better suited for something like this. Heck, Kitchen Remodeling is even used as an example on their Tour page: https://trello.com/tour https://trello.com/tour. The reasons for using GH Issues that frabcus mentioned, such as simplicity, setup time, being public, etc. are all covered by Trello as well. In my opinion, GH Issues shines when used with an actual software project, otherwise you're better off using something else.
- nigelsampson 14y ago
  It can be, although to help I created an app that turns Github issues into a kanban/trello style board http://compiledexperience.com/windows-apps/hub-bug http://compiledexperience.com/windows-apps/hub-bug
sethg 14y ago
I once suggested to my wife that we use the RT bug-tracking system to keep track of household chores. And then, I said, we could create an RT account for each of the kids, and buy each of the kids an iPad Mini, with the Safari homepage set to the RT page, so that as soon as they opened their browsers, they could see what chores they had to do, and easily report on their progress! For some reason, she was not convinced.
- kmfrk 14y ago
  I don't think something like that should be tied too much to the device itself; it should rather act like a hub than a device in that regard. For instance, you could employ geofencing and remind them of daily chores they may have forgotten, when they leave the house. Of course, geofencing is pretty imprecise at the moment - at least on my iPhone 4. Much the same way, you could ask them to fetch something from the grocery store, if they're nearby or already there. That way, it gets less annoying than a text message at work, instance. Having to check a website or app for chores is something that itself feels like a chore. Automated reminders and such that ping the person are the way to go, I think. Or electronics built into daily appliances and such.
  - sunnynagra 14y ago
    Something like this could be done with an app that I had helped to build called Reminders with Friends [http://www.slyceapps.com/reminders http://www.slyceapps.com/reminders]. We allow you to create goefenced reminders and send them to other users.
- tnorthcutt 14y ago
  RT?
  - 8ig8 14y ago
    http://www.bestpractical.com/rt/ http://www.bestpractical.com/rt/
  - AdamGibbins 14y ago
swapnilt 14y ago
I'd just prefer a pen and paper :-|
ragmondo 14y ago
if his place looks nicer than mine, I'm going to clone it. Cue the "You wouldn't steal a car" brigade....
gregpilling 14y ago
I recently began using a support ticket system (OS ticket) for similar reasons. Everytime I find something that needs maintenance around my house or building, I email support and it makes a ticket, which is then routed to the right employee to fix it. My welder does most of the building repairs, and he gets contractors for bigger projects. Now I can just look at the notes on the support ticket to see what has happened.
chmike 14y ago
Using a free account for that type of application is an abuse of Github. Free accounts are for open source projects. Get yourself a payed account for that.
- aspir 14y ago
  I wouldn't consider this abuse of the tool. I'm also learning a few things about the home improvement process from this. Isn't that the point of the open source movement -- shared knowledge for the improvement of others?
- simonbrown 14y ago
  I don't think free public repositories are gift to the open source community, but freemium system designed to get people to convert to paid accounts with additional features. This project doesn't require the additional features.
  - aspir 14y ago
    Actually, there are no extra features with GH's paid plans, from what I remember. Paying enables private repositories, and all of the good stuff is still available for open source projects.
- holman 14y ago
  We don't view it as an abuse at all! We dig fun uses of GitHub like this. Carry on, and good luck with the house.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
MatthewPhillips 14y ago
I'd suggest not adding stuff like "Front door lock stopped working" or "No one to watch the house while we're on vacation next week".
eliben 14y ago
This is why I love BitBucket's unlimited free private repositories.
nlh 14y ago
On a related note, it's funny that "issue tracking" is somewhat constrained to software development (or, put another way, the software development domain has some of the better tools for the task) when it's really applicable across industries. Several years ago I put together a very-slightly-modified version of Trac (http://trac.edgewall.org http://trac.edgewall.org) to keep track of maintenance issues with a vehicle fleet. It's worked nearly flawlessly for years and serves the purpose extremely well. Are there any commercial projects that have taken this approach? "Software-style issue tracking for brick-and-mortar businesses"
- jt2190 14y ago
  > it's funny that "issue tracking" is somewhat constrained > to software development In other industries they're just called something else, "help tickets", "work orders", etc.
- brudgers 14y ago
  Other industries often have approaches to issue tracking which predate the adoption of computerization within them, e.g. redlines in design industries or proofreader's annotations for writing.
mjtognetti 14y ago
You should take a look at http://www.redbeacon.com/my-home/ http://www.redbeacon.com/my-home/ Its a tool built specifically for tracking household repairs and projects. Plus, Redbeacon can connect you with home service pros (plumbers, handymen, etc) if you need help with any of your tasks. disclaimer - I'm an engineer at Redbeacon. Many of the team members use our My Home tool for all kinds of projects around the house.
gercheq 14y ago
I think it's better to use a tool that is more than a simple todo list. It should be specific to your home and it should learn what your home needs. http://redbeacon.com/my-home http://redbeacon.com/my-home

