6 ms·

This is becoming more and more tempting...

robohoe 8y ago
Having done it for non-work related code development and personal use past 3 weeks, I would recommend trying it. Not having a mouse may be cumbersome sometimes, but I’m starting to really get used to the touchscreen to the point that I almost find myself trying to touch my MBP’s screen. iPad Pro also supports the Smart Keyboard (which in itself is great to type on) as well as regular USB keyboards (with the Lightning/USB-C to USB adapter). I was able to use my Pok3r keyboard just fine. For shell access, definitely check out Blink. Even using VI isn’t bad as you can remap your `~ key to ESC. Most of my work is done remotely anyway. The only downsides are the occasional apps that don’t support full iPad screen scaling - so they appear like iPhone apps.
p1necone 8y ago
Out of curiosity what makes this more tempting for you than a laptop? Is it just the slightly better portability combined with it seemingly being "good enough" now for productivity work?
- freehunter 8y ago
  I'm not the person you're asking, but I also have this dream. It's mainly the complexity of desktop software. The older I get (and the more responsibilities I have) the less I appreciate knobs and buttons and menu bars and the more I appreciate unified system notifications and "good enough" default settings and a full screen window with nothing behind (or in front) of it. If I need more, SSH exists. The limitations of a tablet form factor force UI designers to be thoughtful, and the limitations of iOS force app developers to all converge on the same solutions. I want my hardware and OS to just get out of my way so I can get my work done. Chromebooks and iPads get this right in my opinion. I feel like Android still gives me too much freedom, and I invariably always break something because I am an irresponsible child when I get bored. When I'm working, I want to think about my work, not about my OS or hardware.
  - nsxwolf 8y ago
    My problem is workflows that involve more than 3 apps. I just can't be productive when I am switching back and forth between apps and not able to see most everything at once.
    - freehunter 8y ago
      Workflows that involve more than 3 apps are exactly what I’d be trying to avoid with this setup :) Of course that’s still just a dream. But it is a beautiful dream for me.
- robohoe 8y ago
  It’s the ability to instantaneously open up the iPad and have the screen available to me. I don’t have super lengthy workflows (max 2-3 apps at the same time) so ALT-TAB works perfectly fine for me. For those times when I really need to, I can always split screen.
freehunter 8y ago
Every few months I go and read this series over again: http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-for-an-ipad http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-... For me it's basically pornography: a beautiful fantasy that I love pretending is real but is actually completely unrealistic (at least in my case). The idea of ditching my laptop and traveling the city with a thin client, not caring if it breaks or gets corrupted because all the data is sitting somewhere up in the cloud, backed up and taken care of. No fans, no worries of processor power or RAM, incredibly flexible form factor, instant-on and everything full screen by default, notifications that just work and work in a unified and consistent way. No distractions, just zen working in a park with a fountain and a chocolate croissant. Problem is I do web development and app development, neither of which are terribly feasible on a tablet. A man can dream though. A man can dream.
- komali2 8y ago
  I mean, it just comes down to OS at that point, yea? Why not get a turbo-thin ultra book and throw Ubuntu on it, then use cloud storage for everything? Could just SSH in as well. You could even install ubuntu on an android tablet. If what you want is the form factor and speedyness of solid state everything, you could get a tablet that isn't an ipad. Lenovo makes some that would be trivial to swap out for Ubuntu or whatever https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/c/TABLETS https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/c/TABLETS
  - freehunter 8y ago
    A big part of it is the zen. I love Linux and it powers my entire career as a server OS but it is anything but zen and I would never use it as a desktop OS.

Having done it for non-work related code development and personal use past 3 weeks, I would recommend trying it. Not having a mouse may be cumbersome sometimes, but I’m starting to really get used to the touchscreen to the point that I almost find myself trying to touch my MBP’s screen. iPad Pro also supports the Smart Keyboard (which in itself is great to type on) as well as regular USB keyboards (with the Lightning/USB-C to USB adapter). I was able to use my Pok3r keyboard just fine. For shell access, definitely check out Blink. Even using VI isn’t bad as you can remap your `~ key to ESC. Most of my work is done remotely anyway. The only downsides are the occasional apps that don’t support full iPad screen scaling - so they appear like iPhone apps.

p1necone 8y ago

Out of curiosity what makes this more tempting for you than a laptop? Is it just the slightly better portability combined with it seemingly being "good enough" now for productivity work?

freehunter 8y ago
I'm not the person you're asking, but I also have this dream. It's mainly the complexity of desktop software. The older I get (and the more responsibilities I have) the less I appreciate knobs and buttons and menu bars and the more I appreciate unified system notifications and "good enough" default settings and a full screen window with nothing behind (or in front) of it. If I need more, SSH exists. The limitations of a tablet form factor force UI designers to be thoughtful, and the limitations of iOS force app developers to all converge on the same solutions. I want my hardware and OS to just get out of my way so I can get my work done. Chromebooks and iPads get this right in my opinion. I feel like Android still gives me too much freedom, and I invariably always break something because I am an irresponsible child when I get bored. When I'm working, I want to think about my work, not about my OS or hardware.
- nsxwolf 8y ago
  My problem is workflows that involve more than 3 apps. I just can't be productive when I am switching back and forth between apps and not able to see most everything at once.
  - freehunter 8y ago
    Workflows that involve more than 3 apps are exactly what I’d be trying to avoid with this setup :) Of course that’s still just a dream. But it is a beautiful dream for me.
robohoe 8y ago
It’s the ability to instantaneously open up the iPad and have the screen available to me. I don’t have super lengthy workflows (max 2-3 apps at the same time) so ALT-TAB works perfectly fine for me. For those times when I really need to, I can always split screen.

freehunter 8y ago

Every few months I go and read this series over again: http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-for-an-ipad http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-... For me it's basically pornography: a beautiful fantasy that I love pretending is real but is actually completely unrealistic (at least in my case). The idea of ditching my laptop and traveling the city with a thin client, not caring if it breaks or gets corrupted because all the data is sitting somewhere up in the cloud, backed up and taken care of. No fans, no worries of processor power or RAM, incredibly flexible form factor, instant-on and everything full screen by default, notifications that just work and work in a unified and consistent way. No distractions, just zen working in a park with a fountain and a chocolate croissant. Problem is I do web development and app development, neither of which are terribly feasible on a tablet. A man can dream though. A man can dream.

komali2 8y ago
I mean, it just comes down to OS at that point, yea? Why not get a turbo-thin ultra book and throw Ubuntu on it, then use cloud storage for everything? Could just SSH in as well. You could even install ubuntu on an android tablet. If what you want is the form factor and speedyness of solid state everything, you could get a tablet that isn't an ipad. Lenovo makes some that would be trivial to swap out for Ubuntu or whatever https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/c/TABLETS https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/tablets/c/TABLETS
- freehunter 8y ago
  A big part of it is the zen. I love Linux and it powers my entire career as a server OS but it is anything but zen and I would never use it as a desktop OS.