Frequently Asked Questions

1. How is LiveSource different than Github?
2. Does LiveSource work only with small projects?
3. What languages does LiveSource work with?

4. How does LiveSource connect with my source code?
5. Who should use LiveSource?
6. Is LiveSource dependent on good comments in code?

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1. How is LiveSource different than Github?

Programmers distribute and share code with Github. This is not the focus of LiveSource. LiveSource features and user interface are very easy to understand, because are supposed to be used also by non-programmers and not only for computer technicians.

LiveSource starts loading your source files from Github (or any other git or subversion repository) and goes much further, creating a layer on top of your source code that can be read by non-programmers, significantly improving the communication between the technical and non-technical people of your development team.

You can use Github, your preferable developments tools (like Eclipse, Rails, ...) and LiveSource all at the same time. They are not exclusive, in fact, they complement each other. For example, you use Eclipse in the office, and when on the train home, you pull out your phone to do a little review and update your status with LiveSource.

2. Does LiveSource work only for small projects?

LiveSource doesn't discriminate the size of your software, but strongly recommends to break large and complex projects in various small and lean applications (read more: Mini & Lean Apps). If you have a huge amount of source files in a single software project, it is much more expensive and difficult to manage, manipulate, understand, communicate and maintain this code. LiveSource will take longer to load big software projects.

3. What programming languages does LiveSource work with?

LiveSource filters the comments within your source code. Basically every programming language has the ability to add comments inside the source code. So, basically, LiveSource can load any programming language (eg.: Ruby, Java, PHP, Python, C#, JavaScript, ...)

4. How does LiveSource connect with my source code?

Code on your local computer:
You can safely upload your local software project to the LiveSource server.

Code in the cloud:
If you have your source code on any git or subversion repository in the cloud (eg: GitHub, Google Code, ...) LiveSource can access and read it.

LiveSource SCREENSHOTS

Watch our DEMO video: http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cX6oVdTPZ


Loading the source code

LiveSource loads your source code in any GIT or SUBVERSION repository that is stored on a Cloud (Eg: Github, Google Code, etc)



Easily Reading the source code

LiveSource extracts all the business documentation within the source code of your software and displays it in a very easy to read way.



Editing the business information

The business people of the development team can easily contribute to the documentation of the source code, adding the information related to the business of  each source file in the software. The documentation will be stored directly within the source code as comments.



The Live Task Board

LiveSource generates and displays the development status of your source code totally automatically, without any extra effort from the development team or the managers. It also displays these status on a Live Task Board that updates itself automatically, while the programmers are actually developing the code.



A Customer Development, Marketing and Support Center tool

LiveSource automatically generates a LiveDocumentation portal for you to communicate directly with your end users. The user interface of your source code can be filtered and published straight to your customers so they can have a extremely clear and updated view of your working software. And from there, the end users can communicate back with the development team in a very precise way. It is also a free and honest marketing for your software in your social network.



The EasyBacklog

Product Owners and Managers can create backlog entries through the EasyBacklog tool. Each entry will be saved in the repository of your source code as a Cucumber feature file.

LiveSource Lean UX

PERSONAS

HYPOTHESES

(click the image to see enlarged)

Communication Improvement

Transparency increasing

About LiveSource

LiveSource - The eXtreme Lean Toolkit

 LiveSource is a web toolkit created to help the Lean development process. LiveSource guides the team inputing the end user language inside the source code and also generates the usage metrics for your software.