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I was curious about their point with VoIP. (Implementation, that is!) David, if you're here, are you guys using SaaS for your VoIP provider, or are you using F

I was curious about their point with VoIP. (Implementation, that is!) David, if you're here, are you guys using SaaS for your VoIP provider, or are you using FreePBX or something? Or just direct phone-to-phone voip with the port forwarding that entails?

davidrupp 12y ago
We use OnSIP.
mikekchar 12y ago
I'm not David, but I work remotely (+900 time difference!) and regularly work with others over VOIP. Hardware SIP phones are pretty hard to beat, but we often use Mumble for pair programming. It is a bit fiddly to get used to but it has some very nice features and we actually prefer it to SIP. First, you can easily (once you get the hang of it) configure the sound so that it is really voice activated. This is actually quite important for us because only about 25% of the team are permanently remote. When the office is noisy, it really is nice not to hear the background. When I used to work in the office regularly, I would pair program "remotely" with other people in the same room -- it is just a lot more physically relaxing to have your own space. I can also adjust the other person's volume to my own liking. Another nice feature is the really low overhead of the server. Running a Murmur server barely ticks over my CPU, so it is easy for each of us to run their own server. This allows people to essentially join conversations at somebody's "desk" at will. Everything is essentially a conference call so it is easy to casually come and go, which is less nice with most SIP clients. Finally, Mumble is really low latency. Especially since I'm 9 timezones away, this is really important. We tend to pair program using Tmux and Vim (which is really efficient), so you really want the voice to not lag too much from the action. Honestly with a combination of Mumble, Tmux and Vim, I often completely forget that I'm not physically in the same room as the person when I'm pairing. We tend to use Google Hangouts for our standups and planning meetings. We make good use of the video and screen sharing in those meetings. I wouldn't say that I need video overly much, but seeing everyone for 15 minutes a day does help me feel more in touch. Anyway, I know we're not the only group using Mumble. You might like to give it a try.
- scott_karana 12y ago
  Using Mumble had never occurred to me, but it's a great idea. Thanks! :)
- scott_karana 12y ago
  Using Mumble had never occurred to me, but it's a great idea. Thanks! :)

davidrupp 12y ago

We use OnSIP.

mikekchar 12y ago

I'm not David, but I work remotely (+900 time difference!) and regularly work with others over VOIP. Hardware SIP phones are pretty hard to beat, but we often use Mumble for pair programming. It is a bit fiddly to get used to but it has some very nice features and we actually prefer it to SIP. First, you can easily (once you get the hang of it) configure the sound so that it is really voice activated. This is actually quite important for us because only about 25% of the team are permanently remote. When the office is noisy, it really is nice not to hear the background. When I used to work in the office regularly, I would pair program "remotely" with other people in the same room -- it is just a lot more physically relaxing to have your own space. I can also adjust the other person's volume to my own liking. Another nice feature is the really low overhead of the server. Running a Murmur server barely ticks over my CPU, so it is easy for each of us to run their own server. This allows people to essentially join conversations at somebody's "desk" at will. Everything is essentially a conference call so it is easy to casually come and go, which is less nice with most SIP clients. Finally, Mumble is really low latency. Especially since I'm 9 timezones away, this is really important. We tend to pair program using Tmux and Vim (which is really efficient), so you really want the voice to not lag too much from the action. Honestly with a combination of Mumble, Tmux and Vim, I often completely forget that I'm not physically in the same room as the person when I'm pairing. We tend to use Google Hangouts for our standups and planning meetings. We make good use of the video and screen sharing in those meetings. I wouldn't say that I need video overly much, but seeing everyone for 15 minutes a day does help me feel more in touch. Anyway, I know we're not the only group using Mumble. You might like to give it a try.

scott_karana 12y ago
Using Mumble had never occurred to me, but it's a great idea. Thanks! :)
scott_karana 12y ago
Using Mumble had never occurred to me, but it's a great idea. Thanks! :)