This would not really be a LabVIEW feature unless you want to have a chat client built into LabVIEW (e.g. menu...help...chat... :D). I am not sure if I really want that.
At least there are now Private Messages within the community forum.
Chat would be great. If they do it, make sure there is a feature to accept / participate in a chat, otherwise top poster would get innondated with Chats..
One negative side-effect of this is that unless the chats are logged (which I do not think would be an option to do) the information that is shared is not available for the rest of the community.
Have a chat area, either built into LabVIEW, out on the web somewhere, or both (the one built-in LabVIEW can connect right up to the web space). Also, this would have to be public, for all to benefit, so you would have to see a list of all chats going on by topic, and you could then decide to enter into a chat to take a look at the conversation. If nothing was currently going on to answer your question, and nothing archived answered your question, you could start up a new chat session. Chats would also be archived, so future LabVIEW programmers can benefit from the discussions.
Cool features, if the chat is built into LabVIEW, would be the ability to show the person you are talking to your LabVIEW session, so the person you are chatting with could take control. They could show you what you are doing wrong, and help you code things up correctly. Sharing your LabVIEW window with someone who is trying to help you would be awesome! How to archive that part is a little less obvious, and how to handle security issues so that LabVIEW doesn't become some backdoor into my computer are real concerns that would have to be addressed. If all that is figured out, a chat and window sharing feature in LabVIEW would be very beneficial.
Message Edited by InternationAL on 06-15-2009 09:42 AM
I wouldn't recommend having Chat built into LabVIEW. No way.. Never.
And to allow some stranger at the other end control the application? <not a good idea>
Although I like the idea of Chat, it would have to be controlled and minimized, otherwise it will be more noise over the Internet. There'd be more confusion in the discussions than anything helpful. It would have to be something like Peer-2-Peer chat. Or a small meeting room with people invited by a single individual. Not some wide open public chat.
