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Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

charlieharrington.com

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Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#71

Post by joeman1000 »

mathewsanders wrote: post #59
joeman1000 wrote: post #54

Similar to what I’ve been doing lately. Bought an M1 iPad (different story…) and have been using MOSH and Blink Shell to access my computer at home running emacs. Has been a blast doing journaling, logging my time in org-mode, writing notes in org-roam for uni subjects. Has been a game-changer for me. I know it’s just a ‘dumb terminal’ but the experience is so seamless it’s incredible. MOSH makes sure the connection…

What is the UX for switching between apps or moving the screen like? Can you do this with keyboard shortcuts or do you find yourself switching between keyboard and touch screen for some interactions? I find this idea of using a keyboard super appealing but don’t like the idea of switching between keyboard and screen all the time. At least a virtual keyboard is on the screen!

You can CMD-TAB to other apps as on macOS. There are many of the same keyboard shortcuts translated to iPadOS, even some emacs movement keys in all text boxes!

There isn’t enough room to have more than one thing open usually, so lots of CMD-TAB action.

Normally I’m doing one or the other - typing or annotating/drawing with the pencil. If I need touch-interaction when typing I can use the trackpad.

I can’t say it’s a perfect experience, or even a practical one, but I still enjoy it. Maybe it’s just the novelty of the setup. It weighs more (with the keyboard-case) than my MacBook Air, but it does have a nicer screen and it is waterproof. It lends itself more to portability for sure. I tend to just chuck it in my bag more often than I did with my laptop.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#72

Post by reportgunner »

> I'm typing this post on my iPhone in the Obsidian iOS app using a Logitech K380 Bluetooth keyboard and I feel like a 90s computer hacker.

90's computer hacker ? I don't know, this sounds nearly as consumer as it gets.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#73

Post by aikinai »

ubermonkey wrote: post #63

For a really long time, I never left town without my laptop, even if it was a pleasure trip. I have lots of stuff there I might want on a personal level, plus for the last 14 years I've been in a broad role in a small software company that kind of requires it. (I mean, it doesn't, and I'm not griping, but it's easier for everyone else if I limit the amount of time I'm truly unreachable, so I pick and choose.) The inc…

I’m curious why you prefer the iPad and keyboard over a laptop since adding the keyboard typically makes the iPad both bigger and more unwieldy than a laptop.

I ask because I also like the vague idea of not taking a laptop, but I’m not going to do any serious typing on a screen keyboard and adding an external keyboard makes the iPad less portable than a laptop (plus you probably need a stand and mouse as well to reach the physical usability of a laptop).

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#74

Post by avel »

yasenn wrote: post #4

Android - Termux - git+vimwiki Logitech k480 as a keyboard Logitech MX Ergo as a mice

Unfortunately Logitech k480, as good a concept it might be, has a very mediocre button feel and also feels very bulky . That was probably on purpose, so that it can support the weight of a tablet. On the bright side it can be found for pretty cheap now.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#75

Post by aikinai »

joeman1000 wrote: post #54

Similar to what I’ve been doing lately. Bought an M1 iPad (different story…) and have been using MOSH and Blink Shell to access my computer at home running emacs. Has been a blast doing journaling, logging my time in org-mode, writing notes in org-roam for uni subjects. Has been a game-changer for me. I know it’s just a ‘dumb terminal’ but the experience is so seamless it’s incredible. MOSH makes sure the connection…

I also use Blink with Mosh, but what’s your physical setup? You mentioned using it on the train, so are you using an attachable keyboard like the Magic Keyboard? At that point, isn’t the iPad just bigger and heavier than a laptop?

I don’t ask to refute your experience; I’m honestly curious since I like the idea of just using the iPad, but the ergonomics just seem inherently inferior regardless of software concerns.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#76

Post by sixty4bit »

This is nice and all, but what I am waiting for is the phone to power my desktop setup. I walk up, drop the phone into a dock, and my three 27" monitors all wake up with the desktop exactly as I left it.

To get there I think the GPU will have to be embedded in the monitors, and some interesting operating system hoops will have to be jumped through. Do cords have enough bandwidth now to support this? I honestly don't know the answer to this question. I feel like the answer is yes.

The other idea is just to mount the phone to a head mount display and go VR or AR. But I feel like that is going to require way more advancement in resolution on the phone screens to get right.

