Rails on iPad

Hi, I’d like to know if there is any way to develop an entire rails app in iPad.

Maybe with an app, maybe with an online platform as Cloud9.

I’d like to know what you think.

Thank you,

Rodrigo

Can you define what you mean by *develop* it in an iPad? Do you mean writing and testing the code?

Colin

Yes.

I mean do everything you would normally do in a laptop (or computer), but on iPad.

There are SSH clients available for the iPad.

You could install your development environment on a remote server und work on that server via SSH. Edit your code with emacs (or vim, nano, whatever) and run your tests on the remote server. Use iPad's Safari to test your JavaScript and CSS :slight_smile:

It's certainly not comfortable but it is doable!

Best regards, Christoph

I meant only with iPad, and without any other computer

No, but Rails is not a lone wolf there either. You couldn't develop Java, .NET, … apps, even Objective-C apps on an iPad without some sort of remote environment either. I don't know what's available on a jailbreaked one, but even there I wouldn't get my hopes up all too much. You'd basically need to be able to install a full runtime environment on the tablet, I don't see that happening.

It is certainly possible to write some code on an iPad, either through SSH or a dedicated editor like Textastic or Koder. In offline mode those applications will take you as far as writing code, syntax highlighting it and saving it locally. Actually running any of your code is impossible. But, as has been said, especially with all the Rails generators (although you could just create and define those files by yourself), it's not going to be your fulltime development machine. For some small code fixes or an HTML/CSS mockup on the road or in the couch at night, the iPad could be a valid options.

What about platforms like Cloud9?

Cloud9 would require you to have internet access, just like an SSH client would. All the heavy lifting is done remotely as far as I can see. NodeJS might be the exception there and will only work on Android-based tablets (if the code is überhaupt run locally), since Safari doesn't use the V8 engine Chrome does. Also, I'm not quite sure as to how far it's been developed with touch-based interaction in mind.

I'd say there's only one way to find out and that is to create a free account and try it for yourself.

Best regards

Peter De Berdt

I'm very interested in learning Rails. I've only done a little HTML, CSS, and PHP in the past.

The catch is, I only use an iPad. So is this even possible to do if someone setup the server for me first?

The only instance I've come across of an iPad being used for development along the lines you're thinking of is this:

<Yield Thought, I swapped my MacBook for an iPad+Linode;

I'm sorely tempted to do this myself. Far cheaper than a new Macbook Pro & mine's coming up five years old...

Cheers,

    Phil...

I’m very interested in learning Rails. I’ve only done a little HTML,

CSS, and PHP in the past.

The catch is, I only use an iPad. So is this even possible to do if

someone setup the server for me first?

The only instance I’ve come across of an iPad being used for development

along the lines you’re thinking of is this:

<http://yieldthought.com/post/12239282034/swapped-my-macbook-for-an-ipad>

Wow, thanks for sharing this, definitely food for thought. I guess as long as you can count on always having a decent internet connection this could be practical…