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Show HN: Realtime Coding Q&A. Stack Overflow meets IRC

40 points by bjpless 13y ago

jack7890 13y ago
I've been beta testing this over the past few weeks, and can attest that it kicks ass. I think of it as a sort of realtime Stack Overflow--a place I can go to get answers interactively/immediately.
randywatkins 13y ago
It would be cool to establish a marketplace for help on top of this. i.e. I can pay $1/min for someone's time on demand to get help. If that existed, I would have spent a ton last winter when I was learning Obj C.
- Ecio78 13y ago
  maybe they can integrate in someway with the upcoming Google Helpouts.. (using an API that will be later on shut down by Google, of course.. :))
dave_coen 13y ago
Been beta testing as well -- the command line interface alone takes this up a notch over Stack Overflow, with one command you can pipe system info and error messages directly into a new issue.
unwind 13y ago
As a fairly high-output Stack Overflow contributor, this is quite interesting. It seems to say "Stack Overflow is too slow, we need something faster". I tend to think (I'm biased, of course) that SO already is rather fast; i.e. that most questions (in tags I care about) get answered rather quickly. Not only because of me, of course! I'm just a small part of the machinery. So, what's the next step, a service where I can be registered as a helper and have a computer call me on the phone to get an answer? :)
- bjpless 13y ago
  Hey unwind, It's not just about speed of response. There are many programming issues that don't fit the SO format. They are open ended in nature and call for a conversation.
  - bjpless 13y ago
    That being said, I created desktop notifications so that I can get answers...NOW. I am able to see exactly when someone visits my page in realtime, intercept, and initiate a chat.
- DjangoReinhardt 13y ago
  > registered as a helper and have a computer call me Not sure if serious, or already registered with Google Helpouts...
samtheclam 13y ago
What does the name mean?
- troubleden 13y ago
  Engineer Here?
  - bjpless 13y ago
    Yep, pretty much
jzelinskie 13y ago
If they can create incentives for people to help each other (ie karma points), it would be great. Getting help with a direct feed of your command-line is just 2 commands away: pip install shellstream && startstream I really like the idea and it has a lot of potential.
- bjpless 13y ago
  Thanks jzelinskie! Right now, a rewards system is in the works.
moepstar 13y ago
So, is this really based on IRC and if so, can i connect with a traditional client?
mataug 13y ago
I wish this had a private version for conversation within an organisation
- bjpless 13y ago
  It does actually. If you join a group (top right profile dropdown), you can set all group issues to be private by default
sailfast 13y ago
I like this format a lot - the discussion / real time aspect is great and will really help to preserve some of the problem solving that occurs within groups and organizations. I had fun responding to a question - until I figured out what the closed icon was and that it had been resolved hehe. Could be my browser (FireFox ESR) but having only one line for the reply by default is a bit cramped - I only noticed the click-box to expand the text editor a bit later. Nice work!
- bjpless 13y ago
  Thanks salifast. I need to work on the icons... This is still very much a Beta. Going to work on the issue page formatting.
sluckxz 13y ago
Heads up. I can't use the how it works drop down menu on android 4.2.2 Firefox. Looks good, sounds useful.
- bjpless 13y ago
  Thanks for that. I'll get on that
jdefr89 13y ago
This concept is really neat not to mention useful. It is sometimes annoying the post on traditional forums like SO and have to wait for a response you may never receive. This makes getting help seem a lot more direct and immediate. Its sort of like E-mail and Instant messaging. SO would be like Email, still useful of course, and EngineHere is the instant messaging platform for a more dynamic/instant environment..
- bjpless 13y ago
  That was the goal. As I've built it, I've been actually posting the bitly links to my issue pages on Stack Overflow, IRC, and elsewhere. I set desktop notifications for myself and go about my work until someone hits one of my pages (I then start a chat)
prakster 13y ago
This concept could be monetized quickly and perhaps in a big way if you can saas it to web apps whose users need help in real time, but have to use the old "support ticket" mechanisms and wait and hope that their ticket gets answered quickly. If you package your technology such that it can be embedded into any web app that has this problem, the web app could then leverage its users (its customers) to help each other out in real time. Just a thought :-)

40 points by bjpless 13y ago

I've been beta testing this over the past few weeks, and can attest that it kicks ass. I think of it as a sort of realtime Stack Overflow--a place I can go to get answers interactively/immediately.

randywatkins 13y ago

It would be cool to establish a marketplace for help on top of this. i.e. I can pay $1/min for someone's time on demand to get help. If that existed, I would have spent a ton last winter when I was learning Obj C.

