Show HN: My weekend project (split screen surfing) | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: My weekend project (split screen surfing)

chrome.google.com

71 pointsrchiba19 comments

I wanted to surf the 'net with my girlfriend, so I built this.

is there an app like this that is more general split screen share? or split terminal share?

i don't like how screen shares (skype, webex) are one-way, and require passing a baton back and forth. when you sit next to someone, you can each look on each others' screens seemlessly.

GNU screen supports this functionality and it is very useful. A google for '"gnu screen" "multiuser on"' should turn up a number of tutorials that explain in detail how to use it. To also split the terminal into multiple screens you should search for '"gnu screen" "split screen"'.

or tmux, which is does the same thing as screen.

Do you really want to provide yet another way to "goof around in class?" :)

Can there ever be enough ways? Then again, when I goof around in class it's because I'm zoning out the textbook regurgitation in favor of whatever idea strikes me. 90% of the time it's HN or reddit anyway, but every now and again I try to build something.

Ever wanted to surf the Internet, but with someone else in split screen?

No, actually, not with someone else. With myself.

I recently began the process to hack on Chrome to add proper split screen support (I don't believe it can be done well with an extension), but the development process was so involved and the codebase was so much more massive than I'm used to dealing with that I decided to put this off until I have much more free time...

What happens when person A is logged in to say, gmail? What does B see? A's gmail or B's gmail?

Currently, the extension will show B's gmail to person B, and A's email to person A. All that's being transferred is URL and position data.

yeah doesn't seem to work for me. Keeps "Waiting for connection"...

My server has had issues using websockets to connect to clients with high latency, so if you're faraway from where I'm hosting it (Northern California), it may not connect. Also, I haven't done load testing, so this may be a cause as well.

when the permissions say "Your data on all websites" and its connecting to your server, what exactly do you see ? Cause I know with this permission it allows for example to see a banking site if we were on it.

Doesn't work well at all in Europe... Keeps saying "Waiting for connection". Was trying it with my gf, and she was connected to someone random...

Ok, I'm in Australia, so that would make sense :P

doesn't work for me. When I start a session it keeps saying waiting for connection, when someone tries to join it doesn't respond at all (no new window or anything).

Could be another nice user testing tool

You should add a 'random' option.

Browsing roulette -- I like it. Startup idea? (Actually, jokes aside, a randomized split screen browsing service where you have some background on who you browse with sounds kind of interesting. It would be like a two-way human stumble upon)

What's the backend look like?

Do they match users with passwords? Because someone can see your browsing while you're waiting for your friend and your password is a simple one.

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