Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS. • Hacker News Board

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#131

Post by ugh » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 8:28 AM UTC

gregory80 wrote: post #73

cschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your comment highlights a difference between the Android and iOS communities. Android users just want free software, while iOS users don't mind paying for quality. Guess which platform ends up with the slickest software, with the most spit and polish. Developers find paying customers on iOS, so that's where the develop.

> Android users just want free software, while iOS users don't mind paying for quality. that seems like a gross generalization. Having had and used both android and iOS I never saw that behavior in myself or others. I have to agree with OP, i don't understand the excitement over this SSH client, interface included. A shell prompt is one of the oldest interfaces. iOS can support 3D graphics rendering and gaming and pa…

There is next to no software I can think of where a $5 price point would be bizarre. How can a $5 SSH client even begin to be bizarre?

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#132

Post by Udo » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 8:51 AM UTC

gregory80 wrote: post #73

cschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your comment highlights a difference between the Android and iOS communities. Android users just want free software, while iOS users don't mind paying for quality. Guess which platform ends up with the slickest software, with the most spit and polish. Developers find paying customers on iOS, so that's where the develop.

> Android users just want free software, while iOS users don't mind paying for quality. that seems like a gross generalization. Having had and used both android and iOS I never saw that behavior in myself or others. I have to agree with OP, i don't understand the excitement over this SSH client, interface included. A shell prompt is one of the oldest interfaces. iOS can support 3D graphics rendering and gaming and pa…

Being able to ssh into a server while on the road with nothing more than an iPad is a feature that has value to some people (like me, for example). For an app that is really useful, the difference between $5 and free is negligible. I just paid more for my coffee than I did for Prompt, and I didn't think about that twice either.

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#133

Post by rmc » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 8:57 AM UTC

akent wrote: post #106

cschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your comment highlights a difference between the Android and iOS communities. Android users just want free software, while iOS users don't mind paying for quality. Guess which platform ends up with the slickest software, with the most spit and polish. Developers find paying customers on iOS, so that's where the develop.

Technically minded Android users develop good software (like ConnectBot) for themselves, and then share it with the like minded community for free as in beer and free as in freedom.

That's what annoys me about the iOS ecosystem, there is a marketplace, not a community.

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#134

Post by Udo » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 9:04 AM UTC

akent wrote: post #106

cschmidt wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think your comment highlights a difference between the Android and iOS communities. Android users just want free software, while iOS users don't mind paying for quality. Guess which platform ends up with the slickest software, with the most spit and polish. Developers find paying customers on iOS, so that's where the develop.

Technically minded Android users develop good software (like ConnectBot) for themselves, and then share it with the like minded community for free as in beer and free as in freedom.

That's why Android is the better OS in my opinion. iOS wouldn't even let me copy an app that I wrote myself to my own device, it's just incredibly restrictive. That said, I did finally cave and buy an iPad after trying out and being disappointed by several other tablets (Linux and Android based ones). But no matter what OS, I don't mind paying five bucks for a decent utility and I would have paid for ConnectBot as well, which incidentally I use on my phone.

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#135

Post by xuki » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 10:31 AM UTC

I type "exit" and the app crashes. I think this is a feature.

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#136

Post by jodrellblank » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 11:32 AM UTC

rhizome wrote: post #118

danilocampos wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not clear to me what you're objecting to. This isn't a conversation about the simplicity (or not) of the SSH protocol, but rather a conversation on why it's exciting when good, simple tools like Prompt are created.

You're making a category error against SSH with examples like knives, which have a lot of variation. Let's see you write as much about having used a "really nice chopstick" or typing an especially round period at the end of a sentence. There's a paradox here where ssh is already a good, simple tool, so how do you improve on that? Make it easier to type on an iPad? I don't think that's going to happen, so let's take a…

Really nice chopsticks: powder coloured machined titanium with rough textured gripping ends:

http://www.tistix.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPa...

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#137

Post by jodrellblank » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 11:46 AM UTC

spitfire wrote: post #64

jrockway wrote: post #8

So, as a UNIX hacker, here's what I don't get about the iOS community. There is way too much excitement over the simplest things ever. Let's break down some of the copy for this app: Prompt is a clean, crisp, and cheerful SSH client What does that mean? What does a clean ssh client do; not commit any protocol violations? What is crisp? When you bite into it, it's like a ripe apple? What does cheerful mean? Is the ssh…

Everything in the ios/webapp field has to be the fun! and easy! way to do whatever. "colontast.ic is the fun and easy and social new way to do colonoscopies!" Picture that page with sky blue background, happy cartoon characters and rounded buttons (3 easy steps!). It wears me right out. Like those cheap painted "sale!' signs at car dealerships.

I know you're trying for comedy, but I prefer the fun and easy way to X than the confusing and miserable way - which is how many programs are by default.

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#138

Post by jodrellblank » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 11:56 AM UTC

jrockway wrote: post #8

So, as a UNIX hacker, here's what I don't get about the iOS community. There is way too much excitement over the simplest things ever. Let's break down some of the copy for this app: Prompt is a clean, crisp, and cheerful SSH client What does that mean? What does a clean ssh client do; not commit any protocol violations? What is crisp? When you bite into it, it's like a ripe apple? What does cheerful mean? Is the ssh…

That's not you speaking as a UNIX hacker, that's you speaking as a someone who takes a permanently miserable attitude on almost everything.

How dare they describe such a holy item as an SSH client without a list of which protocol weaknesses it has taken into account! SSH isn't cheery, this is serious business! UNIX IS NOT A TOY! Harumph! Etc.

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#139

Post by Terretta » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 12:00 PM UTC

jrockway wrote: post #65

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume the cause of this is the high latency in your cell phone's data connection. I can eliminate most of the latency of using ConnectBot on my Android phone just by being connected to Wifi instead of HSPA.

readline should really emit some character when it enters and leaves line-editing mode, so the line-editing can happen on the client side. It's not annoying to wait 200ms after you've finished your command and are waiting for the output. It is annoying to wait 200ms for your backspace to take effect.

Welcome to dialup, average latency 220 ms.

Re: Introducing Prompt. Nice SSH for iOS.

#140

Post by yardie » Fri, Apr 15, 2011, 12:04 PM UTC

rmc wrote: post #133

akent wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically minded Android users develop good software (like ConnectBot) for themselves, and then share it with the like minded community for free as in beer and free as in freedom.

That's what annoys me about the iOS ecosystem, there is a marketplace, not a community.

That's what annoys me about the iOS ecosystem, there is a marketplace, not a community.

This will come as a great surprise to Mac and iOS users everywhere.