Coding is normally done on the desktop, as the keyboard provides special keys. The keyboard of android phones is usually limited in this respect.

Is coding possible smart phones at all ?

  • dewritoninja@pawb.social
    1·
    5 hours ago

    I’ve been coding on my Android for 6 years now. At first it was with a native java editor for my programming 1 homework but then I discovered proot-distro for termux that allows you to run Linux distros as containers on Android.

    I have debian 13 on my Android and use scrcpy to screen cast a secondary screen on desktop mode. It can be a bit slow sometimes but for java, JavaScript and python it’s been alright. I know proot-distro can have issues with compiled languages like c and c++ but I haven’t used those there since the semester we used cpp it was for SIMD and arm doesn’t have the avx instructions.

    There’s a guy on GitHub called droidmaster that has the scripts to setup proot

  • Sv443@sh.itjust.works
    1·
    5 hours ago

    Termux can do a LOT, even with Android’s heavy sandboxing. I’ve used anWriter before, to make websites and serverside JavaScript apps, and also just as a text editor.
    I do also know there are ways to host VS Codium via a Linux VM in Termux and other ways to make the experience less awful.
    A physical keyboard and mouse hooked up via USB OTG is also recommended.

  • remon@ani.social
    69·
    21 hours ago

    Sure it’s possible. It’s also possible to cut an acre of grassland with scissors. Both are terrible ideas.

    • Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org
      15·
      21 hours ago

      possible to cut an acre of grassland with scissors.

      Never heard that. What’s all this modern nonsense? Traditionally you have to use a nail clipper!

    • Pommes_für_dein_Balg@feddit.org
      10·
      16 hours ago

      This reminds me of a research project I did in university (I studied ecology).
      The goal was to find out how much food geese need during migration.
      You can’t weigh them before and after they feed.
      So we went to a meadow they always frequent on their migration path.
      And then we used a ruler to measure the length of every single blade of grass, before and after they fed.

      We also collected what they left behind.
      Like coding on a phone, it was fowl shit.

    • OwOarchist@pawb.socialEnglish
      41·
      20 hours ago

      It’s also possible to cut an acre of grassland with scissors.

      Honestly, I’m not sure it is. The scissors might get dull and stop being able to cut before you finish. (Grasses often incorporate silica into their structure to grind down the teeth of animals that try to eat it and thus discourage them from eating too much.)

        • OwOarchist@pawb.socialEnglish
          1·
          19 hours ago

          Lawn mowers rely more on speed than sharpness. Even an extremely worn lawnmower blade will still cut grass if you give it enough RPM. They also have a lot more mass to be worn away than a pair of scissors.

  • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
    5·
    13 hours ago

    Possible, yes. But an awful experience if you don’t have a physical keyboard, even one of those cheap bluetooth ones. It’s barely bearable if you have one, since the screen is still too small.

    On Android, I can vouch for Acode and Xed-Editor, both available on F-droid, as code editors to help you program. Not ideal, but if you have no other option than using your phone to program, they’re good choices.

  • jet@hackertalks.comEnglish
    31·
    21 hours ago

    The main limitation is your input device, attach a keyboard and a monitor and you should be able to program on anything

  • Matt The Horwood@lemmy.horwood.cloudEnglish
    25·
    21 hours ago

    Possible, yes. Pleasant, no.

    I don’t like editing a spreadsheet on my phone, or typing much at all. If I had a blackberry, they would be different.

    • bluesheep@sh.itjust.works
      1·
      6 hours ago

      I feel like you would get a RSI way quicker on a blackberry keyboard than on a normal keyboard tho

      But that’s just a gut feeling

  • yyyesss?@lemmy.world
    3·
    16 hours ago

    Absolutely. I use termux + a project called Andronix to install full Debian. After that you’re off to the races. Install NVM, node, git, whatever. I use screen for tabbed terminals. I use one tab to run my node server and another to edit with vim.

    Keyboards: as mentioned, Hacker keyboard, Unexpected keyboard, or Codeboard. Or you can attach a Bluetooth keyboard.

    Everything just works. If you know vim and have patience, it’s a lot of fun.

  • SatyrSack@quokk.auEnglish
    1·
    14 hours ago

    I often find myself issuing a quick fix or something by pulling out my phone, opening Termux, remoting into a server with SSH, and editing a text file with something like Nano. That is, for all intents and purposes, coding. And it works well enough for that. I am generally familiar with the project via my time with it on desktop, so I know what small change I need to make and can do so quickly with just about any text editor. And even if I want to create an entire small script from scratch via my phone, I generally have the whole process mapped out in my head and just need to use the phone to type it out.

    But anything that requires a lot of typing or screen space is generally better to do on desktop. Even though something could technically be achieved on a 6" screen using an onscreen keyboard, many things are simply more streamlined and effortless using multiple windows and a physical keyboard.