Reflections on software development from anywhere on an iPad
I recount switching to an iPad-centred workflow after bricking my [[MacBook Pro M1]], making an [[iPad Pro M1]] with LTE my primary development machine while working remotely from [[Bunya Mountains National Park]]. I argue cloud-based, reproducible developer environments like [[Gitpod]] and [[GitHub Codespaces]] are becoming the new normal, enabling thin-client workflows and simplifying onboarding. I recommend terminal and productivity tools such as [[Blink]], [[Shiftscreen]], [[Duet]], and [[Speedify]], and outline homelab practices: encrypted ZFS filesystems, backups with [[restic]] to [[Backblaze B2]], remote access via [[Tailscale]], running [[OpenVSCode Server]] on self-hosted infrastructure managed with [[Proxmox]] or [[NixOS]]. The post mixes practical how‑tos (firewalls, mosh, backups) with reflections on remote work, inequality in access, and building a portable “dev from anywhere” setup. He also describes vanlife realities, recommends 12.9-inch screen sizes, LTE and multiple bonded links, and criticises Australian digital policy such as COVIDSafe’s 'hologram' security.