27 votes

I built ProxChat - what is it?

11 comments

  1. [2]
    Well_known_bear
    Link
    Could it be YikYak? It was similar in the 'chat with people nearby' sense and it was from around 13 years ago, although I don't think it was a web app.

    Could it be YikYak?

    It was similar in the 'chat with people nearby' sense and it was from around 13 years ago, although I don't think it was a web app.

    9 votes
    1. Leahey
      Link Parent
      Not YikYak, but I totally forgot about that app and your mention of it triggered something in my brain. Now I'm thinking it was called something like 1up. It was entirely web, and had a bad URL...

      Not YikYak, but I totally forgot about that app and your mention of it triggered something in my brain. Now I'm thinking it was called something like 1up. It was entirely web, and had a bad URL (not unlike proxchat, ha!).

      Would never have guessed YikYak still existed, wow.

      4 votes
  2. X08
    Link
    Love the idea, would be massive is this was the default for any messaging in your area. Please make the range in km :P not in miles xD

    Love the idea, would be massive is this was the default for any messaging in your area. Please make the range in km :P not in miles xD

    7 votes
  3. [3]
    Leahey
    Link
    Hey folks! I'm the guy that also built Pivot the Game and chatted with many of you as I did. My latest lark is ProxChat, which is a full scale rip off of a web app I remember from about 15 years...

    Hey folks! I'm the guy that also built Pivot the Game and chatted with many of you as I did.

    My latest lark is ProxChat, which is a full scale rip off of a web app I remember from about 15 years ago. But, I can't remember the name. Something like Pinenum? Platinumpad? It was a proximity-based simple text chat app with a buddy list, and it was great for things like conferences and classrooms.

    My kingdom for the name of that app. If my version jogs your memory, let me know?

    6 votes
    1. [2]
      lynxy
      Link Parent
      I'm not sure about a web app, but I know that the old Nintendo DS systems used to have a similar idea called "Pictochat" which worked on a proximity basis!

      I'm not sure about a web app, but I know that the old Nintendo DS systems used to have a similar idea called "Pictochat" which worked on a proximity basis!

      3 votes
      1. Leahey
        Link Parent
        Oh that is way closer. But I never had a DS.... hmm...

        Oh that is way closer. But I never had a DS.... hmm...

        2 votes
  4. Leahey
    Link
    Made some tweaks and added an “event mode” that might make it useful at, say, a protest.

    Made some tweaks and added an “event mode” that might make it useful at, say, a protest.

    4 votes
  5. [4]
    tauon
    Link
    Looking nice! I especially like how the generated profile avatar/pixel picture seems to be deterministic based on name. That’s great for recognition value :-) As for your question, I can only...

    Looking nice!

    I especially like how the generated profile avatar/pixel picture seems to be deterministic based on name. That’s great for recognition value :-)

    As for your question, I can only think of BitChat which has somewhat similar capabilities, but that’s 1) a mobile, not web app and 2) released more like a year ago, not even, and not 15.
    But then again, I wouldn’t have used such an app in 2011, so I probably couldn’t know.

    2 votes
    1. Leahey
      Link Parent
      Didn't know about BitChat, this is super interesting -- thank you for sharing. Definitely wasn't that. The name is too cool and the URL too clean. Also way more advanced from a technical...

      Didn't know about BitChat, this is super interesting -- thank you for sharing. Definitely wasn't that. The name is too cool and the URL too clean. Also way more advanced from a technical perspective. If someone said they had built a mesh chat network over Bluetooth in 2011 they'd have been burned as a witch.

      3 votes
    2. [2]
      Chiasmic
      Link Parent
      That’s based on Bluetooth connections though right? So more like a local mesh network than a location based social app.

      That’s based on Bluetooth connections though right? So more like a local mesh network than a location based social app.

      2 votes
      1. tauon
        Link Parent
        Optional internet relaying capability was added a while back IIRC. But yeah, definitely a different thing, just figured it was worth a mention here.

        Optional internet relaying capability was added a while back IIRC. But yeah, definitely a different thing, just figured it was worth a mention here.

        2 votes