4 ms·

I actually just recently tried to use an iPad Pro for coding (more specifically, I tried to not use my laptop at all for several days, fully replacing it with a

by akerl_ 8y ago

I actually just recently tried to use an iPad Pro for coding (more specifically, I tried to not use my laptop at all for several days, fully replacing it with an iPad). My experience was that coding was definitely not as smooth as on my laptop, but I took an approach several folks here have called out: using a cloud-based VM and connecting to it remotely. I used the Termius app, which was pretty solid. I got my initial inspiration from http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-for-an-ipad http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-... (and the followup http://yieldthought.com/post/31857050698/ipad-linode-1-year-later http://yieldthought.com/post/31857050698/ipad-linode-1-year-... )

ddoolin 8y ago
I did/do the exact same thing. I have an AWS nano server purely for coding on, and I use tmux/vim on it via Termius. I hadn't consulted the internet for resources, just kinda stumbled my way through it, so good to know I'm not very much alone. It works quite well for what I need it for (systems programming) and there are even better options for web app programming. I haven't explored doing native GUI applications but it can be likely overcome. Termius is probably one of the best apps I've ever used, period. It's very well-made and well-designed and I had no qualms shelling out for the full version even though I hardly needed the extra features. I still prefer a Linux/Mac/Windows OS but this is pretty handy once you get the hang of it.
cageface 8y ago
It seems like in this case you're not really coding "on" an iPad and it's really just more of a dumb terminal. Wouldn't any device with a browser be just as good in this case?
- wlesieutre 8y ago
  It’s a very lightweight device with an excellent screen, impressive battery life, and the option for built-in LTE. But yeah, in terms of functional capability to connect to a server and type stuff, other devices would work as well. Also an excellent tablet when you’re doing non-coding stuff.
  - cageface 8y ago
    Yeah I get the upsides but if the debate is really around whether or not an iOS device can be used for real work I'm not sure this really makes the case. It's also massive overkill to use such a powerful device as a web terminal. I guess another way to state what I'm saying is that when the iPad first launched there was a lot of speculation about what new kinds of productivity apps would be enabled by a big, fast touchscreen device like this. So far the answer seems to be "not many".
    - akerl_ 8y ago
      I don't know that I can agree here. I use an SSH app to do programming, which is largely "I type a bunch and run shell commands". I never expected that touchscreens would take over my coding workflows. By contrast, the iPad has been pure joy for basically everything else. They've finally gotten multitasking support to what (for me) is an excellent balance between allowing multitasking and helping me avoid context-switching that was killing my productivity with my laptop. The support for diagramming / note-taking is amazing, which is a big part of my daily computer usage.
    - wlesieutre 8y ago
      I suspect it mostly comes from the iPad being a great all around device and a desire to consolidate. Given the choice I’d rather give up my laptop than my iPad. A powerful desktop if I need that performance is a lot cheaper to keep around than a powerful laptop (or both).
- ddoolin 8y ago
  Yes, but besides other tablets, if we're talking about traditional computing replacements, that really only leaves mobile phones.
- akerl_ 8y ago
  I don't think I disagree with you about what role the tablet plays in my setup. The other features of the iPad made it desirable for me, over carrying a laptop, and the remote VM solved the "how can I write code while only carrying around an iPad" problem. The fact that I'm doing it by using the iPad as a thin client for a remote VM is mostly transparent for me, given my use case.
deleted 8y ago
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by akerl_ 8y ago

ddoolin 8y ago

I did/do the exact same thing. I have an AWS nano server purely for coding on, and I use tmux/vim on it via Termius. I hadn't consulted the internet for resources, just kinda stumbled my way through it, so good to know I'm not very much alone. It works quite well for what I need it for (systems programming) and there are even better options for web app programming. I haven't explored doing native GUI applications but it can be likely overcome. Termius is probably one of the best apps I've ever used, period. It's very well-made and well-designed and I had no qualms shelling out for the full version even though I hardly needed the extra features. I still prefer a Linux/Mac/Windows OS but this is pretty handy once you get the hang of it.

cageface 8y ago

It seems like in this case you're not really coding "on" an iPad and it's really just more of a dumb terminal. Wouldn't any device with a browser be just as good in this case?

wlesieutre 8y ago
It’s a very lightweight device with an excellent screen, impressive battery life, and the option for built-in LTE. But yeah, in terms of functional capability to connect to a server and type stuff, other devices would work as well. Also an excellent tablet when you’re doing non-coding stuff.
- cageface 8y ago
  Yeah I get the upsides but if the debate is really around whether or not an iOS device can be used for real work I'm not sure this really makes the case. It's also massive overkill to use such a powerful device as a web terminal. I guess another way to state what I'm saying is that when the iPad first launched there was a lot of speculation about what new kinds of productivity apps would be enabled by a big, fast touchscreen device like this. So far the answer seems to be "not many".
  - akerl_ 8y ago
    I don't know that I can agree here. I use an SSH app to do programming, which is largely "I type a bunch and run shell commands". I never expected that touchscreens would take over my coding workflows. By contrast, the iPad has been pure joy for basically everything else. They've finally gotten multitasking support to what (for me) is an excellent balance between allowing multitasking and helping me avoid context-switching that was killing my productivity with my laptop. The support for diagramming / note-taking is amazing, which is a big part of my daily computer usage.
  - wlesieutre 8y ago
    I suspect it mostly comes from the iPad being a great all around device and a desire to consolidate. Given the choice I’d rather give up my laptop than my iPad. A powerful desktop if I need that performance is a lot cheaper to keep around than a powerful laptop (or both).
ddoolin 8y ago
Yes, but besides other tablets, if we're talking about traditional computing replacements, that really only leaves mobile phones.
akerl_ 8y ago
I don't think I disagree with you about what role the tablet plays in my setup. The other features of the iPad made it desirable for me, over carrying a laptop, and the remote VM solved the "how can I write code while only carrying around an iPad" problem. The fact that I'm doing it by using the iPad as a thin client for a remote VM is mostly transparent for me, given my use case.

deleted 8y ago

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