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 ?
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The main limitation is your input device, attach a keyboard and a monitor and you should be able to program on anything
Yeah, lol. Bluetooth keyboard + USB-C display adapter connected to a larger monitor, and the phone becomes kind of usable for coding.
I have previously used my phone like this to run godot and it actually works well.
Yeah, Samsung’s dex is pretty amazing for this (only on the high end gear, I believe). Suck its a Samsung value add, cos they’re horroble devices
I’ve done the same thing on lineageos using xwindows. A little clunk to be sure. And the phone ran HOT, but it worked.
Nice! I didn’t l know you could (never looked into it it).
We considered trying dex at work but the cost of the phones was so much more than a thin client it really wasn’t worth it
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.
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
if I had to use a mobile only, then a blackberry was amazing. but if I had a travel keyboard and a blackberry, I would keyboard.
I’ve done it before. Would I do it again given other options? Probably not, but it is doable
Brother, I used to write code on a TI-83+ calculator.
It can be done.
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
Can you suggest any special keypad for Android phones, for coding purposes ?
I’m using this mouse /keyboard combo buts it’s not very good, the mouse doesn’t like to share paired and the keyboard doesn’t have very good feedback
Something like a k400 or a k480 from logi with a mouse would be better
Most android keyboards have all the special keys you need, they’re just 2-3 clicks away instead of 1. Something like Unexpected Keyboard might be more convenient. But the small screen is a bigger problem than the keyboard. Of course it can be done, it’s just a miserable experience.
print (“Hello World”)
It’s like drawing with sticks and bat dung
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.
Yes, and lots of people in lower income countries do so using a Bluetooth keyboard.
I’ve written some scripts on my phone with a software keyboard. Some CSS tweaking as well. I wouldn’t want to do anything complex, though.
I highly recommend Unexpected Keyboard for things like that. I still wouldn’t want to do more though, it’s just not a productive coding environment.
https://github.com/Julow/Unexpected-Keyboard (F-Droid / Play Store)
There are keyboards which provide more keys and layouts which can help (but take up more screen space).
Hackers keyboard was great, the replacement appears to be unexpected keyboard.
https://f-droid.org/packages/juloo.keyboard2
Remember a keyboard can steal all your info like passwords and usernames - make sure you trust it!
Or a flip keyboard like this is cool too.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266795334818
What language do you use as gitlab and GitHub both have browser based editors these days.
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
screenfor 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.
On a Linux phone that’s fast enough, it’s a great experience. On any other sort of phone, not so much.
You do it on a smart phone ??
You can, attaching a Linux phone to an external monitor gives you a standard Linux desktop. Like Samsung DeX mode on steroids, since you can run desktop apps easily!
You can, but small upgrades go a long way. Upgrade path I’d go for is keyboard -> mouse -> monitor -> used pc/laptop.
Honestly though, if you’re going to spend some money on it buying a used bargain bin laptop and installing Linux on it will be nice. Plenty of used laptops in $100-200 range are good enough.
