ChatBox Good / Bad Poll

[ScaleRobotics]

Well Joe, it looks like I am in the majority then, by both by your and my statistics! I am pretty sure I had the first vote for the poll. My (single) vote was to limit it to an area. It would be unethical to vote more than once, don't you think?

I am a bit on the fence about the chat room. But I have not found a reason to hate it. And from what I see, it seems like people are enjoying it. I haven't seen it abused, and I haven't seen load time have a noticeable change. So I say, let people have it if they want it.

Oh, by the way Joe, you can call me Walter, or ScaleRobotics. My parents call me Walt, and people at work call me Wally. And of course I have been called a lot worse. So you can pretty much call me anything you like.

-Walter

[lester]

note: on any modern machine with a decent amount of application ram and a decent processor the chatbox and other features mentioned should not slow down the load time.

the chatbox does refresh periodically and requires some bandwidth if you dont ahve decent bandwidth available to you then yes that will slow the chatbox refresh

ideally i'd suggest that the minimum spec for a good experience should be dual core 1.2Mhz processor with 1Gb memory and at least 1Mb/s connection...........but i have a machine with an old P4 and 1Gb memory and 1Mb/s and it works just fine running firefox.....ie7 & 8 are very slow on that machine !!


I use Firefox almost exclusively.

[sayzer]

Having a slow PC was my thought also.

One of the best thing about this chat feature, in my opinion, is that I now can talk with people who has some coding and hardware knowledge.
So when I make a joke, at least now there are people who will understand.
They won't be clueless.

I have not started making jokes there yet !


Sitting in front of this monitor whole day, and having a live chat box is great.

[lester]

Yes, but could you not do exactly the same thing in a forum section?

Programmatically the ChatBox is the same as a forum section, just viewed differently and with an automatic expiry.

I'm still not convinced its that great a feature, but I do see that it has its uses if its live at the top of every page so that when online you can join in a conversation without having to move to a specific forum section.

So the Poll option of having ChatBox only available on one section , seems a crazy solution to me.

[IsiahNoggler]

I feel that its OK, sometimes, so limit it to just 1 forum area.

[Bonxy]

Only thing I dont like about it is that it's at the TOP of every page, very anoying, It would be better to the side or in its own section or something.

My tupence..

[lester]

The Chat Box seems to be so little used these days, i'm of a mind to remove it.

Its a real time application, yet the threads in it are responded to over days. Such discussion is better catered for in a forum entry.

how about we turn it off.

[HenrikOlsson]

Hi Lester,

Well, I've already voted against the chat but since you asked I'm fine with it being removed. Even if you decide to keep it please remove that gigant messagebox about voting.

/Henrik.

[sayzer]

Originally, my idea was to have a pop up window, with the fiends I added inside it, by the time I enter to the site.
As soon as or if any of them is online, the window would pop up and I could privately chat with my friends. No log, nothing. Simple small tiny chat box.
When I leave the site, the pop up window closes, and I appear offline.

[Archangel]

Well Joe, it looks like I am in the majority then, by both by your and my statistics! I am pretty sure I had the first vote for the poll. My (single) vote was to limit it to an area. It would be unethical to vote more than once, don't you think?
-Walter

Yes I do think so. As moderators we have the unenviable position of staying above suspicion, and raising that suspicion first. Like internal affairs, Devil's advocate.
Walter works for me, and thank you for having the guts to respond to that question Walter.

lester

Re: ChatBox Good / Bad Poll
note: on any modern machine with a decent amount of application ram and a decent processor the chatbox and other features mentioned should not slow down the load time.

the chatbox does refresh periodically and requires some bandwidth if you dont ahve decent bandwidth available to you then yes that will slow the chatbox refresh

ideally i'd suggest that the minimum spec for a good experience should be dual core 1.2Mhz processor with 1Gb memory and at least 1Mb/s connection...........but i have a machine with an old P4 and 1Gb memory and 1Mb/s and it works just fine running firefox.....ie7 & 8 are very slow on that machine !!


