- Textastic for iOS
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Ideas
+1
One different idea on version controll
I just thought about a totally different idea how version controll could be implemented, without any problems with ssh and or licenses.
There will be a Mac and Windows App on your computer, where the version controll you are using is already installed. Then the textastic app is comunicating with this app over WiFi.
Textastic itself would only need to have the following options:
- create a connection to the Mac or PC app.
- have a button to commit and push changes. This would transfer one or all changes files to your computer and finally it will be commited, pushed or whatever from there.
- when opening a file in Textastic that's on your computer, it'll ask the computer to pull changes from a server and then copy the changes files onto your iPad.
This would be very simple without any big problems. Most developers have a 24 hour server anyway, and if you really want to use this feature over 3G either the computer app supports this filesharing through the interrnet or a vpn connection can be created by the user.
All this is resulting a very simple app, without the need to have native ssh support and a terminal etc. to display output. For the users they will only have 3 buttons, push, pull, commit (regardless of what Version Controll they are using) and without any setup on the iPad except for the connection to your computer.
There will be a Mac and Windows App on your computer, where the version controll you are using is already installed. Then the textastic app is comunicating with this app over WiFi.
Textastic itself would only need to have the following options:
- create a connection to the Mac or PC app.
- have a button to commit and push changes. This would transfer one or all changes files to your computer and finally it will be commited, pushed or whatever from there.
- when opening a file in Textastic that's on your computer, it'll ask the computer to pull changes from a server and then copy the changes files onto your iPad.
This would be very simple without any big problems. Most developers have a 24 hour server anyway, and if you really want to use this feature over 3G either the computer app supports this filesharing through the interrnet or a vpn connection can be created by the user.
All this is resulting a very simple app, without the need to have native ssh support and a terminal etc. to display output. For the users they will only have 3 buttons, push, pull, commit (regardless of what Version Controll they are using) and without any setup on the iPad except for the connection to your computer.
Customer support service by UserEcho
- you still can code everytime everywhere, you just need a connection to push and pull.
- an Internet connection of both, your iPad and your computer could help to push, whenever you are not at work/home.
Of course it's not the same as having native version controll support on the device directly, but at least you could work anywhere and be connected to your repo through your computer.
I think, that most developers have a running server, so for them it would be no difference.
The way I'm using Textastic now is copying all or some files to my ipad, modify them, copy them back to my computer and then push them from there. This process could be improved, doesn't it?
It's not the perfect solution, and yes, it's not for everyone, but it's better that living without it at all just because of some licensing destrictions.
Any you would not have to update the app just because of a change in any version controll system, because the real version controll management is done on your computer. It would also support tones of different vcs from the beginning.
"The idea [...] is to cut the dependency of the laptops/pcs." Well, I bet you'll never code something totally without a computer anyway, at last you would need one to run your code. So my idea might help transfering file changes...
But I don't want to say hey, this is The way to do it, and it's great, and of course I haven't thought about it throughoutly, just an idea, I wanted to share and I love your comments, especially the critic ones.