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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

#21

Post by nottorp »

theshrike79 wrote: post #13
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.

Thanks!

Another 300 years and ipads will be usable as developer systems :)

In the mean time, I think I'll keep my mbpro around...

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#22

Post by rfoo »

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".

Yeah, that's why I refuse to buy PS5, iPhone and iPad.

I have a Switch though, thanks to Nintendo's incompetency on locking it down.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#23

Post by zakki »

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".

Are you going to bring your Smart TV and PS5 for VSCoding anywhere and anytime?

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#24

Post by rcarmo »

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

iSH is a restricted x86 emulator, so booting to it will never happen. But one can hope…

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#25

Post by rcarmo »

palad1n wrote: post #5

I want to believe! Anyone tried this yet?

I use it regularly (from the very beginning) and it works great, except that the VS Code instance is a “web” one, and as such quite restricted in terms of what extensions it can run. You also need to install a (free) file system extension for it to actually access any files (local or remote).

The terminal by itself is pretty great, and supports SSH agent forwarding (a key thing for me, that sadly mosh doesn’t handle well).

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#28

Post by sebtron »

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…

Or even smartphone-sized devices (not saying "smartphone" because of the expectations for those in terms of battery life and telephony). With keyboard in my backpack I could have a legit pocket-size general purpose computer.

I am keeping an eye on Starlabs new intel-based linux tablet [1], I am curious what the reviews will be like once it finally ships.

[1] https://starlabs.systems/pages/starlite

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#29

Post by steve1977 »

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…

> 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.

Sad Surface Pro noises…

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#30

Post by steve1977 »

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".

But you know these restrictions when you buy the device. Same with the Apple ecosystem. So why make it illegal?
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