Why Some Developers Are Live-Streaming Their Coding Sessions

itwbennett writes Adam Wulf recently spent two weeks live-streaming himself writing every line of code for a new mobile app. He originally started to live-stream as 'a fun way to introduce the code to the community.' But he quickly learned that it helps him to think differently than when he was coding without the camera on. "Usually when I work, so much of my thought process is internal monologue," he said, "but with live streaming I try to narrate my thought process out loud. This has forced me to think through problems a little differently than I otherwise would, which has been really beneficial for me."

Comments

one person != some developers

[Gravis Zero]

nobody cares about what one guy does.

Re:one person != some developers

[JestersGrind]

He's not the only one. A programmer named Casey Muratori has been coding a game from scratch for months. He streams on Twitch and posts them on YouTube. I've watched some and it's really interesting to watch him go through his thought process. https://handmadehero.org/ There are others on Twitch as well.

Re:one person != some developers

[HungryMonkey]

I can see several instances where people can benefit from this. Most people have no first hand experience with programming. Watching a bit of something like this might open their eyes into what it takes. Perhaps it's a kid that thinks she wants to grow up to be a programmer, or a mother wondering what in the world her son does at work all day long, or a novice in the language wanting to see what methods are being used. I'm not saying it's going to have a huge audience, but it's hardly worthless.

The internet generation

[hyperar]

Basically, the lasts generations feel like they are special and everyone should be watching them do eveything. Isn't that what social networks do?, Turn everybody into a narcissistic prick?

because Millenials are attentionwhores?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you grew up in an age of ubiquitous connectivity, infinite bandwidth, a webcam, and the belief that everyone was special, you'd stream your own sessions too.

No surprise here

[houghi]

You learn a LOT by teaching and that is what he is doing.

Re:No surprise here

[mytec]

Even trying to explain what you are doing or how you will do it is helpful. Explaining a problem to someone who has no idea what I'm talking about forces me to continually break down the steps. At some point there is that "Oh.....how did I not see that?!" moment. However you do it, it seems stepping away from that internal dialogue to an external one is a great help at times.

Re:No surprise here

[i.r.id10t]

Especially when you are teaching programming in an online environment. I'm teaching a PHP+MySQL class right now, and I have my students discuss the layout of database tables, how they will write the PHP code to solve problems, etc. They aren't posting code - they are posting their thought process and planning. Their fellow students are commenting about pitfalls, bits that are over looked, edge cases, and different ways of tackling the same problem. I think they are learning more or learning better this way, versus a "read the chapter write the little program, repeat" method

Re:And this is different to....

[gsslay]

It's different because it's like coding with ;
  - a dozen smart-asses looking over your shoulder telling you you're doing it wrong.
  - another dozen noobs asking dumb questions about the basics because they can't be bothered to RTFM.

Sounds like hell.

2 thoughts

[c0d3g33k]

1. I watched a live coding session a month or so ago and lasted about 10 minutes (the first 5 I ignored because the streamer forgot to turn on audio) before I stopped. This is only useful for those who have enough time on their hands to watch someone code for hours at a time and can't find anything more interesting to watch. I just can't imagine sitting through this all the time.

2. For the developer who is streaming: You can get the same benefit (articulating your thoughts out loud) by using your cat, dog, infant or some inanimate object you can talk to (a Wilson volleyball, perhaps). You'll save tremendous amounts of bandwidth, storage space etc. and won't temp someone who should be making better use of their time to watch you so they can pretend they are doing something productive.

Re:And this is different to....

[ArcadeMan]

Sounds like hell.

No, it sounds like hell on the Internet. I'm sure you could get a patent for that.

I could never live-stream my coding

[acroyear]

The quantity of profanity spewed would run past most locality's obscenity standards.

Rubber Ducking

[booch]

It's called Rubber Ducking. The idea is that by talking out loud, you have to form your thoughts into words, which requires you to organize your thoughts more completely. Think about all the times that you've gone to ask someone a question, and as soon as you ask them the question, you figure out the answer yourself. Whether you use a rubber duck, a live video audience, or another person doesn't matter much. This is one of the reasons that pair programming can be quite effective.