Offload: Build seamless multiscreen interfaces

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https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html

This takes the 'mobile-first' to a point where it's just 'make sure it plays on anything'. Interesting concept, for sure!

When researching this I came across a few tools for using a phone as a trackpad, for example:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thingsstuf...

We couldn't find anything which worked as a digitiser and that is certinaly something we're considering.

"Offload is a toolkit: a set of APIs and libraries for developers to add multi-screen functionality to their apps. It enables seamless communication between apps running on smartphones, tablets and PCs using wi-fi or bluetooth connections depending on the capabilities of the devices."

I feel like this paragraph, currently buried at the bottom of the page, should be right up near the top. It's a more clear description than the current top matter.

Seems like a fun project. I wonder if it'd make sense to not only support multiple screens, but also other physical knob/button input devices. I often find myself controlling software via various sensors hooked up to a microcontroller. I use the rather popular firmata library:

http://www.firmata.org/

It is embeddable on microcontrollers (mostly arduinos), and has many libraries in a variety of languages to easily interface with said hardware from a host "real" computer.

Sounds fun. Would this framework be using straight video streaming from desktop to mobile or passing parameters and rendering a native/web view of touch friendly controls via an easy to build mobile app?

things in the same vein I currently use:

Logic Remote (remote control of some features of Logic Pro X) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/logic-remote/id638394624?mt=...

TouchOSC (control anything that uses OSC/midi on a phone) https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/touchosc/id288120394?mt=8

Pixl Preview (preview your Photoshop designs on Android) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.markushi.pi...

They are all great, would be nice if when I start the associated desktop app, the mobile companion would also start without (much) effort from me? Maybe through a notification, if not automatically? Right now I often forget/can't be bothered to run them since they are buried somewhere on my phone