We can get there. We are super close. The iPad with an M1 chip probably already has the power to do it. Maybe one or two more years and this is not only feasible but purchasable. I'm a buyer.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#77

Post by aikinai »

mathewsanders wrote: post #59
joeman1000 wrote: post #54

Similar to what I’ve been doing lately. Bought an M1 iPad (different story…) and have been using MOSH and Blink Shell to access my computer at home running emacs. Has been a blast doing journaling, logging my time in org-mode, writing notes in org-roam for uni subjects. Has been a game-changer for me. I know it’s just a ‘dumb terminal’ but the experience is so seamless it’s incredible. MOSH makes sure the connection…

What is the UX for switching between apps or moving the screen like? Can you do this with keyboard shortcuts or do you find yourself switching between keyboard and touch screen for some interactions? I find this idea of using a keyboard super appealing but don’t like the idea of switching between keyboard and screen all the time. At least a virtual keyboard is on the screen!

I often use an external keyboard with my iPad (but not really on the go). Both multi-tasking and keyboard shortcut support have gotten a lot better recently (with an especially big push in iPadOS 15), but I find the biggest blocker that iPadOS still hasn’t been decided with a keyboard in mind.

For example, tons of apps—including Apple apps—don’t highlight text fields by default as they would on a computer, so you have to tap (or click) the field before you can type. You can very rarely tab to switch focus between different buttons and menus. You can’t type to jump to an item in a list, etc.

MacOS has so many little productivity enhancers, especially in regards to keyboard shortcuts and keyboard control, and the people designing iOS/iPadOS have just never made it a priority so even with an external keyboard, I find myself having to use touch or the mouse so much more often.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#78

Post by post_break »

aikinai wrote: post #73
ubermonkey wrote: post #63

For a really long time, I never left town without my laptop, even if it was a pleasure trip. I have lots of stuff there I might want on a personal level, plus for the last 14 years I've been in a broad role in a small software company that kind of requires it. (I mean, it doesn't, and I'm not griping, but it's easier for everyone else if I limit the amount of time I'm truly unreachable, so I pick and choose.) The inc…

I’m curious why you prefer the iPad and keyboard over a laptop since adding the keyboard typically makes the iPad both bigger and more unwieldy than a laptop. I ask because I also like the vague idea of not taking a laptop, but I’m not going to do any serious typing on a screen keyboard and adding an external keyboard makes the iPad less portable than a laptop (plus you probably need a stand and mouse as well to reac…

I'm the same way. My iPad is smaller, lighter, has cellular so I can get in generally everywhere. The battery (before my M1 Macbook Pro) lasted much longer, and didn't put out heat. It also had my movies for the plane. So it was killing two birds with one stone.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#79

Post by dTal »

thrwaeasddsaf wrote: post #58
dTal wrote: post #41

I got a GPD Micro PC a couple months ago and I'm in love. It's a magical size - exactly small enough to slip into a back pocket like a chunky phone, and exactly large enough that it's actually practical to use desktop software on it. It's ergonomically first-rate - I've done CAD work on it. And it's durable too - I've dropped it several times already and it's barely even scratched. It's also unlocked a class of activ…

How's the battery life? Can you replace the battery if/when it gets old? That looks like something I could buy. I've really wanted a tiny console PC with RS232 and ethernet for a long time now. I thought about building one into a custom keyboard using something like a raspberry pi but I haven't had the time to follow through. This thing looks like it could make my diy project unnecessary. I also haven't found phones…

Battery life is a solid 7 to 8 hours with real-world, screen-on usage, provided you're not compiling software or pushing the thing really hard. I've turned the TDP down on mine because I almost always prefer it to be cool rather than fast. You could probably drain the battery in a 2 or 3 hours if you really went for it.

Battery replacement is a matter of unscrewing the case. It's glued to the interior, but I've seen teardown videos of people just peeling it off so it's not a big deal. In lieu of hot-swapping batteries, I sometimes carry a USB-C PD power bank - although the Micro PC is low power enough that it will actually charge off a regular phone charger.

Re: Smart Phone, Dumb Terminal

#80

Post by aftergibson »

dTal wrote: post #51
aftergibson wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quick question, what about the Cosmo didn’t work that worked on the GPD Micro? Was the keyboard problematic on the Cosmo?

There were lots and lots of problems with the Cosmo as a phone, build quality first and foremost, but I'll focus on the screen/keyboard combo since that's the point of comparison with the GPD. First, the keyboard: The Cosmo keyboard is not designed for thumb typing. You can do it, but it's a bit awkward. The phone is not comfortable to hold in this configuration - it's thin, wide, top heavy, and the hinge has sharp e…

Amazing! Thanks for the detailed reply. That echoes a lot of my concerns looking at the product.

I struggled to find honest reviews of the device so much appreciated.

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