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A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

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Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#61

Post by heimatau »

kaishiro wrote: post #60
heimatau wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, I didn't want to write a book of reasons but one of my math professors avidly uses it and it crashes EVERY SINGLE class, many times it crashed at least two times in a 3 hour class. The max was about 7.

The problem with anecdotes is that they're easily refuted. For example, I know of someone who uses a Surface as their full time development machine and I've never seen it crash on him...ever. Just be careful dismissing products due to a singular negative narrative that you've created.

I doubt 'ever'. It doesn't matter what OS the person is using, there will be crashes. It also crashes on my sister-in-law. I'd say you are just as guilty saying 'problem with anecdotes is that they're easily refuted'.

I'm not a blind Apple user. The recent MBP changes has me strongly looking for an alternative. I didn't make up my mind. I went out of my way to go to a Msft store and give them a shot. Nope, it failed. At the end of the day, the consumer most likely makes a decision based on anecdotes. There is no 'scientific standard' to 'should I buy a Surface or iPad'. There isn't. Being critical of my opinion is a sad thing. As, all I'm doing is sharing my experience and your attempts to 'refute' my perspective only help refute yours.

I'd encourage you to consider that I'm trying to help people with my experience. You sharing someone else's experience to 'correct' me is mean-spirited. Namely because your desire to correct and not inform.

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#62

Post by kaishiro »

heimatau wrote: post #61
kaishiro wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with anecdotes is that they're easily refuted. For example, I know of someone who uses a Surface as their full time development machine and I've never seen it crash on him...ever. Just be careful dismissing products due to a singular negative narrative that you've created.

I doubt 'ever'. It doesn't matter what OS the person is using, there will be crashes. It also crashes on my sister-in-law. I'd say you are just as guilty saying 'problem with anecdotes is that they're easily refuted'. I'm not a blind Apple user. The recent MBP changes has me strongly looking for an alternative. I didn't make up my mind. I went out of my way to go to a Msft store and give them a shot. Nope, it failed.…

You seem to have taken offense at what I was saying. I'll just say that wasn't my intent and leave it at that.

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#63

Post by heimatau »

kaishiro wrote: post #62
heimatau wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I doubt 'ever'. It doesn't matter what OS the person is using, there will be crashes. It also crashes on my sister-in-law. I'd say you are just as guilty saying 'problem with anecdotes is that they're easily refuted'. I'm not a blind Apple user. The recent MBP changes has me strongly looking for an alternative. I didn't make up my mind. I went out of my way to go to a Msft store and give them a shot. Nope, it failed.…

You seem to have taken offense at what I was saying. I'll just say that wasn't my intent and leave it at that.

Well, you sounded critical namely due to assuming/thinking I had only one experience, then trying to deconstruct how I was 'wrong'. Instead of maybe saying, 'I hope you aren't basing your decision on only one experience. As I had problems with the iPad crashing on me but I still think it's a solid device'.

How you approach saying something matters more than what you actually say, when dealing with humans. It's something that I'm learning as I've gotten older and I am not an expert.

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#64

Post by whiskers »

wslh wrote: post #53
falcolas wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same way he did Python, in a console. The only languages which may be a challenge to program in that fashion would be Swift, Objective C, and C# - because they are so tied to MacOS and Windows respectively. A well set up Vim or Emacs is perfectly capable of writing Node.js, Java, C (side note - hilarious that you tried to use this as an example, given that C and C++ are probably written by a majority of developer…

Developing using a remote computer is not developing in the iPad itself.

The point is that it's an equivalent workflow. It doesn't make the process of developing worse if you're used to those tools so why does it matter if it's 100% local?

We can assume if it's working for them then network connectivity isn't an issue (which is isn't for most of us, most of the time).

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#65

Post by dhess »

willstrafach wrote: post #56
new299 wrote: post #23

The article is interesting, I learnt about a few apps that could be valuable to me. But what I found most worrying was the lack of acknowledgement that exclusively using cloud storage has caviates associated with it. Are we really so comfortable with, unencrypted, cloud storage now that we don't even mention the potential for warrentlsss access and other abuses?

