What’s Next?

You’ve learned how to collaboratively edit source code with a pair-programming partner using a robust integrated development environment. That’s great if you like the powerful features of an IDE and still want the collaborative features of tmux. It’s also great when your connection is volatile—the conflict-resolution algorithm behind Saros ensures that you won’t spend all of your time reconnecting. You can even continue to work if you go offline for a bit.

Saros is the most robust collaborative editing environment we could ask for. But you might find that an IDE like Eclipse is too heavy for your tastes—especially when you’re working on smaller tasks. That’s when any of the alternative IDE tools listed here might be a better solution:

Cloud9^[82]

This browser-based IDE supports real-time collaboration without installing any tools. It features syntax-coloring code completion, code folding, drag-and-drop, and many other standard IDE features.

Codenvy^[83]

A browser-based IDE that’s similar to Cloud9. It supports customizable plug-ins that allow you to enhance its behavior. Additionally, it supports most major IDE features.

Gobby^[84]

A lightweight editor that provides real-time write speed, just like Saros. It synchronizes documents with the same Jupiter algorithm, and it provides unique features such as distinct cursors for each user. It has basic editing features like syntax coloring and tabs, but it’s not nearly as configurable or extensible as Vim or Eclipse. As a result, it’s rarely a first choice for remote pair programming. But it may be a handy tool when you need to do some quick editing of a small project.

Floobits^[85]

A Y Combinator--backed startup, Floobits’s flagship offering is a pair-programming tool that leverages native text editors to collaborate on code in real time. The product supports Sublime Text, Vim, and Emacs. The software is a plug-in for the native editor. There’s also a browser-based edition and a shell-sharing tool called Flooty.

SubEthaEdit^[86]

A text-editing program for Mac OS X. It uses the Bonjour protocol to connect users. It supports basic IDE-like features such as syntax coloring, code folding, and a command-line utility.

If you feel encumbered by the heavy hand of any IDE, you can always stick with the terminal-based stack we discussed in Chapter 2, ​Collaborating with Text Only​. The choice should be made between you and your pairing partner each time you start a session. Not every partner will want the same stack, which is why it’s essential to equip yourself with an arsenal of remote pair programming tools. If your partner is located on the opposite side of the world, then Saros may suit you best. If your partner is sitting beside you but neither programmer wants to share a mouse and keyboard, then tmux may work great without sharing screens.

In the next chapter, we’ll take a look at how the technologies you’ve learned about are used in the real world.