I use Firefox almost exclusively.

My system is better than listed above, I have tried Cable internet - - slower than DSL! Any DSL I get comes through good OLD reliable AT & T regardless of the carrier, and it BLOWS ! It beats dialup for speed,
but not reliability. Sometimes speed is ok. THE USA needs to update it's tired old telephone system, but it ain't gonna' do it until forced to. Some 3rd world countries have better internet service. Usually the "better areas" have better service. I am 1/2 million Dollars short of moving to one.
Go figure ! Funny thing is they pay the same rate for service. And I only use Firefox too + Adblock, No Script, and Image zoom.
Maybe I am too old but I have no use for chat rooms, Facebook, or Twitter, or Trivia games, I don't waste time on foot ball, either kind, you couldn't pay me to watch baseball, or any kind of ball game . . ugh maybe women's tennis
Having said all that you might get the impression I do not like to waste time, given that my bathrooms are libraries, there seems to be supporting evidence. This forum is NOT a waste of time, at least for me. That is why I come here. I respect it, I support it through trying to answer questions and moderating out spammers. I think feedback is critical to keeping it orderly, and useful. I have seen too many forums explode into unmanageable marshmellows where the original intent is lost.
[/soapbox]

[rsocor01]

Hi,

Well, I don't like the chatbox feature either, but I don't see a reason to kill it since some people seem to enjoy it. In my opinion the chatbox goes against the spirit of the forum, which is to provide serious and expert guidance to those that need it in PBP and related topics. The beauty of having threads in the forum is that you can find posts/code that were written years ago with a simple search.

Hmm, some people are going to hate my comments in this post. Maybe, the best solution is to give the user the option to set the chatbox on or off.

Robert

[Jerson]

Personally, I am indifferent to the chat box. I'd rather have it as a private chat box rather than the public avatar it is in right now. As lester put it, a PM box that works in instantaneous mode between 2 parties. That can keep out the clutter from the chat. An argument against it is what are IM programs for then? Well, sometimes the person you want to chat with is not an IM friend of yours.

From the poll results, I definitely feel the opinion is out there. People seem to love/hate it almost equally. Taking it private will eliminate the possibility of abusing the facility and also abusing the good sense of others via vile comments.

So, if given the option, I'd suggest, let it stay, but in a private avatar.

Cheers

[Demon]

Turning OFF the chatbox:

There is an up arrow at the far right on the Chatbox bar, clicking that will close the chatbox.

[retepsnikrep]

My problem with the chatbox is it's very transient nature. If a nugget of useful advice is given in response to a query it is lost to everyone shortly afterwards and does not help to build up the forum knowledgebase. If it's use was strictly limited to non pbpro chat then fine, any tech queries should be via forum postings as now so we all can benefit weeks or years later via a simple search. IMHO

[cncmachineguy]

I Like the chat box. If used responsibly, most of the concerns listed will not be valid. I feel for the most part, folks here providing "useful nuggets of information" will nudge the poster to start a thread. I know I will.

A chat box is a VERY different animal then a post. Yes you can chat with a forum post, but you also can chat with an email. But where is the fun in that? This is still a VERY new feature, killing it before it has even been able to mature would be a shame.

IMHO, chat boxes only bring 1 thing to the table - a better sense of community. If this is not wanted/needed here, So be it. Lets face it guys, we are geeks. Some of us hard core, some just a little, but all of us are. I am proud to be one. But as geeks, this is a form of socialization for us. I may ask a passing question about something geeky in the chat. But more likely I want to know how Roberts garage roof is coming along. Or have a playful banter with Steve. Maybe I am wondering how someones son is doing with some wonderful painting.

Yes I know, all could be solved with an email, but my email is a pretty active and full place.

If you want to kill it, I won't whine about it. But maybe at least give it a chance.