> Are we really so comfortable with, unencrypted, cloud storage now that we don't even mention the potential for warrentlsss access and other abuses? It is worth noting that iCloud allows encryption of your data using a passphrase (Usually the device passphrase but I believe you can set a custom one, if you prefer).

As of December 2016, I believe you are, generally speaking, incorrect. iCloud data is encrypted in transit and at rest, but only iCloud Keychain is encrypted "in such a way that Apple cannot read or access" it.[1] For all other data stored in iCloud, Apple both provides and retains access to the encryption keys. Note that this includes iCloud backups you make of your iMessages; however, if you do not back up your iMessage content to iCloud, then technically speaking your iMessages are not part of your iCloud footprint and Apple does not have access to that content.[ibid]

Apple's law enforcement guidelines[2] provide more detail about what Apple effectively has access to and can/will provide upon presentation of a warrant.

(As of iOS 9.3 and macOS 10.11.4, it appears that notes that you explicitly password-protect in the Notes app are also encrypted with a user-supplied key to which Apple has no access. They don't explicitly mention this functionality in [1] or [2], but they do imply that this is the case in [3].)

There have been rumblings [4] since the San Bernardino case that Apple is considering providing what you describe, so that users can provide their own encryption keys for their iCloud content and backups, such that Apple no longer has access to the plaintext. However, Apple has not implemented this functionality yet, and I haven't heard anything about it since the FBI dropped its case against Apple in this matter.

[1] http://www.apple.com/privacy/approach-to-privacy/

[2] https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelin...

[3] https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205794#forgot_password

[4] [paywall] http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-beefing-up-icloud-security-ap...

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#66

Post by dunham »

heimatau wrote: post #20

I'm currently debating to use an iPad Pro for my main workflow. This article is 12 pages long. Lots of solid perspectives. I'm surprised I haven't read more articles like this yet. I'm a math student. I hate the sheer volume of paper I have to lug around. I know the iPad won't replace 100% of my activities as a college student and as an autodidact but I have a sneaking suspicion that the iPad Pro is a solid device, l…

YMMV, but OneNote makes me nervous. I briefly played with it on OSX, and didn't see a good way to get notes out of it (e.g. for backup, recovery/usage in absence of OneNote). That is one thing that Evernote gets right IMO - the local store is just a bunch of html files + images, one directory per note.

For math - it's been over a decade, but I think I'd need a big device (ipad pro 12.9) and a pen. I'd want to be able to get a full page of notes on screen at once. That said, I'd be tempted. I've scanned my old notes for posterity and to save space, but it would have been nice to just capture them in digital form in the first place.

I'd also want a TeX stack on the device (editor+preview), but I'd write that if I had to. (I did pure plain TeX back in the day.)

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#67

Post by mafuyu »

dunham wrote: post #66
heimatau wrote: post #20

I'm currently debating to use an iPad Pro for my main workflow. This article is 12 pages long. Lots of solid perspectives. I'm surprised I haven't read more articles like this yet. I'm a math student. I hate the sheer volume of paper I have to lug around. I know the iPad won't replace 100% of my activities as a college student and as an autodidact but I have a sneaking suspicion that the iPad Pro is a solid device, l…

YMMV, but OneNote makes me nervous. I briefly played with it on OSX, and didn't see a good way to get notes out of it (e.g. for backup, recovery/usage in absence of OneNote). That is one thing that Evernote gets right IMO - the local store is just a bunch of html files + images, one directory per note. For math - it's been over a decade, but I think I'd need a big device (ipad pro 12.9) and a pen. I'd want to be able…

OneNote files are stored in the OneDrive file sync service by default (and I assume has the same data hiarangees), but you can save them locally if you'd like.

