In these dark days of COVID-19, working remotely is the new norm for most (all?) developers. We all had to find ways to adapt to this new reality. Today, I would like to show you a new tool I discovered that I will surely keep using, even if we ever go back to working in offices.

SimpleScreenRecorder is a… simple (!) tool that you can install on Linux by usually running this command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install simplescreenrecorder

(Note: all installation methods are documented here )

Sure, tools like Zoom can be useful to discuss things live. They even allow sharing your screen directly. Why, then, would we need a screen recorder?

Recording your screen can be useful when you know what you’re about to show could be useful knowledge for the future. A screen recording can become instant documentation. If you performed a demonstration and someone was absent from the meeting, the demo is completely lost for them! By using tools like SimpleScreenRecorder, you record knowledge.

Let’s be honest, it might even help your future self.

Usecases where SimpleScreenRecorder has been invaluable to me include (but are not limited to):

  • Show a bug
  • Demo a new feature
  • Allow project managers to demo the new feature to clients
  • Be watched at 2x speed to save a manager’s time
  • Make live demonstrations less stressful

Because SimpleScreenRecorder makes everything better, why not make this post infinitely better by adding a demonstration made using SimpleScreenRecorder itself? Click here for a quick tour of SimpleScreenRecorder