

Show HN: BackboneScreencasts.com - joeybeninghove
http://joeybeninghove.com/2011/10/17/announcing-backbone-dot-js-quickly-a-90-plus-minute-screencast

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avolcano
I've been trying to get into using Backbone for a while, but I've been
frustrated by the lack of resources - the official docs are essentially just a
lengthy reference and an extremely basic Todos demo, neither or which has been
all that helpful in getting normal app started. I'm excited to try out this
screencast :)

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jashkenas
The Backbone.js homepage assumes that you're somewhat familiar with building
JavaScript-heavy web applications ... I can see how it would be lacking if
you're coming at it fresh.

Would you like to see an official tutorial listed on that page, or would a
screencast be better? Doing a section linking out to all of the third-party
tutorials is another option.

~~~
avolcano
A good official tutorial would be fantastic, one that walked through something
with a little more complexity than the basic to-dos demo. It's not that the
official docs are particularly hard-to-read, it's just that it's very much a
reference that doesn't give you a good place to start or "big picture"
overview.

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leeohsheeus
I really like the "live" style of these screencasts. It seems almost like I'm
pair programming. I appreciate the polished feel of screencasts like the
RailsCasts, but this feels more... real somehow.

~~~
joeybeninghove
Great compliment! That is the _exact_ type of experience I'm hoping to bring
with both these screencasts as well as CastingCode.tv. I know I really enjoy
sitting down and pairing with folks myself, so I really hope I can bring a
similar experience with these types of screencasts and live coding events.

Thanks!

~~~
petercooper
Not going to be cheap enough to do a plug here ;-) but I had exactly the same
comment from someone about 1.9 Walkthrough today (that is, warts and all live
coding with only minor editing). So perhaps there are legs to this approach!
:-)

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pjmurray
I'd be interested to see what value this adds compared to the documentation
and existing (free) blog posts on it's use. IMHO Backbone's docs are super
friendly and if you're really wondering what's going on under the covers the
source code is relatively easy to jump into and understand (assuming you're a
javascript programmer not a jQuery hacker)

~~~
joeybeninghove
I agree about the Backbone.js docs being quite awesome. I think they get a bad
wrap myself. But I've also found that some folks like the option of watching
screencasts to learn about certain topics as well.

I kind of fall into both categories. I really like reading the docs (and more
importantly, the code itself) as well as watching someone demonstrate certain
topics. I guess I'm weird like that. :)

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mshafrir
The Backbone source code is concise and well documented. If you feel like
you've hit a wall, it might be worth your while to read through it.

Check it out at <http://documentcloud.github.com/backbone/docs/backbone.html>

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ramanujam
I started playing with backbone.js and stumbled upon your other intro video
where you explained the basics. Combined with the docs and another example, it
was pretty helpful for me to get started. Thanks for that and I will try this
screencast as i move ahead.

~~~
joeybeninghove
You're very welcome. Really hope this new one is a help for you too! Let me
know if you have any other questions about the code. Thanks!

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niyazpk
Hi Joey, I remember watching a screencast by you on the same topic (linked
from HN) a few weeks ago. Is this a different video?

~~~
joeybeninghove
Yes, the one you probably watched a few weeks ago was one that I published a
couple months ago which just gave a basic introduction and only covered the
Views aspect of Backbone.js.

This new one I just published a couple days ago, and it's a longer screencast
that demonstrates how to build a complete Backbone.js application from the
ground up, using a live coding format. All major aspects of Backbone.js are
covered including Views, Routers, Models/Collections, Templating, etc.

Hope that helps.

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jcapote
This is cool but do they all have your face on the bottom corner?

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joeybeninghove
Haha, I know. I have an ugly mug for sure. :) That's always been kind of my
style for screencasting in general. I think it gives it a nice personal feel.
But would you rather have the option of just seeing the code without the live
video?

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jcapote
Not that it's ugly, its just distracting from the code, also it takes up
screen real estate. Just my 2 cents, if that's your style, go with it.

~~~
joeybeninghove
Thanks man. That's great feedback. Perhaps I could play around with the sizing
of the video a bit. I try to keep it out of the way of the code so that it
doesn't overlap too bad.

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petercooper
My straw polls (or "market research" if I ever needed to big it up ;-)) showed
a general dislike (though not strongly) for live video throughout a screencast
but including portions was OK. That said, everything Gregg Pollack does seems
to have him in it the whole time, and he's doing OK ;-)

I avoid it mostly because it adds overhead to the file size. You can crunch
down a screen / presentation only screencast to pretty incredible sizes with
H264 but as soon as you mix in live video, you either need to sacrifice its
quality severely or put up with large files.

~~~
topfunky
I've found the same thing. Solid colors of a screen capture can easily
compress to under 200 MB for 60 minutes of video, but live action (even with
only small movements) can double or triple that in size.

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joeybeninghove
Yep, I've known about the file size issue when including live video, but it's
something that I'm willing to continue experimenting with. One of my main
reasons for including live video in my own screencasts is because I myself
enjoy watching ones that have it. So, I guess you could say I'm doing it
because it's something I enjoy. I'm hoping others will like it as well. :)

~~~
randall
What about making an actual screencasting site where someone can turn the live
video on and off in JS?

