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Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

jann.is

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Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#71

Post by darrenf »

josteink wrote: post #55
darrenf wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "but it's not local and therefore not programming!" style reactions make little sense to me. Programming is an activity; where the code resides or executes doesn't change that fact. How would you have the title "corrected"?

If the title says "using device $X as a main computer for programming", that linguistically entails two things: 1. that "main computer for programming" is the one running the stack and software used for programming and 2. that this device is $X. In this case the main computer for programming is a machine in the cloud ($Y, not $X), and $X is a terminal connecting to the cloud ($Y). The title for this submission is cle…

We will have to agree to disagree. When I'm programming, as a backend engineer (like the article's author) I am almost always making use of numerous computers at once: my local hardware, a remote dev instance, remote production instances, databases, etc etc. The one I consider to be "main" is the one I use to input commands, write code, etc. Like the author's iPad Pro.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#72

Post by Direct »

anopows wrote: post #65
Direct wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have been doing this for 4 years. I can rent a 16 core server for a couple of years for less cost than a low entry Macbook, with a 1Gbps line. With mosh, I can develop literally anywhere with no lag at all (or at least, no noticeable lag) even with a 3G connection. I can RDP to an EC2 Windows instance when I need a quick Windows machine, again with minimal lag even over 3G. I sold my desktop, and now use a cheap £2…

Which service do you use for renting a server?

Used to use a SoYouStart E5-1650v2 for the 6 Core/12 Hyper-Threads. I moved when I got a sweet server auction deal with two Xeon's but recently moved to Hetzner because the price for their AX50 Ryzen 1700X + 32GB of RAM is hard to beat.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#73

Post by falcolas »

suprfnk wrote: post #64
protocow wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is nonetheless a helpful article for pointing out some interesting tools available on iOS and on a server for getting this type of work done. But I agree, the $1000+ iPad Pro here is basically being used as a dumb terminal. If you're willing to accept a less-spectacular screen, look into inexpensive vintage products instead, like a Surface 3.

It's funny to me that you refer to a 2 year old product as 'vintage'. You can barely call it 'old'.

Well, when you consider that most semiconductors have an anticipated operational lifespan of 5-7 years, and the surface contains many such components, 2 years is well into middle-age.

ref. https://c3.nasa.gov/dashlink/static/media/other/ObservedFail...

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#74

Post by falcolas »

speedplane wrote: post #58
majewsky wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hardware terminals are back! \o/ Everything that's old is new again.

Yup, they are, but for different reasons. Today, I believe the push to terminals is due to the slow death of Moore's law. Computer performance today is not getting much faster, and it's certainly not growing at the exponential rate it was from the 1970s-2000s. Previously, if you wanted to double your performance, you would just wait 18 months or so, and some manufacturer would provide it. Now, we don't have that luxu…

I disagree. The death of Moore's law is exciting. It means all those optimization and constraint driven design skills are relevant once again.

For better or worse, working within constraints is frequently much more interesting than "don't worry about constraints, Moore will take care of it".

I'm excited to see where we go now that we've started to plateau.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#75

Post by falcolas »

speedplane wrote: post #53
pjc50 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The latency really doesn't need to be that bad. If you can play games on an internet connection it's definitely good enough to type on. (Someone will now come out of the woodwork to remind us of when they did all their development over a 300-baud serial teletype, uphill both ways)

At the last place I worked, all of our desktop computers were thin clients that logged into a virtual machine in a data center somewhere 30 miles away. The company had special network connections and even though latency was noticeable (especially scrolling large graphics), it was tolerable and good enough to get work done. However, at home, I would routinely login to the same remote computer and the latency was horri…

That 10th of a second case is where Mosh shines - you typically won't notice the typing latency, even with closer to a full second of latency.

It's more noticeable when jumping around the code, but I've found that such activities are not as intolerant of latency.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#76

Post by TheArcane »

falcolas wrote: post #73
suprfnk wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's funny to me that you refer to a 2 year old product as 'vintage'. You can barely call it 'old'.

Well, when you consider that most semiconductors have an anticipated operational lifespan of 5-7 years, and the surface contains many such components, 2 years is well into middle-age. ref. https://c3.nasa.gov/dashlink/static/media/other/ObservedFail...

> most semiconductors have an anticipated operational lifespan of 5-7 years,

Funny, my 7 year old laptop seems to be running just fine.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#77

Post by TheArcane »

Direct wrote: post #45
DigitalSea wrote: post #12

Should be titled, "I remotely tunnel to a server using my iPad Pro for programming" very misleading. Furthermore to the point: what's the benefit of tunneling to a remote machine for dev work? The latency would suck as would the overall slowness of things, it would drive you insane. You can hammer nails into a piece of wood using a rock, but why would you when you can use a hammer?

I have been doing this for 4 years. I can rent a 16 core server for a couple of years for less cost than a low entry Macbook, with a 1Gbps line. With mosh, I can develop literally anywhere with no lag at all (or at least, no noticeable lag) even with a 3G connection. I can RDP to an EC2 Windows instance when I need a quick Windows machine, again with minimal lag even over 3G. I sold my desktop, and now use a cheap £2…

> I can develop literally anywhere

Except on airplanes.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#78

Post by falcolas »

TheArcane wrote: post #76
falcolas wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, when you consider that most semiconductors have an anticipated operational lifespan of 5-7 years, and the surface contains many such components, 2 years is well into middle-age. ref. https://c3.nasa.gov/dashlink/static/media/other/ObservedFail...

> most semiconductors have an anticipated operational lifespan of 5-7 years, Funny, my 7 year old laptop seems to be running just fine.

So, still within the 5-7 year range? An operational lifespan is a timeframe in which most of the objects in question are expected to still work, not the timeframe by which most have failed.

If it continues to work for another 5-7 years, that's when you're getting into the "sturdier than average" realm. Your laptop could be a micron's worth of a whisker away from shorting itself out - you won't know until it happens.

Perhaps I should have stated my earlier point differently, but 2 years is still not a small portion of the lifespan of your average computer.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#79

Post by Direct »

TheArcane wrote: post #77
Direct wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have been doing this for 4 years. I can rent a 16 core server for a couple of years for less cost than a low entry Macbook, with a 1Gbps line. With mosh, I can develop literally anywhere with no lag at all (or at least, no noticeable lag) even with a 3G connection. I can RDP to an EC2 Windows instance when I need a quick Windows machine, again with minimal lag even over 3G. I sold my desktop, and now use a cheap £2…

> I can develop literally anywhere Except on airplanes.

Or underground trains, or long tunnels, or hikes, or many things. Hopefully though the typical developer doesn't spend the majority of his time on an airplane. Me personally, I don't need to be coding so consistently that the loss of a few hours on a plane is going to stop me doing this.

Re: Remotely tunneling to a server using an iPad Pro for programming

#80

Post by brightrhino »

0x006A wrote: post #3

can you work with those keyboards without a table, like put it on your lap?

The Logitech Create keyboard/case [0] for the 12.9 iPad Pro works great on my lap. The new Logitech Slim Combo case/keyboard [1] has a removable keyboard that doesn't work well on a lap but makes using it as a tablet easier.

Both keyboards are backlit and I like typing on them.

[0] https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/create-ipad-pro-keybo... [1] https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/slimcombo?crid=1762

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