#remote pair programming

Motepair is a Atom editor package, that enables remote pair programming using Github’s editor.  

It binds two or more atom editors, in the way that actions like opening/closing files, switching tabs, selection, mouse moving, insertion and deletions get replied to the others editors.

We’ve done a  integration with Share.js to allow concurrent editing via Operational Transformation, which is the technology behind Google Docs.

People always ask me what I use for screen sharing. My answer: Screen Sharing. As in, "Screen Sharing.app," which is built in to your mac. And guess what:

Screen Sharing.app is the best. It's on your Mac right now and it's free!

I'll take it a step further:

Screen Sharing.app is the best screen sharing application around. You should use it if you can.

"But wait," you say, "I don't have it on my Mac. I've looked in my Applications folder and it doesn't show up in Spotlight search."

You have it! And you're right: not only is it not where you expect it to be, but it doesn't show up in Spotlight.

Where is Screen Sharing.app on my Mac?

It's here: /System/Library/Core Services/Screen Sharing.app

Benefits

Highest quality screen sharing experience

Fastest screen sharing experience

Both host and remote can control the screen

CMD+TAB changes the app on host machine

Based on VNC but waaaaayyyyy faster so Linux and Windows VNC users can connect to

Has observer-only mode if you want that

Clipboard syncing between remote/host

Cons

Requires a direct connection to host machine: VPN, IP Address, etc.

That means firewalls might block it.

Can be slow with slower internet connections

How to Use Screen Sharing.app

There are two ways:

Double-Click It

Go go Macintosh HD => System => Library => Core Services

Double-click on Screen Sharing.app

Enter the URL or IP address of the host machine

GO to it

Finder => Go => Connect To Server

Enter vnc://address.of.host.machine.example.com

Bonus: save the addresses by clicking the + button!

Turn Screen Sharing on on your Mac to Allow Connections

Now that I've convinced you to use Screen Sharing.app to remote pair, you need to allow screen sharing connections to your Mac in order to host:

System Preferences => Sharing

Screen Sharing: check it!

Note: The vnc://x.x.x.x address is the IP address on your local network people can use to connect to your machine. VPN users can likely use this address.

Check out this excellent presentation on remote pair programming from Frank Rietta and Brandon Dees, who run Rails web development consultancy rietta.com. They presented at the October 2013 meeting of the Atlanta Ruby Users' Group.

Slides available here: https://speakerdeck.com/rietta/why-and-how-we-remote-pair-program

Here were some of my take-aways:

They've managed to form a consultancy around remote pair programming and designed the billing strategy such that clients don't get an advantage by splitting pairs -- nor penalized for adding developers. This negates the "you guys shouldn't pair on this one" conversation.

There's an increasing trend of developer's pairing experience being entirely remote pair programming.

I was surprised to hear that several audience members were also experienced pair programmers.

I was very impressed by their professional A/V and lighting setup. It blows mine away.

My Situation: When I was a student at HackReactor, pair programming - i.e. two people, two keyboards and one monitor - was our primary method for learning to code together.  Over three intense months, I grew to really like the practice of pairing and the value of apprenticeship.  Even when I wasn't the one typing, I was still learning.  Imagine what I could have picked up working alongside a much more experienced developer.

  The Idea: Learn it.  Do it.  Teach it.  Coding requires intelligence, creativity, and experience. Like the trade of blacksmith or art of kung fu, it helps to have some instruction, lots of practice, and an opportunity to share what you've learned.  StackOverflow is an amazing site for coding Q&A, but we don't yet have easy access to personalized coding mentorship.

  The Product: A website that connects aspiring web developers with more experienced coders for remote pair programming for an hourly instructor's fee.  After completing a short survey about languages and knowledge, you would connect with someone online.  The experienced coder would determine the project (ideally an open source one) and her understudy would pay to watch and help.  Imagine having an apprentice pay you to help you with your work!  If it's a bad match of skills, no worries.  There is another potential pair just a few clicks away.

From the book's page on Prag Prog:

You’ve heard about pair programming’s benefits: fewer bugs, improved skills, and faster delivery. But what happens when you want to pair with someone in another city, country, or even hemisphere? With the right tools, you won’t have to relocate to refactor. In this book, you’ll learn techniques used by the most productive remote programmers in the industry to pair with anyone on the globe on any kind of project. You’ll use collaborative editors, screen sharing, secure networking, and virtualization to create a remote pairing environment that feels as if your partner is sitting right next to you.

I am very impressed with the level of detail and research in the book. The majority of the book describes the technical nuts-and-bolts of remote pairing in different scenarios, focusing on remote pairing on open source projects; I think he does an extremely good job.

Author Joe Kutner conducted a lengthy interview with me, and I tried to convey my remote pairing experiences as accurately as possible. I also had the privilege of reviewing an advanced copy of the book. I'm flattered to be featured in the excerpt along with Jay Haynes of Big Nerd Ranch.

I'm most encouraged by the book's promotion of pair programming in general. Thank you everyone who has ever paired with me, both remotely and in person. I tried to distill the best of our experiences and patterns in my small contribution to Kutner's book.

Since moving to Atlanta, GA six months ago I have been remote pair programming full time with fellow Pivotal Labs developers in San Francisco. Here I describe our setup, alternatives, and why we use the technologies we do.  I'll follow up this post with another outlining the pros and cons of remote pair programming itself.

