Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

yieldthought.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 354 posts

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#121

Post by mbq »

vidarh wrote: post #98
moonboots wrote: post #21

For anyone still using gnu screen, tmux.

Looked at it; didn't see any compelling reasons to switch; went back to screen. Screen is for the most part "good enough" that any replacement that aims to supplant it completely needs to either be vastly and obviously superior or enough of a drop in replacement that it doesn't require any effort to switch (I'm most definitively not investing time updating config files or changing key presses unless the improvements…

tmux is 4 letters, screen is 6 =) And splitting view sucks less.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#122

Post by mgcross »

swombat wrote: post #46
moconnor wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is true, but I'd be sacrificing the silence, the portability and the battery life. And the hipster factor, I guess. 102x768 isn't for everyone, but in text-mode it's all the same. I've no idea how many hours I've spent on a huge high-res monitor staring at a relatively tiny terminal window surrounded by a pretty desktop picture.

The battery life of a Macbook Air is pretty damn good. You can get a good 6+ hours of work out of them before needing to plug in. Not quite iPad-scale, but close enough in many cases. Also, the iPad does tend to run out of battery a bit more quickly when using 3G and bluetooth heavily, I believe...

Maybe with the 13" MBA or MBP, but my 11" gets around half the battery life of an iPad.

On a different note, an iPad also makes for a decent external display for a cramped 11" MBA.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#123

Post by navs »

I actually attempted the same thing once but gave up after a day. I borrowed the iPad from work (clients absolutely love demos on this thing) and used iSSH to connect to my netbook running ubuntu.

First, I tried to create a simple mobile website with vim. I'm not a hardcore vim user so the frustration I felt using it on the iPad were mostly due to my level of inexperience with vim. Additionally, I didn't have an external keyboard. Using the software keyboard with my neck hunched forward gave me some serious cramps.

The second activity was writing a document. I used markdown and pandoc to create an rtf. googlecl for uploading to the google cloud.

Small screens bug some people but after using a 15" macbook pro and a 10" netbook, it normally doesn't bother me. In this case, using a software keyboard meant I had even less screen real estate which did bother me.

Overall, it was workable. If I ever took vacations, I could see myself taking an iPad (with keyboard) instead of a regular laptop and doing some emergency bug fixing but I wouldn't choose it over my netbook.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#124

Post by dspillett »

moconnor wrote: post #87
srik wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Screen is great. Though not it's fault, the only downside is that it cant persist through a machine restart.

I've never restarted my Linode ;-)

What about when a kernel update is due? Is something fancy like live patches (via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ksplice or the like) happening or are you simply skipping security updates?

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#125

Post by navs »

RyanCumley wrote: post #68

That's good stuff! I just did the business version of this post http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3186237 I haven't attempted anything for my normal Objective-C XCode work yet on an iPad. Anyone out there have any hacks to do iPhone/iPad dev from the iPad?

I guess you could use a service like MacinCloud.

http://www.macincloud.com/

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#126

Post by agentultra »

scottschulthess wrote: post #115
agentultra wrote: post #35

This has to be the most ergonomically inefficient set-up ever! I also cannot fathom how to work with 21" at least). And a tiling window manager. And a decent mechanical keyboard... ok ok.. Interesting setup. I'd be interested in knowing how it works out in the long term.

Having multiple monitors isn't good eronomically IMO. I always prefer what I'm working on to be on direct center, and I don't really see the point of having other stuff that isn't direct center. I prefer to alt-tab.

I have a large monitor on an arm in the center flanked by monitors to either side. My main monitor just has a full-screen emacs. The other monitors are for peripheral information such as browsers, irc sessions, email, etc.

It's great for keeping API docs open while I'm working without leaving my editor.

Having the center monitor on an arm just lets me adjust it's height when I move between leaning forward, slouching, or sitting straight, standing, etc.

A single monitor is limiting as it requires more context switches as I swap out windows in my viewing area. It's much nicer to just leave all the important windows open in a nice grid that spans multiple displays.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#127

Post by ynniv »

hack_edu wrote: post #60
scott_s wrote: post #36

For anyone who spends their day (or most of some days) in a terminal connected to a remote server, I can't recommend using GNU Screen enough (brief tutorial: http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2004/3/9/16838/14935 ). I've worked almost exclusively on remote servers, using the command line and vim, for about eight years now. It's only been in the past year that I started using Screen, and I feel stupid for not using it soo…

And anyone who uses GNU screen ought to know about Byobu, which makes screen a bit more visual and easy to navigate. Especially perfect for headless instances. Not wanting to leave it is why I've not spent much time with tmux. Is there something similar for it?

Ah! This is excellent! byobu appears to make screen configuration (particularly status lines) easier, while otherwise keeping out of the way. I won't be switching to F-key controls right away (I have a soft spot for the iTunes and volume bindings on Mac keyboards), but since byobu only speaks when spoken to, it is a welcome addition to my workspace!

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#128

Post by mgcross »

josefresco wrote: post #58
agentultra wrote: post #35

This has to be the most ergonomically inefficient set-up ever! I also cannot fathom how to work with 21" at least). And a tiling window manager. And a decent mechanical keyboard... ok ok.. Interesting setup. I'd be interested in knowing how it works out in the long term.

Not just lack of screen space but looking "down" to your screen even tilted on a table will wreak havoc on our neck/spine which extends to your extremities (and head) quickly. Simply slouching and tilting your head up pinches nerves in your neck which leads quickly to wrist/arm pain.

Yes, "text neck" is a serious problem with working on laptop/tablet. Using an external keyboard would allow for proper placement of the display on a desk. But manipulating the iPad via swipes while positioned at head level could lead to shoulder problems!

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#129

Post by Sindisil »

moconnor wrote: post #47
Sindisil wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I respectfully disagree, or partially, anyway. I've been developing software in Vim, Netbeans, and Visual Studio (with about a year or so of Eclipse thrown in for good measure). I've worked on projects in all three ranging from tiny 1kloc one-offs to several million line systems, using C, C++, Java, Bash, and a smattering of Perl and Python. For Java and C++ code bases beyond a few thousand lines, I certainly agree t…

For code navigation / completion, you could try eclim / clang_complete.

Yup, it's at the top of my pile of things to try when I need to take a break.

Though there's something that feels ... wrong with eclim in particular. Not that it'll stop me from using it if it works well!

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#130

Post by djcapelis »

scott_s wrote: post #112
scottschulthess wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you explain your question better? I don't understand it enough to take a shot at an answer

The only feature I care about is persistence. Is there a difference between Screen and tmux regarding persistence?

No.
Post reply on HN