Floobits – Collaborative Coding

Floobits provides both amateur and professional developers with a way to code like they’re in the same room, regardless of their physical locations. The web-based application offers tools for sharing terminals, and uses Google+ Hangouts to give its users the ability to video chat while they edit.

If you’re a fan of pair programming, then you’ll probably be a fan of Floobits. Unlike typical collaborative text editors and screen sharing tools—which confine users by requiring that they look at the same thing—Floobits provides a way for multiple users to edit files simultaneously using the text editors they’re already familiar with. A real-time collaborative tool with a browser-based editor, Floobits supports Sublime Text, Vim, Emacs, and IntelliJ IDEA. Use organizations to manage group access to your workspaces, and set up permission levels to limit what specific colleagues or members of your organization can view.

Although public workspaces are listed under each user’s Floobits profile, unlisted workspaces are also available for people who’d like to collaborate with colleagues who don’t have Floobits accounts. For people who are interested in trying out Floobits, but hesitant to use public workspaces, one private workspace is available for the first week after signing up for Floobits.

Practical Uses:

• Share terminals with a friend sitting across the globe
• Code together with colleagues without being in the same room
• Use video chatting to improve communication with remote team members
• Program in the text editor you’re most familiar with

Insider Tips:

• Set permissions to determine how much access team members have to your workspaces
• Floobits integrates with native text editors and IDEs through plugin interfaces and Internal APIs
• Permissions can be added or modified at any time
• Secret workspaces aren’t listed on a user’s profile page

What we liked:

• Multiple users can edit files simultaneously
• People can use the text editors they’re comfortable with
• Floobits has integrated with Google+ Hangouts for video chatting
• Users with paid accounts can work with people who don’t have paid accounts

What we didn’t like:

• Floobits doesn’t currently offer support for running behind its firewall

Alternatives:

• AirPair – http://www.airpair.com
• Cloud9 – https://c9.io
• MadEye – https://madeye.io

Company Info:

• Launched: July 2013
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: San Francisco
• Founded by: Geoff Greer and Matt Kaniaris
• Web site: https://floobits.com

Costs:

• Free plan
• Small plan is $15 per month
• Medium plan is $31 per month
• Large plan is $63 per month
• Ultra-Gulp plan is $127 per month