TL;DR: I Use 'Screen Sharing.app' + Skype

While this has more moving parts and might require more support than other solutions, using Apple's built in Screen Sharing.app (aka SSA) combined with Skype has proved to be the best remote paring technology combination.

Basic Tech

Everyone uses a Mac. Specifically, at the time of this writing, top-of-the-line 27" iMacs. Screen size does matter, but not because more screen real estate is better: if the host screen size is larger than the remote screen, then the remote developer will have to scale their screen in some way, if possible.

Screen Sharing: 'Screen Sharing.app' vs iChat

The two primary options for screen sharing on a Mac are "Screen Sharing.app" (SSA) or iChat. Yes, there are many VNC solutions out there, but these two are the default choices. While iChat's ease of setup and integrated voice chat is compelling, it has fatal flaws.

Pros: SSA

Stability: SSA has never crashed. Not once. SSA is so stable that it actually stays connected while the host computer reboots.

Speed: With a fast internet connection, SSA's refresh rate and overall "snappiness" beats other VNC apps.

CMD + Tab (⌘⇥): As a programmer, I'm constantly switching applications. When I type ⌘⇥to switch apps, that command runs against the host machine exactly as I expect.

Screen Options: SSA has many view and quality options. You can choose to scale your window to match the screen size of the host machine, or not. If the host machine has multiple monitors, you can choose to see both or only one at a time. Other screen sharing apps do not have this much flexibility.

Cons: SSA

No Full Screen: Like most screen sharing apps, SSA runs in a window and does not have a true full screen mode. This means that your SSA session will have scrollbars if the host machine's monitor is the same size or larger than yours.

Firewalls: The remote machine will likely need VPN access or some other hole in the destination firewall to connect to a host machine.

iChat: Compelling but Fatally Flawed

For a while I was very excited about iChat because it offers an all-in-one (minus video) solution to remote pairing and the lowest barrier to entry. Despite this advantage, infuriating "buffering", lack of stability, and unexplained incompatibilities proved intolerable.

Pros: iChat:

Easy Setup: Have a Mac? Have a GMail account? You're in business! Add your GMail (or AIM, Mac.com, Jabber) account to iChat, have your remote pair do the same, add them as a Buddy, and right-click to "Share My Screen".

Voice + Screen: While lacking video, iChat does combine voice chat and screen sharing.

What Firewall?: I've used this to punch through many firewalls without a VPN connection.

Full Screen: As the remote computer, the screen sharing takes over your entire screen. If your screen size is the same as the host computer, it's just like you're on that computer (if you ignore the mini version of your own screen in the corner). ⌘⇥works!

Cons: iChat:

Freezing, Buffering: All screen sharing sessions have some amount of lag. iChat has an additional anti-feature of buffering: even though you can move the mouse and the cursor is blinking, your clicks and typing are being buffered (not ignored) and eventually come flowing in. Of course, this happens at the most inopportune time: you're working out an idea, coding away, when suddenly, in the middle of a complex piece of logic, everything stops. Inevitably you keep going, praying that you haven't miss-typed, and wait as the last 30 seconds of invisible work appears. Correct your mistakes (quickly!) and repeat. This interruption of flow makes iChat an unacceptable long term solution.

Stability: Frequent crashes.

Poisonous Combinations: Sometimes two machines simply will not screen share. Those machines screen share with others, but not with each other. In addition, two machines will cease to screen share with each other after a successfully doing so for weeks. Once this happens, you're screwed. Forever. See code crash log below

Window Scaling, Multiple Monitors: iChat wants to make sure that the remote machines can see all of the host machine's monitors. If you are on a 15" MacBook Pro and your host has a 27" iMac with a 19" secondary monitor, iChat will scale your screen sharing session so you see two teeny-tiny screens. Host will likely need to disconnect that other monitor.

No Video Chat: As I said, iChat takes over your screen, obscuring other running applications, such as a video chat.

Note: If iChat crashes with the following error, you're likely doomed.

...

Video Conference Error Report: 411.336209 @/SourceCache/VideoConference/VideoConference-415.22/SIP/SIP.c:2917 type=4 (900A002D/65) [SIPConnectIPPort failed] []

...

Other Screen Sharing Solutions

Meh. They work, but not as well. Check out TeamViewer(no firewall issues!), Chicken, and JollyFastVNC. All lack⌘⇥ support.

Voice and Video: Skype vs. iChat, GChat

Pros: Skype

    Voice Quality:better voice quality vs. iChat or GChat.  Stability: This is relative, as all video chat clients crash on a somewhat regular basis. Here Skype wins on grounds of crashing not as often and its tolerance of configuration changes: switching sound inputs and outputs while calls are in progress. My pair and host in the office switches inputs often: built-in speakers and mic when I need to talk to the group, headset speakers/mic when pairing.

Cons: Skype

Stand Alone App: As a stand long application, it's one more moving part to manage vs. iChat's integrated screen sharing and voice.

Version 5: The recent version 5 beta upgrade in incredibly unstable and lacks flexibility: window sizes are too large, video gets out of sync. Hopefully they will fix these issues soon.

IChat, GChat, etc.