Slack

The WordPress project is testing out Slack as our main real-time communication platform, replacing IRC and ad hoc Skype chats. When compiling a list of things people liked about our existing options, it was obvious that Slack was all of that and more, including:

  • Open for everyone
  • Friendly user interface
  • Easy asynchronous conversation
  • iOS and Android apps
  • Powerful customization abilities
  • Excellent search

Wait, replaces IRC? Yes. WordPress has always used Freenode for its real-time communication, and we’re especially grateful for what Freenode and IRC have done for Free and Open Source Software projects. But IRC is an old technology and we hit its limitations constantly:

  • Asynchronous conversation isn’t realistic short of setting up your own proxy.
  • Writing and maintaining tools are painful.
  • Mobile and native apps are mostly terrible.
  • The lack of “user is typing” slows down conversations.
  • Too much overhead to add new channels for ongoing projects.
  • Many contributors aren’t technical, and IRC can be a struggle for even technical users.

One word that describes IRC: complicated. One word that doesn’t: friendly. It’s time to stop doing what every other open source project does, and to start doing what makes the most sense for us as a user-centric project.

The #wordpress support IRC channel will continue on. Slack will be used for contributing to the WordPress project, be it code, design, documentation, etc. The various IRC channels like #wordpress-dev will exist as a backup; some of us may need to idle there as others wander in.

If for some reason you still want to use IRC, you’re in luck: Slack has an IRC gateway.

Joining the WordPress team on Slack

Please log in to WordPress.org first to join.

I need help!

For starters, Slack’s Help Center is really great. Once you’ve joined wordpress.slack.com, there is a #slackhelp channel to help members of the community during this transition.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of Slack:

Notifications

The default notification settings for Slack send you everything. You’re going to want to switch to the recommended settings, which are for mentions and direct messages (like IRC). You can also tweak these settings further, like setting specific “highlight” words (much like an IRC client) and email preferences.

Native Desktop and Mobile Apps

Slack has a great, fully-featured web app, a native Mac app, and iOS and Android apps. Preferences, conversations, and what you’ve read are synced across devices. Push notifications on the go are pretty cool, too.

If you already use Slack for your company, there are beta versions of the Mac app that have multiple-team support.

Hiding Hiding Join Messages

As we get up and running, there will naturally be a little more channel hopping than usual, which means that the join/leave messages can feel somewhat noisy. If you’re running Slack in a browser, you may therefore find the following user style helpful; it will hide them for you.

Gravatars

You can (and should!) add your special @chat.wordpress.org email to Gravatar.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Slack has many useful keyboard shortcuts. Access a list by typing Cmd-?. For example, Shift-Opt-↑ (up or down arrow) to switch to the next unread channel. Cmd-K or Cmd-T is a “quick switcher” that allows you to jump to any channel quickly. More keyboard shortcuts.

Commands

Much like IRC you can use Slack commands in the format /command where you start with a forward slash and then type the given command to perform an action. For example, /away to toggle status, /me to describe something you’re doing, or /prefs to open Preferences menu. More commands.

Trac Integration

Slack has dozens of powerful integrations with other services. We’ve already added a number of them, along with some custom tools using Slack’s webhooks. Trac and SVN bots served the project well in IRC for years. We’ve brought this functionality to Slack, and looks better, too.

When you enter #12345, a bot helpfully prints that ticket’s URL and info. You can specify a specific Trac using #12345-core or #123-meta; otherwise, it is guided by the channel you are in.

If you want to suggest an integration or tool for a channel, or report a bug or issue, join #slackhelp. At the moment, @nacin and @pento are the point-people for this.

WordPress Color Themes

Just enter #333333, #222222, #0074A2, #FFFFFF, #111111, #FFFFFF, #7AD03A, #D54E21 into Preferences → Sidebar Theme. For a theme that mimics the excellent “Midnight” WordPress admin color scheme, try #363B3F, #26292C, #E14D43, #FFFFFF, #26292C, #FFFFFF, #E14D43, #E14D43.

See 11 Useful Tips for Getting the Most out of Slack and Slack’s Help Center for more goodies.