Linux Chat
 

I think it would be cool if LQ had the equivalent of gmail chat built into it. Quick chat between active users. It would work great with existing social networks.

i would disagree. i suspect it would simply mean that questions start getting asked/answered in chat, rather than on the forums. i get the sneaking suspicion that the 'big posters' (i.e. those who post a lot/answer a lot) would get pounced on chat every time they turn up.

if your simply after a 'social network' of linux users, we can always email each other, rather than adding cruft to a site that has remarkably managed to stay relatively clean and efficient. to be honest, i tend to feel 'features' like this would only detract from this site. i really think we can do without 'the latest cool thing', when we have such a well established recipie for success right now.

It would'nt detract anymore than the existing send email function. Its just simply an upgraded form of send message. Obviously the user would have filter options. Plus it would cut down most of the already answered quick noob threads, and leave finely weighed, detailed questions/answers for the forums.

This is just a little more direct. Its send message minus one level of indirection, making it real-time.

Why do you have the mindset?

old = clean and effecient

What I speak of is simple blending of features, which this particular site happens to be well known for. Just look

Wiki + Blogs + HCL + Syndicated news + streaming audio + user reviews + forums etc.

Or maybe that is all cruft to you as well?

Direct messaging/chat is almost a trivial addition compared to what the site already has under its belt.

i dont, i just see that LinuxQuestions as it is represents a very efficient method of information passing and retreival. almost all of the questions i have asked have allready been answered, and are available for everyone to see in the forums. this strikes me as efficient and clean. its simple, yet effective. i doubt such a massive collection of answers would be present if they were handled in private chat, rather than a public forum.

perhaps i can rephrase your question and return it to you... why are you of the mindset that:

existing working solution = in-eficient

new whizbang feature = better

to be frank, yes, i think some of it is cruft. personally i dont see why we need blogs, but thats just my own personal opinion. all of the above, however, have a single common theme throughout... availability of information. with wiki's, blogs, syndicated news, user reviews and forums, all the information is available publicly, and the answer to almost any question can be found with a quick search, if the answer isn't found, then you can ask the question and have thousands of people look at it to see if they can answer it. private messaging isn't, its the opposite, its one-on-one, and as with all private messaging, will undoubtedly lead to the masses questioning the few, with the same questions..

so your going to be the one answering the avalanche of noob questions? and once someone gets an answer in your chat, what makes you think they are going to ask in the forums, instead of your chat?

as this is an open forum, we are all free to voice our opinions. you voiced an opinion supporting im chat on the site, i voiced one against. personally, i firmly beleive we are allready well stocked with options to contact each other, if you really want to chat with me realtime, you can send me an email and we can work it out, but i really dont want to be interrupted and distracted by yet another instant messaging system when it really isnt needed.

The reason exchanging information in the forums is preferred over exchanging information via chat is simply that any suggestions/recommendations made in the forums are available to all LQ'ers, and they remain available permanently, while any comments made via chat would be available only to the two particular people who were have a conversation, and would be lost once the chat ended. Additionally, given LQ's global audience, discusssions frequently may be between people who live many time zones apart, and thus the usefulnees of real-time capability would be diminished. For those reasons, I personally would be a bit skeptical that chat would add value. (As a side comment, as an observer of a few chat discussions, I think I can live without the continuous stream of "how r u? LOL!" type of comments :) As usual, this is just my 2 cents

I think the two would balance out fairly well actually. Chat rooms often suffer from 'dead time' or periods of time when noone is speaking. Forums on the other hand suffer from redundant, irrelevant posts. Chat can provide casual,quick outlet. Whereas forums still prove useful for longer more complicated and detailed problems and also a safety net when chat is'nt working.

And when someone flames the living daylights on chat, who will moderate? who will appropriately punish the flamer? Chat on LQ has been brought up time and time again. We're not now or ever going to have it.

Oh yeah, how do you know? What if jeremy changes his mind or something and is truly inspired by the repeat topic I have launched.

Nah. Jeremy had his "serious face" on when he said it. And I believe he also put his foot down. Firmly. ;)

general is for throw away posts.

chat only works best between people who know eachother- like a phonecall.

titanium_geek