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Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

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Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#181

Post by falcor84 »

rdsubhas wrote: post #100

How do people whiteboard remotely? This is a big problem for many development teams. Sometimes you just want to open a blank whiteboard and scribble some boxes and brainstorm or troubleshoot some things. The whiteboard is an inseparable part of nearly every meeting. And no, remote "canvas" whiteboards don't work. They end up looking like this: https://cdn.drawception.com/images/panels/2015/3-3/jLndYAfNf... . Is there…

Looking forward, I think that a VR app like Google's Tilt Brush would be the best medium for this (perhaps, until we have something like the Star Trek Holodeck). But I don't think that Google or anyone else has released a multiplayer version yet.

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#182

Post by slantyyz »

ghaff wrote: post #167
hobofan wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually found remote whiteboards to work quite well when used with a proper pen tablet (like a Wacom Intous). Downside of that is of course increased cost, as equipping everyone with one of those isn't that cheap. It also takes some time to get used to using those, but for permanent remote situations this is about as close as you will get to in-person whiteboards. A less sophisticated variant that works well for a…

It sometimes feels like we're very hung up on our traditional tools. Pick a remote whiteboard tool, give everyone relevant a big tablet (personally, I find something like an iPad is more intuitive than the Wacoms other than the Cintiq), norm using it (along with other collaborative docs), and you're probably in pretty good shape. Not really expensive compared to all the other costs you have.

> It sometimes feels like we're very hung up on our traditional tools.

We absolutely are. I think I spent over a decade hoping for an extremely-low-latency pen-based note taking solution to show up to replace my use of pen and hardcover notebooks. If anything, I was romanticizing the notion of replacing a simple, inexpensive tool with expensive technology.

We're pretty close to that now with the iPad Pros, but since I've been remote for several years now, I've given up on that idea of a stylus based tablet solution altogether. These days, my preference is to use a live-conversion Markdown editor. If I was still in the Apple ecosystem, I guess I'd pay for a Bear subscription, but I'm on Windows, so I've made do with Dropbox Paper (I didn't expect to like it, but it's been surprisingly good for my use case).

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#183

Post by mosselman »

mihaaly wrote: post #176
mosselman wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you explain to me how it is unfair for people who choose to live in expensive places that people who don't choose that lifestyle get paid exactly the same amount for the same work?

It's cute, you really think it is a choice to move to an expensive place for a high paying job? Believe me, you have no choice, you MUST move there! Then work hard to hang on otherwise you are f*d, paying a lot just for your bare existence! Also some are born there perhaps, all human connections tie them there...? Choice of lifestyle? Hahaha!

So the people who are living the life in the developing world are the ones who should take they pay hit because you want to socialise with hipsters?

Also, why must you move 'there'? I understand that my life is more expensive where I live than it is in the developing world, but I get a in return for living here. I wouldn't find it fair if a remote colleague made less money than I do just because of them living somewhere else.

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#184

Post by ghaff »

nitely wrote: post #151
hocuspocus wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whose promise? According to tax and immigration laws that is certainly not the case in most of the world.

The many blog posts (from people doing it) suggesting working remote and traveling the world is as easy as getting a remote job and travel the world: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/how-i-perfected-tra... https://doist.com/blog/travel-remote-work-digital-nomad/ https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/remote-work-digital-nomad https://www.thebalancecareers.com/working-remotely-while-tra... etc Here's a US tax attorn…

In many cases, you'd be working without a work visa. Of course, many people do it and get off with it. But there are occasional crackdowns. [1] Perhaps more to the point, as the sibling comment asks, "Whose promise?" GitLab explicitly requires you to obtain permission from your manager before moving elsewhere for an extended period. [2]

[1] https://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/citynews/general/immigrati...

[2] https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/people-group/global-compen...

