Table of Contents
Working as a remote developer, you often have to exchange information and codes via email. But email is not the most effective way of communication; it is hard to keep track of, and some of your important emails can land in the spam. Moreover, emails don’t offer a transparent collaboration for developers working in a team. You might be clueless about any valuable discussion your teammates have through emails. There is a possibility of your team lead forgetting to add your address to the recipient list too.
It is best to use communication apps instead; they allow your whole team to be in one digital space. It significantly improves collaboration and makes communication more efficient and in real-time. But it can be difficult to select the platform that would be best for coders, but you don’t have to worry about it; we have made a list of the four best apps your team can use. Let’s check them out:
Slack
Slack is the champion of streamlining the workflow within the same digital workplace. It allows private group channels and directs messaging so your sub-teams can collaborate within the same space and then report to and discuss with the larger group. These private channels work best by keeping the atmosphere focused on a single task, so there are no interruptions.
Since larger projects often have frequent hirings during progress, the channels can be annotated, increasing transparency and communication. Slack’s paid versions can also keep the conversation histories too. With this, the new developers on the team can catch up on the previous discussions and continue with the most recent instructions.
Slack also comes with many integrations, such as Outlook calendar, Zendesk, Zoom, Asana, Dropbox, and Google Drive. These integrations make working with engineers even easier, improving the information flow and making the workflow more transparent and seamless. These integrations are free and do not increase your subscription charges.
Developers work with many programming languages, yet most platforms only support popular programming languages like Java, C#, and Python. It makes it hard to share snippets made in a different language; it is even harder to interact with clients who can’t run or open the code directly with limited language support. Luckily, Slack supports 60 different programming languages for snippet creation, making it one of the best platforms for coders.
Moreover, Slack’s open and convenient platform allows more than sharing code snippets; you can also share configuration and log files. Your clients can easily download the files from the slack channel and configure and run the code to see progress.
Gitter
More than 36000 companies in the United States use Github for internet code hosting. Many companies use it for software development through accessing control, storing, and managing code over the cloud. Although GitHub is a popular and decent collaboration platform, it doesn’t allow quick and easy chat. You still have to rely on other messaging platforms. If your company is one of these, you would love Gitter. Gitter is an all-in-one messaging system integrated with GitHub that lets you make chat rooms. Gitter is quite flexible, too; it can work well on many OS, including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android.
Like Slack, Gitter includes an event calendar management option that your developing team can use to mark deadlines and breakthroughs in the project. It also has file sharing and audio call options making it a suitable collaboration medium.
Gitter comes with many exceptional integrations. One such example is Bugsnag; it monitors the developed application’s full-stack stability and creates a handier environment for finding and fixing bugs making the Gitter environment perfect for coder collaboration. It allows integration and invocation of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) such as the one offered by Pipedream, enabling serverless computing and connecting different apps during development.
Even though Gitter is an open-source platform that you can use for free or with a subscription, it is a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform. So, most of the available integrations can only be accessed on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Flock
If you work in a team where the leadership is more democratic and all the team members have a say, you would love working on Flock. Flock allows you to create a poll in the channel. This feature is highly customizable; you can set an expiration date for any designed survey and select the response type. You can also use the census to produce a formal report for recordkeeping.
Along with sharing files and posting polls, you can also pose questions within the channels and get quick feedback. Flock makes code patching easier too. If you switch the programming language you post, Flock will automatically detect the programming language and its syntax. It will adjust the display accordingly to make reading and editing code trouble-free. To increase productivity, Flock also has a bot feature for task allotment: the to-do feature. It allows the setting of deadlines and reminders with simple commands. This feature can also rearrange your tasks according to your preferences.
Basecamp
Bootcamp is a toolkit for remote working; it keeps all the project details ordered and increases project progress transparency. It has private and group chats and automatic check-ins, allowing users to be on top of any updates. The basecamp board is organized; the file sharing, to-do list, schedule, and message board all have their special place so you can navigate the information or reminder you are finding quickly.
Working remotely doesn’t mean working overtime and sacrificing precious personal life hours. Basecamp ensures that a healthy work-life balance is maintained within the remote work culture. You can either select the option of round-the-clock availability or notify your teammates of the ideal time and days to contact you for work purposes. With the latter option, you can pause the work notifications with just a click until your work hours start.
Bootcamp is particularly beneficial for coders as they can use the campfire feature and interact with other developers from around the globe. It gives more opportunities for upskilling and more remote work. Although the options available for integrations with Basecamp are comparatively limited, it comes with several software development tools which are helpful for the developers and coders on this management and communication platform. TestLodge, Instabug, and ScrumDo are some popular integrations available for the coder community’s use.
In Summary
The right communication app can improve collaboration and workflow for programmers and coders working in groups. Slack is one of the great options which can help coders work and share codes and files in any language without trouble. Gitter is another option that gives GitHub perks in a more personalized space. Because Gitter is a SaaS, it allows various other integrations, making Gitter one of the ideal developer atmospheres possible within a communication app.
Flock is a fantastic app with a wide array of features that ensure that even the digital workplace is healthy, expressive, and accountable. Basecamp organizes efficiently and allows you to assert your working and communication hours. It also gives integrations to several popular developer-friendly tools.
