Tool for Remote Mob Programming

Swift handover for remote mobs using git. mob is a CLI tool written in GO. It keeps your master branch clean and creates WIP commits on mob-session branch.

How to use it?

# Simon begins the mob session as typist
Simon $ cd secret-git-project
Simon $ mob start 10
# WORK with Simon as typist
# after 10 minutes, the timer triggers (you'll hear a 'mob next' from your speakers)
Simon $ mob next
# Carola takes over as the second typist
Carola $ mob start 10
# WORK with Carola as typist
# after 10 minutes, timer triggers...
Carola $ mob next
Maria $ mob start 10 share # share immediately activates zoom screenshare
# WORK
# After 6 minutes the work is done.
Maria $ mob done
Maria $ git commit --message "describe what the mob session was all about"

How does it work?

• mob start 10 creates branch mob-session and pulls from origin/mob-session, and creates a ten minute timer

• mob start 10 share also activates screenshare in zoom (macOS or Linux with xdotool, requires zoom configuration)

• mob next pushes all changes to origin/mob-sessionin a mob next [ci-skip] commit

• mob done squashes all changes in mob-session into staging of master and removes mob-session and origin/mob-session

• mob status display the mob session status and all the created WIP commits

• mob reset deletes mob-session and origin/mob-session

• mob share start screenshare with zoom (macOS or Linux with xdotool, requires configuration in zoom to work)

Zoom Screenshare

The mob share feature only works if you activate make the screenshare hotkey in zoom globally available, and keep the default shortcut at CMD+SHIFT+S (macOS)/ ALT+S (Linux).

How to install

$ brew install golang
$ git clone https://github.com/remotemobprogramming/mob
$ cd mob
$ ./install
# Now, you can use the mob tool from any directory in the terminal

On linux systems you need the GNUstep speech engine to get the timer running.

On Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install gnustep-gui-runtime golang
git clone https://github.com/remotemobprogramming/mob
cd mob
sudo ./install

Windows

• Install Golang: Download and execute MSI from Download page
• Open console and execute following commands

> git clone https://github.com/remotemobprogramming/mob
> cd mob
> .\install.cmd
# Now, you can use the mob tool from anywhere directory in the terminal

How can one customize it?

You can set several environment variables that will be picked up by mob:

# override default values if necessary
export MOB_WIP_BRANCH=mob-session
export MOB_BASE_BRANCH=master
export MOB_REMOTE_NAME=origin
export MOB_WIP_COMMIT_MESSAGE="mob next [ci-skip]"
export MOB_NEXT_STAY=false # set to true to stay in the MOB_WIP_BRANCH after 'mob next' instead of checking out MOB_BASE_BRANCH
export MOB_VOICE_COMMAND=espeak # for using alternatives to 'say'
export MOB_DEBUG=false

The easiest way to enable them for a single call is as follows:

$ MOB_NEXT_STAY=true mob next

How to contribute

Create a pull request.

Credits

• Developed and maintained by Simon Harrer.
• Contributions and testing by Jochen Christ, Martin Huber, Franziska Dessart, and Nikolas Hermann. Thank you!
• Logo designed by Sonja Scheungrab.