Show HN: Screen.farm – Send a webpage to any connected browser window

by leente • 11 years ago

8 9 11 years ago

kaoD• 11 years ago

Feedback: I'm sorry but I don't understand what's this. I see "mapy" in a big box and, when I go to the provided URL I get to the same page but a different word.

This app (I guess it's an app?) would really benefit from some sort of 1-2-3 tutorial.

I'm still interested though. What's this?

leente4• 11 years ago

Thanks for your feedback. Now I don't really understand why I thought it wouldn't need instructions.

You can use this to push a webpage to any browser window, with minimal setup and interaction. You can make your tablet or phone a non-interactive external display.

Here are some instructions:

1. Add your device to your "farm" by scanning the QR code or entering the URL on that device

2. Optionally, edit the auto-generated name of that window (in your case "mapy"), to something like: "tablet"/"phone"/"oldlaptop".

3. See the bookmarklet link for your device appear on your computer, drag this to your bookmark bar

4. Visit some website then press the bookmark => the website should now be opened on the respective device. Alternatively, you can use the REST API to send a URL or image to a device

With a simple Ruby script (I will publish that soon), you can watch your Desktop folder on OS X for newly created screenshots, and upload them as they are created, so in effect, you take a screenshot and it instantly appears on your tablet.

tabakd• 11 years ago

What would a use case for this be?

tomaskafka• 11 years ago

Many companies (incl. ours) have displays in lobbies etc. to show dashboards, news, twitter feeds etc.

Usually there is a lot of fuss when something breaks (finding spare keyboard and mouse, connecting it to hidden pc).

If I get this right, this will create a 'remote control' for each such screen, right?

leente4• 11 years ago

It doesn't create a fully functional remote control. All you can do is push content to a connected browser window. If the browser crashes, you'll need a keyboard or another remote access tool.

This tool is just a quick and simple way to make use of your extra screens. You can use a bookmarklet to make a webpage instantly appear on a screen, or with a tool using the REST API, you can make the screenshots you make instantly appear on an external screen.

xoher• 11 years ago

I figured out the use of this; its a better and quicker alternative to PushBullet. If you connect your phone and laptop then when you open a link on your laptop the same link can open on your phone simultaneously. It's really nice. Yeah, I agree that there must be some 1-2-3 tutorial.

MurWade• 11 years ago

Is this open source?

leente4• 11 years ago

It will be soon, I'll just have to write a readme.

leente4• 11 years ago

Here's the source: https://github.com/stimulus-software/screen.farm

Show HN: Screen.farm – Send a webpage to any connected browser window

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