Google Takes Down HuddleChat After Complaints [Warning]

desmondhaynes writes "There were striking similarities between one of Google's App Engine demos, HuddleChat (a real-time chat application) and the Campfire app from 37Signals. Google has taken HuddleChat down from the App Engine app gallery." Google explains: 'The App Engine team was looking for some sample apps to help kick the tires on their new system, so we invited Googlers to build some as side projects. A couple of our colleagues here built HuddleChat in their spare time because they wanted to share work within their team more easily and thought persistent web chat would do the trick. We've heard some complaints from the developer community, though, so rather than divert attention from Google App Engine itself, we thought it better to just take HuddleChat down.'" We noted the launch of Google's App Engine yesterday.

Update: 04/10 14:51 GMT by KD : A reader wrote in to warn that the link in this article is infected. Windows users beware, and have your AV up-to-date.

Real-time chat applications are overrated

[Tibor the Hun]

When I need to reach my contacts on the blogosphere 2.0, to let them know, for example when I'm doing lunch, or taking a vac-a, I just que up my batch chat application, que up the chats in that, (including my questions and a list of possible answers) and presto.. 45 minutes later the batch is done, and all of my contacts are notified, and we had a meaningful (though somewhat predictable) conversation.

I don't know who really needs real-time chat, except maybe pilots, or UAV operators.

Re:Real-time chat applications are overrated

[Ctrl-Z]

I just call my secretary.

Re:Please help me out here

[syphax]

This is ./, we don't understand pragmatism. Unless we're coding.

IAWTP. Innovation that Campfire should offer:

[Enlarged to Show Tex]

Computerized smoke signals

Re:IAWTP. Innovation that Campfire should offer:

[calebt3]

I know! Let's call it UDP!

Re:huh?

[ezzzD55J]

any of us with a modest amount of programming experience could of knocked it up

AAAAAAAAAARGH

Re:IAWTP. Innovation that Campfire should offer:

[Enoxice]

I just thought you should know that I've tried explaining this to everyone around me that heard me laughing, and I think I failed at it.

The REAL Reason

[garett_spencley]

Google had spent a couple weeks developing HuddleChat but then they read this [slashdot.org] Slashdot story on Monday and realized that they are all/mostly introverts and really don't like Chat and IM programs after all.

The 37Signals story is just a cover-up so they don't look silly.

Re:How are either of these anything new?

[atlastiamborn]

Are you saying you're going to develop a web-based web browser?

That would be like totally awesome, imagine being able to browse the web from any web-capable device!

Re:Please help me out here

[mweather]

That's not funny, that's insightful.

Re:37Signals should learn to innovate, not whine

[ShieldW0lf]

I wrote something like this 5 years ago, so we could have a chat meeting with some clients who were behind a corporate firewall. It wasn't that pretty, but it did pretty much the same thing, and it only took a couple of hours to write.

I would be ashamed to put something so trivial out into the community and charge people money for it.

Wish my girlfriend bent over as quickly and easily as Google.

So, when will Google be taking down every other service offering they have besides search? Everything they offer outside of Search and Google Earth are "me-too" products when you get right down to it.

Re:I don't see the problem.

[Xsydon]

How many different ways is there to show a chat window, a text entry box and a list of people in the room?

42.

Re:37Signals should learn to innovate, not whine

[Anonymous Coward]

Wish my girlfriend bent over as quickly and easily as Google.

She does.

Re:Please help me out here

[Alsee]

we don't understand pragmatism. Unless we're coding.

Programmer One: What's this code here?

Programmer Two explains five pages of adaptive enhanced Quicksort code.

Programmer One: Wow, those are some pretty impressive techniques to speed up quicksort, and it cleverly solves the Quicksort worst-case running time problem to boot. But we're only sorting a list of five items, wouldn't it be more pragmatic to just use Bubblesort?

Programmer Two reaches under his desk and literally pulls out home built working replica of WWI flamethrower. Paying more attention to his hobby toy than to the conversation, Programmer Two distractedly chuckles: Bubblesort? Heh, Real programmers don't use bubblesort.

[Programmer One quietly backs away.]

-

Re:Real-time chat applications are overrated

[fuzzlost]

Just because your mom answers the phone before you do doesn't mean she is your secretary.

Re:I don't see the problem.

[cparker15]

I think you meant 37.

Re:IRC rip-off?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not that I've ever even heard of Campfire anyway

It's an over-rated, over-priced piece of crap that a lot of the kids think is groovy.

Re:Whiners

[easyTree]

Exactly. Get a clue, people. Stop trying to patent the frikkin' XOR cursor loop.

That sentence is MINE, BITCH! (Patent #9023092384092384.)

Early settlements will be accepted etc..

Re:37Signals should learn to innovate, not whine

[billcopc]

Why is there no "+4 Saved this boring thread with a laugh" moderation ?

Yeah, that perked me up a tad on this gray depressing day.

37signals should sue their googly asses off

[Anonymous Coward]

Guess where appengine and cuddlespace were presented:

at Google Campfire One on April 7, 2008

Re:huh?

[Anonymous Coward]

AAAAAAAAAARGH

What? "Could of" is actually the technically correct way to write it, as a matter have fact.

Re:37Signals should learn to innovate, not whine

[cmacb]

"Seriously, unless the Google version clearly took a trademark or other creative content from them *or* literally took actual CODE from them, then who the hell cares?"

Apparently people who work for 37signals, and all their family and friends, and friends of friends. The Google group on this seemed to have about 3 to 1 diatribes about how evil it was to steal this pathetic concept. If I were Google I would have just told them to screw themselves... but the bad PR 37signals will get for being wuss programmers may be just as good.