Tell HN: Programming on a Mobile OS Is the Future

Smartphone adoption is rising around the world. India alone will see 100m users use smartphones in the next couple of years - using phones that are quite capable machines. Laptops are expensive, and its sales have plateaued. Convergence will occur - line between mobile and desktop environments will blur. The next generation of coders will program on a mobile OS. There are ways to connect a smartphone to monitors, keyboards, and laptop shells to get work done, but the mobile software ecosystem tailored for productivity is lagging - specifically for programming. During my attempt to set up a web development environment for my Android tablet, I ran into issues installing dependencies (node.js) and editing files that I had created in another app (created files in Termux (an Android terminal emulator) so that I could execute them, but had trouble opening those files from another application due to Android storage restrictions that prevent apps from accessing each others’ storage). What I've noticed so far with development on Android - There exist tools to write and test scripts, but when it comes to developing applications, tools are lacking (e.g. the web dev environment I described above) - Inactive Community. This is prob the biggest factor that prevents novice - intermediate level programmers from trying things out on Android. Some of the technical issues could be bypassed by rooting the device, but I think that’s too much to ask for to be able to build applications (let alone security issues). Unlocking the power of today’s smartphones to program would be awesome. Anyone interested in exploring development on Android, perhaps as a side project? Would appreciate feedback.