Screencasting

Filed in archive Utilities on January 14, 2007

If you are like me who provides tech support to friends and families, often for free, then this set of utilities may prove to be invaluable to you. Screencasting is easier and more accurate than simply describing how to do a particular task on one's computer on the telephone or via instant messaging. I admit that the way I do this on Linux is to fire up Parallels with Linux as the guest OS and use the Mac's iShowU or Snapz Pro with video tool. In my effort to provide my students with utilities to properly do screencasting for my class, I found Softpedia's Guide to Screencasting. Quoting the guide,

In the past, creating a screencast in Linux was based on VNC technology, which often caused problems for inexperienced users. Nowadays, creating a Linux screencast requires only a few clicks.

I found that there are several tools to use to create screencasts on Linux such as xvidcap, Istanbul, recordMyDesktop, Pyvnc2swf. (Links to these tools are all provided in the guide) Now my students will have no other reason not to be able to do screencasts. Windows users? You are on your own! Hehehe.

With these tools, maybe you can create your best Linux tutorials and send them over to us. :)