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Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

docs.blink.sh

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Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#11

Post by theshrike79 »

AJRF wrote: post #10

Hate to be that guy, but Samsung DeX is a much closer vision to a "Mobile device that doubles as a usable computer" than an iPad has proven to be since it launched 14 years ago. Especially if you get one of the Z Fold devices. It's a phone, a small tablet and a pluggable computer - all in one. Has had great terminal support for the past decade through Termux and can even run Emacs!

> Especially if you get one of the Z Fold devices. It's a phone, a small tablet and a pluggable computer - all in one.

It also costs as much as a phone, small tablet and a pluggable computer...

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#12

Post by infotainment »

watermelon0 wrote: post #6

Every time I see something like this, I'm a bit sad, that we live in a world where tablets (especially iPad M4) have comparable performance to most laptops, but we still cannot run a general purpose OS (macOS/Linux/Windows) on them. Tablets are surely capable of running VSCode, Docker, VMs, etc. locally, and from UX standpoint, VSCode is basically Chromium, so experience would be the same if these tools ran directly…

Agreed; Apple’s restrictions on the iPad should be illegal, IMO.

It’s ridiculous how crippled they are, and all in the name of making sure people feel compelled to also buy a laptop.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#13

Post by theshrike79 »

nottorp wrote: post #9

What does this do in plain english? It seems to either run vscode in a browser tab on ios or start an instance on a desktop that edits files on ios or run something in a 'cloud'... I suppose it makes sense at a first glance if you know what all the other stuff referred to in the article is, but otherwise ... not really.

Blink.sh is a terminal/ssh client for iOS

They have integrated VSCode APIs so that you can run VSCode web locally while editing files either on the iPad filesystem or on a remote server.

You can get a similar experience by running a web version of VSCode, like with Github Codespaces or Amazon's similar offering, but this can be run 100% locally if you want to.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#14

Post by theshrike79 »

infotainment wrote: post #12
watermelon0 wrote: post #6

Every time I see something like this, I'm a bit sad, that we live in a world where tablets (especially iPad M4) have comparable performance to most laptops, but we still cannot run a general purpose OS (macOS/Linux/Windows) on them. Tablets are surely capable of running VSCode, Docker, VMs, etc. locally, and from UX standpoint, VSCode is basically Chromium, so experience would be the same if these tools ran directly…

Agreed; Apple’s restrictions on the iPad should be illegal, IMO. It’s ridiculous how crippled they are, and all in the name of making sure people feel compelled to also buy a laptop.

I agree, but we should also make restrictions on smart TVs and gaming consoles illegal too.

Both the Xbox and PS5 are 100% commodity hardware, not being able to run our own software on it is a really weird limitation. One that people even on HN have accepted while simultaneously ragging on Apple's "walled garden".

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#15

Post by theshrike79 »

FredPret wrote: post #8

Blink doesn't have a lifetime license, which prevents me getting it. I just don't like working with rented tools. There's an excellent app called iSH which runs Alpine Linux on iOS. I wish it were possible to boot into iSH on the iPad

It's also 100% open source and GPLv3 Licensed: https://github.com/blinksh/blink

You can just clone the repo, build it yourself and use it 100% free as in beer and speech.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#16

Post by theshrike79 »

nasretdinov wrote: post #4

Blink is also a mosh client, so IMO the combo makes it the best iOS app for a dev/ops :)

Mosh is an essential requirement for any kind of mobile work over ssh, combine it with tmux and iTerm2 tmux integration and you can work on a remote server without even knowing it :D

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#17

Post by pjmlp »

watermelon0 wrote: post #6

Every time I see something like this, I'm a bit sad, that we live in a world where tablets (especially iPad M4) have comparable performance to most laptops, but we still cannot run a general purpose OS (macOS/Linux/Windows) on them. Tablets are surely capable of running VSCode, Docker, VMs, etc. locally, and from UX standpoint, VSCode is basically Chromium, so experience would be the same if these tools ran directly…

Many devs are also to blame, there are enough hybrid laptops around to pick from, so basically they are voting with their wallet validating that this kind of workarounds are acceptable.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#18

Post by pjmlp »

theshrike79 wrote: post #14
infotainment wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed; Apple’s restrictions on the iPad should be illegal, IMO. It’s ridiculous how crippled they are, and all in the name of making sure people feel compelled to also buy a laptop.

I agree, but we should also make restrictions on smart TVs and gaming consoles illegal too. Both the Xbox and PS5 are 100% commodity hardware, not being able to run our own software on it is a really weird limitation. One that people even on HN have accepted while simultaneously ragging on Apple's "walled garden".

Actually that is not the case with XBox, you can have your own applications there without rooting it.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/xbox-apps/devk...

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#19

Post by rezonant »

theshrike79 wrote: post #14
infotainment wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed; Apple’s restrictions on the iPad should be illegal, IMO. It’s ridiculous how crippled they are, and all in the name of making sure people feel compelled to also buy a laptop.

I agree, but we should also make restrictions on smart TVs and gaming consoles illegal too. Both the Xbox and PS5 are 100% commodity hardware, not being able to run our own software on it is a really weird limitation. One that people even on HN have accepted while simultaneously ragging on Apple's "walled garden".

If you just changed "but" to "and" you'd get your point across with less a sense of whataboutism.

Yes, all platforms should be free. Personally it feels like devices that are marketed as general purpose have a higher expectation that people can use them for general purposes, but it is definitely true that any device you purchase should allow you to run whatever software you want on it.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#20

Post by throw5345346 »

Blink is a valiant effort -- serious, quality work, that makes an enormous difference to people who need to do ad hoc work from a tablet...

... and really shouldn't be needed.

(It's not the only useful tool on the iPad -- I adore the rather idiosyncratic GoCoEdit -- but I am a VSC-Remote person now)

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