Update screenhero

Per the recommendation of Tim Connor of Cloud City Development , I started using an iPad for telepresence for only the video , using Google Hangouts , muting the microphone on the Hangout, and using the audio on Screenhero. Note, an iPhone or probably an Android phone or table would work equally as well.

In terms of the audio, the microphone and speakers are better on the computer. If one is using the laptop for the telepresence video, and using multiple screens, it's key to use the camera on the screen where one will be looking at the Hangout, and not at the Screenhero screen.

As shown from the below pictures, it's key that it's obvious when the pairing partners are looking at each other versus at Screenhero. Incidentally, Screenhero did not suffer from any degradation when combined with the Google Hangout, regardless of using the Hangout on the laptop or mobile device. We both used Screenhero on Macs. I've done plenty of remote pair programming using Google Hangouts, but typically only one person sharing the screen drives the code. Screenhero allows true screen sharing such that both programmers can do the typing and mousing.

With the shared screen being a 27" Cinema display, I set my Screenhero window to full screen and the resolution was nearly perfect. Yes, when scrolling and switching apps, there is a slight delay, but it was extremely manageable to the point that I almost would forget that I'm working on a computer miles away. Although there's a slight slowness in seeing keys that you type, it's minor enough that it's not a nuisance.

The dual cursor support works great. Here's a video demo of the dual cursor support. Both I and my pairing partners were already using RubyMine , so using RubyMine was a natural choice over trying to pair with the conventional remote pairing setup of tmux and Vim. RubyMine combined with Screenhero, the same size big screens, fast computers, and very good broadband resulted in a productive pairing setup.

One thing I hear about Vim setups is that pair programmers tend to not customize their Vim keymaps. With RubyMine, that's not an issue thanks to a feature called "Quick Switch Scheme" which allows very fast switching of keyboard bindings. I like the "Quick Switch" feature so much that I made a short screencast on this feature , displayed below. DSL is far slower than the cable service, but I still keep it for the one day that cable is not working right.

I was the co-founder and CEO of Screenhero, and after its acquisition by Slack in , I led the team that built Slack Calls voice, video and screen sharing in Slack , and left Slack in Today, we myself and another engineer are launching Screen, which is in many ways a successor to Screenhero.

Like Screenhero, it supports low-latency screen sharing with multi-mouse control. How low? We have voice, video, multiplayer drawing and control, and ephemeral messaging, and we integrate with GCal and Slack.

We use custom native code to make multiplayer control work, and a heavily-modified custom fork of Electron to minimize latency. We're hoping Screen will be useful for engineers pair programming, live debugging , designers review with stakeholders - they can draw on your screen to give feedback , students and teachers, and anyone collaborating remotely.

I hope you'll find Screen useful, especially during these times! The main reason why Screenhero was loved was because it was fast. We did a lot of work to reduce latency and increase responsiveness — which is critical when working remotely.

This resonates with me, and is definitely why I loved Screenhero so much, it felt VERY fast, and visually looked crisp. Even the initial connection speed was fast, while Slack takes about 3—8 seconds to connect. And also why I was so disappointed with Slack's product, now it's back to the same level as Google Hangouts.

What would you say the culprit is? And if I may lead the question Bureaucracy inside Slack? Managing a new team? Rushing to meet deadlines? To my knowledge, Slack has always been an electron app. Multiple people can share individual windows just by clicking on a tab above each window or by dragging them to the shared screen.

It also makes for a fundamentally more interactive and vastly improved user experience. No longer do you have to wait your turn while someone shares their screen — every user can share their own app anytime they wish.

Of course, CoScreen works just as well with a single screen, and it highlights who is sharing which window. And, whereas other services only allow two users to develop software together at a time, CoScreen allows up to eight to share and collaborate concurrently.

It also offers simple remote-control features that allow users to jump right into collaboration. Feedback for CoScreen has already been hugely positive. Interested in pair programming, but can't be in the same office? CoScreen allows developers to pair program as if they were sitting at the same workstation. Need to troubleshoot a problem?

How easy would it be to simply drag the screen over and get solutions in real time? This works for code and design reviews as well, allowing reviewers to suggest immediate changes rather than having to wait to see them implemented. People in an onboarding or coaching role have found CoScreen invaluable to walk new members through the process.

Since you can work with everyone collaboratively, they don't have to watch as you show them what to do — anyone can work together and learn as they go. CoScreen also offers integration with apps such as Chrome , where it can replace your meetings in Google Calendar. And CoScreen is not just for remote work! We all may be stuck working from home, but CoScreen has applications in the office. It will allow an in-office team to communicate with freelancers or clients or even easily present demos and get feedback in real time.

Also — fun fact — we use it ourselves.