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#68

Post by heimatau »

It took me a while to go through his entire 12 pages but here is a brief list of the apps/accessories he speaks about:

*Note: there are duplicate apps for similar situations (i.e. three writing apps) but that's because he was switching between them for different uses.

- Readdle’s Document app - ‘best file manager’

- workflow app - like IFFTT

- iA Writer - writing app ($3.99, short writing)

- Working Copy Enterprise ($14.99) - collab writing

- Twelve South’s ParcSlope ($49.99 on Amazon)

- Razer Keyboard Case for iPad Pro ($169.99 on amazon)

- Anker PowerCore 20000 Battery ($45 on amazon)

- Apple 29W USB-C Charger

- Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless (headphones)

- SteelSeries Nimbus Controller

- Tom Bihn Daylight Briefcase

- Spotify and Apple Music

- Synology NAS - DS214play (for home server/media center)

    - DS Get, DS File, DS Video

    - QuickConnect feature with Synology (allows access to home server, in non-home settings)
- Infuse Pro 5 ($12.99, for not needing to convert media files)

- Plex (free - video streaming)

- Provenance (github - old games emulator for iOS)

    - https://github.com/jasarien/Provenance/wiki/Building-Provenance
- PlayMira ($9.99 - ps4 game streaming)

- Timepage for iPad (6.99 - calendar)

- Airmail ($4.99 - mail account)

- Sanebox ($ - email management assist)

- Pixelmator ($4.99 - edit images)

- Launcher with Notication Center Widges by Cromulent Labs (free - url automation)

    - https://www.macstories.net/reviews/with-launcher-2-0-im-rethinking-my-notification-center-widgets/
- Inoreader (free - rss feed reader)

- Fiery Feeds Premium (9.99 - rss feed reader)

- Copied (free - clipboard manager)

- Bear ($4.99 - notes replacement)

    - https://www.macstories.net/stories/why-im-considering-bear-as-a-notes-app-replacement/
- Ulysses ($24.99 - text document writing, zen app, short writing)

- Pinnacle Studio Pro ($12.99 - video editing)

- VideoGrade ($5.99 - color editor of videos)

- DEVONthink To Go ($14.99 - doc and info management, search function is high value)

- iThoughts ($11.99 - mindmap)

- Scrivener - ($19.99 - writing, long form writing)

- Ferrite Recording Studio (free, voice memo with editing)

- SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive (SDIX30C-064G-GN6NN) (64 gb = $49.99)

- Annotable (free, image annotation)

He writes about a lot of apps. Here is a list of it all (warning all of his stuff is affiliate links) https://www.macstories.net/stories/one-year-of-ipad-pro/12/#...

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#69

Post by nunez »

cwyers wrote: post #42
nunez wrote: post #16

I unsuccessfully tried using the iPad as a full-fledged computer for two months. It did not work out. Much of the web still assumes that you're using a mouse. You don't realize this until you try browsing the web with the iPad. Also, using SSH,even with Panic, was not as seamless as it seemed. There was much screen refreshing. I really missed having a mouse.

You can get a USB mouse, can't you?

iOS doesn't have a mouse driver, so no, unfortunately :(

Re: A Computer for Everything: One Year of iPad Pro

#70

Post by jimmywanger »

wslh wrote: post #27
ar0 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The author is the one who speaks for everyone. No, he doesn't. He speaks of his own experiences. In fact, he states as much very clearly in the introduction: "The Mac and the iPad can coexist in a market where customers believe one is superior to the other. I prefer working on the iPad; others like their Macs more. And that's fine[...]".

> He speaks of his own experiences. His experiences only work for a few people. For example, Node.js is one the top programming languages being used now, how do you develop with Node.js in the iPad Pro? Java? C/C++? Go?

> For example, Node.js is one the top programming languages being used now

Node.js is not a programming language. It's a framework. I currently develop Node.js for work, and I always SSH into a remote machine to run tests and do development work. Developing Javascript, C, Go, and Java over a ssh connection is doable, one of the best options in the case of C and Javascript.

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