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#185

Post by mihaaly »

rdsubhas wrote: post #100

How do people whiteboard remotely? This is a big problem for many development teams. Sometimes you just want to open a blank whiteboard and scribble some boxes and brainstorm or troubleshoot some things. The whiteboard is an inseparable part of nearly every meeting. And no, remote "canvas" whiteboards don't work. They end up looking like this: https://cdn.drawception.com/images/panels/2015/3-3/jLndYAfNf... . Is there…

No. Whiteboard is not essential. It is NOT inseparable form teamwork. That is just one possible tool. Maybe the only way you know perhaps? If you must use it because that's the only way you know for collaboration then look around for better ones than the ones you know. There are physical ones connected to net (practically a huge touchscreen on legs), or there is this novel concept called tablets, those usually come with online connection too, spectacular, eh?! Alternatively you may use the traditional whiteboards to brainstorm about remote whiteboards. ; )

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#186

Post by frant-hartm »

r0rtega wrote: post #107
rdsubhas wrote: post #100

How do people whiteboard remotely? This is a big problem for many development teams. Sometimes you just want to open a blank whiteboard and scribble some boxes and brainstorm or troubleshoot some things. The whiteboard is an inseparable part of nearly every meeting. And no, remote "canvas" whiteboards don't work. They end up looking like this: https://cdn.drawception.com/images/panels/2015/3-3/jLndYAfNf... . Is there…

There is tools like https://miro.com/

That might be good for creatives like designers, but it's horrible for software devs. Plain confluence page is better than that.

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#187

Post by Operyl »

rdsubhas wrote: post #100

How do people whiteboard remotely? This is a big problem for many development teams. Sometimes you just want to open a blank whiteboard and scribble some boxes and brainstorm or troubleshoot some things. The whiteboard is an inseparable part of nearly every meeting. And no, remote "canvas" whiteboards don't work. They end up looking like this: https://cdn.drawception.com/images/panels/2015/3-3/jLndYAfNf... . Is there…

I use an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil, and then use Explain Everything on it. Desktop users can use the "text" tools, and everyone else with a better set up can use the pencil tools.

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#188

Post by pythonaut_16 »

rickspencer3 wrote: post #170

Just my opinion, but based on running remote and semi-remote teams since 2008 ... fully or mostly remote engineering teams are a competitive advantage, so, by definition, organizations that choose not to adapt to this reality will have a hard time competing. Organizations can have a personal preference for co-located work, but, I think the marketplace will select those organizations out. I think this will unfold over…

I think if things flip and remote becomes the primary, and co-location becomes rare we'll also see some companies that are able to use co-location as a competitive advantage.

But I agree that remote (and the practices it encourages) are currently a competitive advantage.

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#189

Post by traitsnspecs »

cyphar wrote: post #109
lampe3 wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question is why do you need a whiteboard? What problem is the whiteboard solving? Drawing freely with a mouse is something that can be done but also you have tools like draw.io if you need to draw something.

Whiteboards are absolutely indispensable for communicating ideas quickly in a small group of people. It's effectively just a bigger (and easier to erase) version of grabbing a scrap of paper to scribble something down when explaining or describing something to someone else. I'm honestly more surprised that this isn't a universally known concept on HN. Scribbling on scraps of paper is something most people in western…

I've been on a team with a super productive whiteboard user, who made ideas more clear by the ability to draw diagrams. I have also been on a team with a unproductive coworker whose whiteboard drawings were confusing, took lots of time to draw, and were generally unhelpful.

Both people thought their whiteboarding was indispensible. Neither person's actually were, even the guy who was quite effective at drawing his ideas.

Re: Gitlab's Guide to All-Remote

#190

Post by eeZah7Ux »

lampe3 wrote: post #105
rdsubhas wrote: post #100

How do people whiteboard remotely? This is a big problem for many development teams. Sometimes you just want to open a blank whiteboard and scribble some boxes and brainstorm or troubleshoot some things. The whiteboard is an inseparable part of nearly every meeting. And no, remote "canvas" whiteboards don't work. They end up looking like this: https://cdn.drawception.com/images/panels/2015/3-3/jLndYAfNf... . Is there…

The question is why do you need a whiteboard? What problem is the whiteboard solving? Drawing freely with a mouse is something that can be done but also you have tools like draw.io if you need to draw something.

A collaborative text pad is way more productive for 99% of the use cases.
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