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I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

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Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#221

Post by rayiner »

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.

I used to program with a 24" monitor. Then I switched almost exclusively to my 13" Macbook/Pro and haven't looked back.

The screen is just the right size to fit two 80x25 text editor windows side-by-side when full-screened. Swiping back and forth with Mission Control is almost as quick as switching your glance from one big monitor to another. Having your "mouse" right below your keyboard makes clicking something only marginally more time consuming than contorting your hands to hit an Emacs command sequence.

Probably still faster with the big setup, but I get a lot of mileage out of my little setup and I get a huge productivity/creativity boost from being able to wander around the house, head to a Starbucks, etc.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#222

Post by abrowne »

For_Iconoclasm wrote: post #164
moconnor wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The restrictions of iOS make me happy: I have a simple consumer brick. I can wipe it and restore it on a different device without losing a single byte. It never stutters, never misses a frame. I never need to care which programs are running or the layout of the filesystem. The psychological effect of this is surprisingly powerful.

I'm not going to argue with your opinion like others are doing, but I find it very interesting that you have this viewpoint. It would sort of be like a car enthusiast preferring an automatic car for its smooth, self-maintained shifting, or a skilled cook preferring a boxed meal because it is easier to make.

The iPad is his terminal, not what he's programming.

So it's more like a cook who prefers an oven with a temperature knob over the flexibility and control of lighting and tending his own fire.*

* I say this a someone who definitely is glad not to have to kindle a fire to cook even the most elaborate meals, but who loves a good wood-fired pizza.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#223

Post by rayiner »

exDM69 wrote: post #59
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.

A tiling window manager can definitely be a huge productivity booster. Perhaps even more than adding an extra display, which is often said to be the cheapest way to improve productivity. A tiling WM costs nothing. I've even started working comfortably using just one display now that I've changed to using a tiling WM. With a floating wm, I needed at least two large displays to work comfortably. Lots of that screen are…

Mission Control on OS X on a laptop is also a huge improvement over overlapping windows. Swiping between full-screen apps becomes second nature very quickly.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#224

Post by wes-exp »

stock_toaster wrote: post #190
wes-exp wrote: post #154

Imagine an "iPad Pro" that had similar battery life and even an integrated keyboard. In addition to supporting the SSH workflow, it can run traditional GUI applications if you really need them. You don't have to wait: it's called the MacBook Air.

I really like the 13" Air form factor, but the high resolution and smaller physical size results in fonts that are a bit too small for my eyes these days. So, I stick with my couple-gen-back 15" with matte finish and 1440x900.

The new full-screen capabilities in Lion can help with reading on small screens (in fact I think that's why they added it). Combined with bumping up the font size in applications, it can be quite readable.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#225

Post by [deleted] »

dpapathanasiou wrote: post #65
raganwald wrote: post #9

One fateful day, VMWare and OS/X conspired to trash my shared filesystem, losing several days of uncommitted code in the process. Several days of uncommitted code? We need to have a heart to heart talk about your process.

Insightful, and so close to a haiku as well... Here's an attempt: Mac lost my data Many days of work gone Cloud to the rescue

[deleted]

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#227

Post by zachleat »

raganwald wrote: post #20
moconnor wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is really true. Back then we were still using CVS, and I was writing a feature that I thought wasn't quite big enough to branch and remerge for, but turned out to be a bit more involved to get right than I'd thought. Now we're on Mercurial and life is better. Edit: A nice win with the Linode is that they back it up for me for $5 a month. Sure, there are solutions for the desktop too, but somehow I never got arou…

There are two kinds of programmers: Those who’ve earned their experience the hard way, and insufferable know-it-alls who parrot whatever was in the last witty blog post they read. There’s zero shame in being the first kind :-)

What's the URL to the blog post where you read this? :)

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#228

Post by DrHankPym »

billpatrianakos wrote: post #19

I can't deny that this is a cool setup but I can't see it being useful for long. I personally need to see multiples windows simultaneously as I work. Swiping over can't cut it for very long. But good for you, man. To each his own I suppose.

You can use GNU screen to have more than one bash shell running, and you can use tabs and screen splits with Vim. I use to do this on my G2 phone; it's easier to play with Vim over ssh with a physical keyboard. Unfortunately, my phone lacks some critical characters like '|', '>' and '<', but it's really nice to be able to make edits wherever, whenever.

Re: I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode

#230

Post by vertr »

dpapathanasiou wrote: post #65
raganwald wrote: post #9

One fateful day, VMWare and OS/X conspired to trash my shared filesystem, losing several days of uncommitted code in the process. Several days of uncommitted code? We need to have a heart to heart talk about your process.

Insightful, and so close to a haiku as well... Here's an attempt: Mac lost my data Many days of work gone Cloud to the rescue

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