Ecio78 13y ago
maybe they can integrate in someway with the upcoming Google Helpouts.. (using an API that will be later on shut down by Google, of course.. :))

dave_coen 13y ago

Been beta testing as well -- the command line interface alone takes this up a notch over Stack Overflow, with one command you can pipe system info and error messages directly into a new issue.

unwind 13y ago

As a fairly high-output Stack Overflow contributor, this is quite interesting. It seems to say "Stack Overflow is too slow, we need something faster". I tend to think (I'm biased, of course) that SO already is rather fast; i.e. that most questions (in tags I care about) get answered rather quickly. Not only because of me, of course! I'm just a small part of the machinery. So, what's the next step, a service where I can be registered as a helper and have a computer call me on the phone to get an answer? :)

bjpless 13y ago
Hey unwind, It's not just about speed of response. There are many programming issues that don't fit the SO format. They are open ended in nature and call for a conversation.
- bjpless 13y ago
  That being said, I created desktop notifications so that I can get answers...NOW. I am able to see exactly when someone visits my page in realtime, intercept, and initiate a chat.
DjangoReinhardt 13y ago
> registered as a helper and have a computer call me Not sure if serious, or already registered with Google Helpouts...

samtheclam 13y ago

What does the name mean?

troubleden 13y ago
Engineer Here?
- bjpless 13y ago
  Yep, pretty much

jzelinskie 13y ago

If they can create incentives for people to help each other (ie karma points), it would be great. Getting help with a direct feed of your command-line is just 2 commands away: pip install shellstream && startstream I really like the idea and it has a lot of potential.

bjpless 13y ago
Thanks jzelinskie! Right now, a rewards system is in the works.

moepstar 13y ago

So, is this really based on IRC and if so, can i connect with a traditional client?

mataug 13y ago

I wish this had a private version for conversation within an organisation

bjpless 13y ago
It does actually. If you join a group (top right profile dropdown), you can set all group issues to be private by default

sailfast 13y ago

I like this format a lot - the discussion / real time aspect is great and will really help to preserve some of the problem solving that occurs within groups and organizations. I had fun responding to a question - until I figured out what the closed icon was and that it had been resolved hehe. Could be my browser (FireFox ESR) but having only one line for the reply by default is a bit cramped - I only noticed the click-box to expand the text editor a bit later. Nice work!

bjpless 13y ago
Thanks salifast. I need to work on the icons... This is still very much a Beta. Going to work on the issue page formatting.

sluckxz 13y ago

Heads up. I can't use the how it works drop down menu on android 4.2.2 Firefox. Looks good, sounds useful.

bjpless 13y ago
Thanks for that. I'll get on that

jdefr89 13y ago

This concept is really neat not to mention useful. It is sometimes annoying the post on traditional forums like SO and have to wait for a response you may never receive. This makes getting help seem a lot more direct and immediate. Its sort of like E-mail and Instant messaging. SO would be like Email, still useful of course, and EngineHere is the instant messaging platform for a more dynamic/instant environment..

bjpless 13y ago
That was the goal. As I've built it, I've been actually posting the bitly links to my issue pages on Stack Overflow, IRC, and elsewhere. I set desktop notifications for myself and go about my work until someone hits one of my pages (I then start a chat)

prakster 13y ago

This concept could be monetized quickly and perhaps in a big way if you can saas it to web apps whose users need help in real time, but have to use the old "support ticket" mechanisms and wait and hope that their ticket gets answered quickly. If you package your technology such that it can be embedded into any web app that has this problem, the web app could then leverage its users (its customers) to help each other out in real time. Just a thought :-)