75 points by aaronpk 14y ago

Is there any particular reason you are using GitHub issues instead of a more traditional todo list app? I'd be worried about strangers opening issues about my house...

kmfrk 14y ago
GitHub's Issues system is pretty undervalued as a workflow/project management system. Especially once you learn to use milestones regularly. It also lets you tack on collaborators to share the blame and responsibility. :) Of course, you could well argue that it's a problem that it doesn't have the push, alert, and geofencing capabilities that make to-do services great to have.
- helpermethod 14y ago
  So true. I use it to track every detail of my personal projects and never had the feeling that anything was missing.
masklinn 14y ago
> Is there any particular reason you are using GitHub issues instead of a more traditional todo list app? Better support for discussions and tagging/prio?
frabcus 14y ago
I'm the person who's repository and issue tracker (and house!) this is. I've been using Github for tracking house issues for nearly a year. Partly I chose Github for user experience - it's a pretty good and simple issue tracker. Partly it was ease of setup time, Github was to hand. Partly I'm curious whether it being public can help. People might come and give advice on bugs, and in theory workmen could turn up and give me spontaneous quotes. I was going to write a blog post about it before posting to Hacker News, looks like somebody else beat me to it!
fudged71 14y ago
Time stamps, collaboration, accessible from anywhere, etc
- BHSPitMonkey 14y ago
  Have a look at Astrid Tasks; It's what I use, and supports all of that.
  - fudged71 14y ago
    I worry that an app like Astrid wouldn't live the long life of my house, whereas GitHub might.

thefreeman 14y ago

I think this is cute but I would be worried about trolls unless you have it locked down somehow.

kmfrk 14y ago
You can get a private repo or just sort by issues created by yourself, FWIW.
frabcus 14y ago
Really not an issue. I haven't had any, and have been using it for a year!
- cdrxndr 14y ago
  Well it took significant willpower not to submit a pull request for a screened-in porch and a water slide ...
5teev 14y ago
I just figured he open-sourced his house so more people could "contribute" to the repair work.

PuerkitoBio 14y ago

That's funny, though I think something like Trello is more appropriate for this.

clintboxe 14y ago
We started using Trello at work and a QA on the team instituted it at home with his children for household chores.
portman 14y ago
I got my wife to use it for home projects and it actually works really well.
reledi 14y ago
Trello is definitely better suited for something like this. Heck, Kitchen Remodeling is even used as an example on their Tour page: https://trello.com/tour https://trello.com/tour. The reasons for using GH Issues that frabcus mentioned, such as simplicity, setup time, being public, etc. are all covered by Trello as well. In my opinion, GH Issues shines when used with an actual software project, otherwise you're better off using something else.
nigelsampson 14y ago
It can be, although to help I created an app that turns Github issues into a kanban/trello style board http://compiledexperience.com/windows-apps/hub-bug http://compiledexperience.com/windows-apps/hub-bug

sethg 14y ago

I once suggested to my wife that we use the RT bug-tracking system to keep track of household chores. And then, I said, we could create an RT account for each of the kids, and buy each of the kids an iPad Mini, with the Safari homepage set to the RT page, so that as soon as they opened their browsers, they could see what chores they had to do, and easily report on their progress! For some reason, she was not convinced.

