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Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

joeybeninghove.com

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Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#21

Post by avolcano »

jashkenas wrote: post #10
avolcano wrote: post #2

I've been trying to get into using Backbone for a while, but I've been frustrated by the lack of resources - the official docs are essentially just a lengthy reference and an extremely basic Todos demo, neither or which has been all that helpful in getting normal app started. I'm excited to try out this screencast :)

The Backbone.js homepage assumes that you're somewhat familiar with building JavaScript-heavy web applications ... I can see how it would be lacking if you're coming at it fresh. Would you like to see an official tutorial listed on that page, or would a screencast be better? Doing a section linking out to all of the third-party tutorials is another option.

A good official tutorial would be fantastic, one that walked through something with a little more complexity than the basic to-dos demo. It's not that the official docs are particularly hard-to-read, it's just that it's very much a reference that doesn't give you a good place to start or "big picture" overview.

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#22

Post by petercooper »

joeybeninghove wrote: post #20
leeohsheeus wrote: post #19

I really like the "live" style of these screencasts. It seems almost like I'm pair programming. I appreciate the polished feel of screencasts like the RailsCasts, but this feels more... real somehow.

Great compliment! That is the exact type of experience I'm hoping to bring with both these screencasts as well as CastingCode.tv. I know I really enjoy sitting down and pairing with folks myself, so I really hope I can bring a similar experience with these types of screencasts and live coding events. Thanks!

Not going to be cheap enough to do a plug here ;-) but I had exactly the same comment from someone about 1.9 Walkthrough today (that is, warts and all live coding with only minor editing). So perhaps there are legs to this approach! :-)

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#23

Post by petercooper »

joeybeninghove wrote: post #14
jcapote wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not that it's ugly, its just distracting from the code, also it takes up screen real estate. Just my 2 cents, if that's your style, go with it.

Thanks man. That's great feedback. Perhaps I could play around with the sizing of the video a bit. I try to keep it out of the way of the code so that it doesn't overlap too bad.

My straw polls (or "market research" if I ever needed to big it up ;-)) showed a general dislike (though not strongly) for live video throughout a screencast but including portions was OK. That said, everything Gregg Pollack does seems to have him in it the whole time, and he's doing OK ;-)

I avoid it mostly because it adds overhead to the file size. You can crunch down a screen / presentation only screencast to pretty incredible sizes with H264 but as soon as you mix in live video, you either need to sacrifice its quality severely or put up with large files.

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#24

Post by topfunky »

petercooper wrote: post #23
joeybeninghove wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks man. That's great feedback. Perhaps I could play around with the sizing of the video a bit. I try to keep it out of the way of the code so that it doesn't overlap too bad.

My straw polls (or "market research" if I ever needed to big it up ;-)) showed a general dislike (though not strongly) for live video throughout a screencast but including portions was OK. That said, everything Gregg Pollack does seems to have him in it the whole time, and he's doing OK ;-) I avoid it mostly because it adds overhead to the file size. You can crunch down a screen / presentation only screencast to pret…

I've found the same thing. Solid colors of a screen capture can easily compress to under 200 MB for 60 minutes of video, but live action (even with only small movements) can double or triple that in size.

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#25

Post by joeybeninghove »

topfunky wrote: post #24
petercooper wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My straw polls (or "market research" if I ever needed to big it up ;-)) showed a general dislike (though not strongly) for live video throughout a screencast but including portions was OK. That said, everything Gregg Pollack does seems to have him in it the whole time, and he's doing OK ;-) I avoid it mostly because it adds overhead to the file size. You can crunch down a screen / presentation only screencast to pret…

I've found the same thing. Solid colors of a screen capture can easily compress to under 200 MB for 60 minutes of video, but live action (even with only small movements) can double or triple that in size.

Yep, I've known about the file size issue when including live video, but it's something that I'm willing to continue experimenting with. One of my main reasons for including live video in my own screencasts is because I myself enjoy watching ones that have it. So, I guess you could say I'm doing it because it's something I enjoy. I'm hoping others will like it as well. :)

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#26

Post by shn »

jcapote wrote: post #13
joeybeninghove wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haha, I know. I have an ugly mug for sure. :) That's always been kind of my style for screencasting in general. I think it gives it a nice personal feel. But would you rather have the option of just seeing the code without the live video?

Not that it's ugly, its just distracting from the code, also it takes up screen real estate. Just my 2 cents, if that's your style, go with it.

Agree, KhanAcademy style is less distracting. A voice that addresses to one person is enough for a personal touch for the listener.

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#27

Post by [deleted] »

avolcano wrote: post #2

I've been trying to get into using Backbone for a while, but I've been frustrated by the lack of resources - the official docs are essentially just a lengthy reference and an extremely basic Todos demo, neither or which has been all that helpful in getting normal app started. I'm excited to try out this screencast :)

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#28

Post by thomasdavis »

avolcano wrote: post #2

I've been trying to get into using Backbone for a while, but I've been frustrated by the lack of resources - the official docs are essentially just a lengthy reference and an extremely basic Todos demo, neither or which has been all that helpful in getting normal app started. I'm excited to try out this screencast :)

I work on a site called

http://backbonetutorials.com

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#29

Post by ramanujam »

jashkenas wrote: post #10
avolcano wrote: post #2

I've been trying to get into using Backbone for a while, but I've been frustrated by the lack of resources - the official docs are essentially just a lengthy reference and an extremely basic Todos demo, neither or which has been all that helpful in getting normal app started. I'm excited to try out this screencast :)

The Backbone.js homepage assumes that you're somewhat familiar with building JavaScript-heavy web applications ... I can see how it would be lacking if you're coming at it fresh. Would you like to see an official tutorial listed on that page, or would a screencast be better? Doing a section linking out to all of the third-party tutorials is another option.

This is a great step by step tutorial leading to the Todos example. http://arturadib.com/hello-backbonejs/

Including it or something similar would be beneficial for beginners. As someone else mentioned, an official collection of good tutorials will be really helpful.

Re: Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com

#30

Post by pjmurray »

I'd be interested to see what value this adds compared to the documentation and existing (free) blog posts on it's use. IMHO Backbone's docs are super friendly and if you're really wondering what's going on under the covers the source code is relatively easy to jump into and understand (assuming you're a javascript programmer not a jQuery hacker)
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