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Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

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Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#81
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

now that apple have to allow other sources for software, what is preventing Mozilla, chrome, vscode from actually running in ios?

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#82
post #28

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

The iPhone 15 pro could be a general purpose computer, but Apple doesn’t want that.

Imagine plugging your phone into a Lightning dock and then it is running full macOS or Ubuntu in a vm, with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse support.

This is possible from a hardware perspective (look at Samsung dex), and would actually bring innovation to the smartphone market, but we allow Apple/google/friends to lock down our hardware bc of profits.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#83

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…

It boggles my mind that Apple don't release an iPad that runs macOS. It would sell like hotcakes. And with the M series chips they have already developed the technology to have multiple securely segregated OS's on the same device (so they could have it run iPad OS too if they wanted to).

MacOS on touchscreen is not that great (think graphics tablet). So you’ll still have to bring a keyboard and a mouse/trackpad everywhere.

I’d rather see they make it more convenient to run your own software. It’s either 99 usd a year or 7 days installation.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#84
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! Another 300 years and ipads will be usable as developer systems :) In the mean time, I think I'll keep my mbpro around...

now that apple have to allow other sources for software, what is preventing Mozilla, chrome, vscode from actually running in ios?

If you're in the EU that should be possible, although the software is still limited to using Apple's public approved APIs since Apple still has a security notarization process software can be installed from third-party sources.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So even though as a user you have alternatives, you don’t want to buy one of those alternatives so Apple should make exactly what you personally want?

No, I'm saying that Apple is so far ahead of the competition and this market is so hard to enter, that they essentially have a monopoly in the category "tablet computer that isn't shit". And no, it's not that they should make what I want, it's that they should not prevent me from using their device in a way that I want.

Microsoft and Google are not tiny little companies. They have their own operating systems and the resources to make a good tablet.

Microsoft has just announced a tablet running full blown Windows running Qualcomm chips that from all indications is competitive with what Apple makes.

The latest Qualcomm ARM chips were designed by a bunch of ex-Apple folks.

But every hybrid solution sucks in one way or the other. I would much rather work on my MacBook Air M3 with a 2TB SSD and 24GB RAM with a 20+ hour battery life than an iPad Air/Pro with a keyboard and mouse attachment that hypothetically runs MacOS.

What problem are you trying to solve by not having both a MacBook and an iPad?

Cost? Give me a fully decked out MacBook Air + a cheap $349 low end iPad any day over an iPad Pro. Just the specs of the MacBook Air makes it better. As a bonus I can use my iPad as a second monitor.

The M4 in the iPad may be just as capable as an M4 in a future Mac. But the MacBook Air has better battery life and the iPad still makes trade offs between portability and power like less RAM (RAM takes battery), OS optimizations, sustained performance tradeoffs, etc.

Portability? The iPad is so light you don’t even feel it in a backpack. I literally traveled with both the entire year last year.

Short version: my wife and I took one way trips last year across the country visiting over a dozen cities while I worked remotely…

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36306966

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Another alternative is running ssh over Wireguard. It gives you some of the same benefits, like roaming between different internet connections while transparently maintaining connections that are going through the Wireguard VPN connection. https://www.wireguard.com/ I used to use mosh, but the lack of support for scrollback in mosh eventually made me give up on it. https://github.com/mobile-shell/mosh/issues/122 I’ve…

Doesn't that ruin standby battery life and/or fail when traveling between Wi-Fi networks due to TCP or SSH timeouts?

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#87
post #2

Okay. I feel like the generative power of the iPad has improved again.

It's a clever scheme, really:

Ship a device that is technically more powerful than many laptops, but artificially limit the OS's capabilities in pretty drastic ways, then lift the limitations bit by bit.

Is there a name for the inverse of boiling the frog?

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#88

Related: I tried to use Github Codespaces (Visual Studio in cloud) on iPad with a keyboard, using a browser. It works very well, in theory. There is only a slight deal breaker bug. Safari does not properly support clipboard. So copy-paste does not work. It should be very simple to fix as Chrome, Firefox, do on desktop if Safari would care more about web standards. Also you cannot install any other browser in iPad tha…

Safari does properly support the clipboard. I used it, right here on my phone to copy and paste:

> if Safari would care more about web standards

Which web standard or standards are you referring to exactly?

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this people will definitely pay a big premium to get: a surfacebook with M4 chip with macOS

While not exactly the same, it will be close enough for Apple not to do it - it's called MacBook Air and it will be out with M4 soon enough (I guess). Back in they day they had 11" MacBook line and I loved it, wish they'd bring it back.

I guess with the dell xps 13 having tandem oled now, this might arrive eventually. However, right now the screens are big differentiators between the ipad pro and macbook air.

Re: Run VSCode and terminal on any iOS device

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It boggles my mind that Apple don't release an iPad that runs macOS. It would sell like hotcakes. And with the M series chips they have already developed the technology to have multiple securely segregated OS's on the same device (so they could have it run iPad OS too if they wanted to).

MacOS on touchscreen is not that great (think graphics tablet). So you’ll still have to bring a keyboard and a mouse/trackpad everywhere. I’d rather see they make it more convenient to run your own software. It’s either 99 usd a year or 7 days installation.

They already sell a case with a keyboard/touchpad
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