kmfrk 14y ago
I don't think something like that should be tied too much to the device itself; it should rather act like a hub than a device in that regard. For instance, you could employ geofencing and remind them of daily chores they may have forgotten, when they leave the house. Of course, geofencing is pretty imprecise at the moment - at least on my iPhone 4. Much the same way, you could ask them to fetch something from the grocery store, if they're nearby or already there. That way, it gets less annoying than a text message at work, instance. Having to check a website or app for chores is something that itself feels like a chore. Automated reminders and such that ping the person are the way to go, I think. Or electronics built into daily appliances and such.
- sunnynagra 14y ago
  Something like this could be done with an app that I had helped to build called Reminders with Friends [http://www.slyceapps.com/reminders http://www.slyceapps.com/reminders]. We allow you to create goefenced reminders and send them to other users.
tnorthcutt 14y ago
RT?
- 8ig8 14y ago
  http://www.bestpractical.com/rt/ http://www.bestpractical.com/rt/
- AdamGibbins 14y ago

swapnilt 14y ago

I'd just prefer a pen and paper :-|

ragmondo 14y ago

if his place looks nicer than mine, I'm going to clone it. Cue the "You wouldn't steal a car" brigade....

gregpilling 14y ago

I recently began using a support ticket system (OS ticket) for similar reasons. Everytime I find something that needs maintenance around my house or building, I email support and it makes a ticket, which is then routed to the right employee to fix it. My welder does most of the building repairs, and he gets contractors for bigger projects. Now I can just look at the notes on the support ticket to see what has happened.

chmike 14y ago

Using a free account for that type of application is an abuse of Github. Free accounts are for open source projects. Get yourself a payed account for that.

aspir 14y ago
I wouldn't consider this abuse of the tool. I'm also learning a few things about the home improvement process from this. Isn't that the point of the open source movement -- shared knowledge for the improvement of others?
simonbrown 14y ago
I don't think free public repositories are gift to the open source community, but freemium system designed to get people to convert to paid accounts with additional features. This project doesn't require the additional features.
- aspir 14y ago
  Actually, there are no extra features with GH's paid plans, from what I remember. Paying enables private repositories, and all of the good stuff is still available for open source projects.
holman 14y ago
We don't view it as an abuse at all! We dig fun uses of GitHub like this. Carry on, and good luck with the house.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

MatthewPhillips 14y ago

I'd suggest not adding stuff like "Front door lock stopped working" or "No one to watch the house while we're on vacation next week".

eliben 14y ago

This is why I love BitBucket's unlimited free private repositories.

nlh 14y ago

On a related note, it's funny that "issue tracking" is somewhat constrained to software development (or, put another way, the software development domain has some of the better tools for the task) when it's really applicable across industries. Several years ago I put together a very-slightly-modified version of Trac (http://trac.edgewall.org http://trac.edgewall.org) to keep track of maintenance issues with a vehicle fleet. It's worked nearly flawlessly for years and serves the purpose extremely well. Are there any commercial projects that have taken this approach? "Software-style issue tracking for brick-and-mortar businesses"

jt2190 14y ago
> it's funny that "issue tracking" is somewhat constrained > to software development In other industries they're just called something else, "help tickets", "work orders", etc.
brudgers 14y ago
Other industries often have approaches to issue tracking which predate the adoption of computerization within them, e.g. redlines in design industries or proofreader's annotations for writing.

mjtognetti 14y ago

You should take a look at http://www.redbeacon.com/my-home/ http://www.redbeacon.com/my-home/ Its a tool built specifically for tracking household repairs and projects. Plus, Redbeacon can connect you with home service pros (plumbers, handymen, etc) if you need help with any of your tasks. disclaimer - I'm an engineer at Redbeacon. Many of the team members use our My Home tool for all kinds of projects around the house.

gercheq 14y ago

I think it's better to use a tool that is more than a simple todo list. It should be specific to your home and it should learn what your home needs. http://redbeacon.com/my-home http://redbeacon.com/my-home