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Post-Microsoft, post-PC programming: The portable REVOLUTION

Code jockeys: count up and grab your fabulous tablets

iPads aren't just for the suits

Working Copy developer Anders Borum always intended Working Copy to be the first step in a workflow, not an all-in-one solution. In an ideal workflow you'd open Working Copy, check out your code and then open the file you wanted to edit in the external editor of your choice - small pieces loosely joined.

The secret sauce behind that workflow is the new iOS 8 feature Apple calls Extensions (akin to Intents on Android). With Extensions, apps are aware of each other and can exchange data. For example, while in Working Copy you could click the share button and any text editors you have installed would offer to open the file.

This way Working Copy can focus on being a Git application and your favourite text editor can focus on being a great text editor.

The potential usefulness isn't limited to text editors either. Suppose you're a Python programmer, you probably have a Python runtime installed on your iPad. If the Python app were updated to work with iOS 8 Extensions you could pass your files from Working Copy on to the Python app and actually run them right on you iPad.

Despite many fond memories, moving on from BBC BASIC was the right thing to do

iOS 8 Extensions are, in short, awesome and powerful, but precious few apps have updated to support these features yet.

As Borum put it when I asked about connecting outside apps: "iOS 8 Extension support is a little like having a telephone ... If you're the only one there is not much value, but once a friend gets one it becomes more interesting and when most of your friends have a phone it will really change the way you interact."

In other words, the future is still unevenly distributed.

Working Copy isn't the only app that would benefit from Extensions support. Another key tool in my post-PC programming arsenal is Transmit for iOS. Transmit is an SFTP client, but so far it hasn't been updated to support iOS 8 Extensions either.

Then there's SSH clients such as Prompt and iSSH, both of which make it easy to login to your remote server. SSH access means you can live the "thin client" dream, though for many this is more a nightmare than dream. Still, if you need to compile code this will, given iOS's App Store restrictions, mostly likely always be a necessity.

The situation is much better in the Android world, but so far there hasn't been an Android tablet with hardware to match the iPad. If Ubuntu can bring a tablet to the market it would likely offer the best possibility of being a truly developer-friendly machine.

Portability goes a long way

Right now though, there are a lot of ”ifs” associated with iOS-based, post-PC programming world. Too many, in fact, to make working on your iPad more enjoyable than a laptop. I doubt that I'll be swapping my laptop for a tablet any time soon.

Having said that, I actually find myself grabbing my iPad on my way out the door more than I used to. It's lighter, the battery life is better and thanks to Working Copy, iSSH and Transmit for iOS I know I can at least get most of my work done. ®

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