A-Shell: Terminal for iOS(holzschu.github.io)
holzschu.github.io
A-Shell: Terminal for iOS
https://holzschu.github.io/a-Shell_iOS/
118 comments
Very solid readme.
LibTerm is very similar (also based on ios_system): https://libterm.app/
iSH uses a completely different approach -- it's a custom x86+linux emulator that runs complete unaltered alpine linux userland: https://ish.app/
iSH uses a completely different approach -- it's a custom x86+linux emulator that runs complete unaltered alpine linux userland: https://ish.app/
Are these websites (a-Shell and LibTerm) generated using some sort of default github template? They have identical layouts, icons, and fonts.
Impressive, do you know why they emulate x86 though?
If your question is “why emulate”, then the answer to that is “because creating pages of executable code is difficult to get past app review”. If you question is “why x86”, then see https://github.com/ish-app/ish/wiki/FAQ#q-why-does-ish-not-e...
ish is cool but still has some rough edges - I could not run clojure for example, as java seems to choke on running over the emulator.
Yeah I notice that even the websites of LibTerm and A-Shell are almost the same. They use exactly the same icons for some items!
I assume one is a fork of the other?
I assume one is a fork of the other?
Seems like both use this framework to generate the landing page
https://github.com/emilbaehr/automatic-app-landing-page
https://github.com/emilbaehr/automatic-app-landing-page
I ctrl-F'd the comments for "LibTerm" because this looked identical and I was wondering what the differences were. I guess there aren't many.
I use iSH, that provides a complete Alpine Linux environment: https://ish.app
A-Shell seems to be very limited and additional packages cannot be installed. What are uses cases for which A-Shell would be a better fit than iSH?
A-Shell seems to be very limited and additional packages cannot be installed. What are uses cases for which A-Shell would be a better fit than iSH?
It’s in the App Store, for one.
is that really valid here? i-sh is on testflight, the intersection of cant figure out testflight and can use a terminal must be pretty low.
i can use a terminal and didn't know testflight even existed... so there's at least one.
Isn't there an upper limit on the number testflight users?
Yes, 10,000. iSH is also distributed as an IPA that you can sign and install.
Do you need a paid apple developer account to sign and install it?
You can sign it with a free developer account, but I believe that you have to re-sign every 7 days as opposed to every year with a paid developer account.
Testflight builds expire after 90 days, appstore apps live forever.
When you don't want to run everything through a slow emulator
I thought it said you can install additional packages with pip? That said, iSH has been very fun to play with (and even useful a couple times).
iSH is unusably slow to use it for editing with vim.
A-Shell is basically a fully functional "vim in iOS" and serves as my default iOS text editor.
A-Shell is basically a fully functional "vim in iOS" and serves as my default iOS text editor.
A-Shell looks very promising. If I were still using iOS, I would install it and try it out in a heartbeat.
On Android, I love using Termux (https://termux.com/).
If I have a computer in my pocket, I should be able to use it as a computer, not merely a consumption device
On Android, I love using Termux (https://termux.com/).
If I have a computer in my pocket, I should be able to use it as a computer, not merely a consumption device
You could check out Pythonista, Codea, Javascript Anywhere, TechBASIC, DraftCode (for PHP) and Continuous (C# and F#). Those are all coding apps so you can program directly on the device. Several of them also enable packaging the programs you create for distribution on the App Store. Several of them also have built-in GUI authoring tools although I generally prefer to build my GUIs in code.
Working Copy is an excellent GIT client and works well with many of the above and there are plenty of coding editors. There are also a plethora of non-programming creativity apps, many of which are useful for coding projects.
Working Copy is an excellent GIT client and works well with many of the above and there are plenty of coding editors. There are also a plethora of non-programming creativity apps, many of which are useful for coding projects.
Termux is awesome. Using it even made me order a foldable Bluetooth keyboard, so i always have a dev environment in my pocket.
Great! I'm glad Apple has changed its rules concerning having an embedded interpreter:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14809096
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14809096
This was fun to try as a little preview of what it’ll feel like to have an ARM-based MacBook.
Bummer there’s no git¹.
I was curious to try to install Go just to see how far I’d get before being blocked. Was able to download the source tarball and extract it (using curl and tar as 2 separate commands; piping curl into tar didn’t work). But then can’t execute make.bash because there’s no bash.
[1] There's rationale and an alternative described at https://github.com/holzschu/ios_system#adding-more-commands.
Bummer there’s no git¹.
I was curious to try to install Go just to see how far I’d get before being blocked. Was able to download the source tarball and extract it (using curl and tar as 2 separate commands; piping curl into tar didn’t work). But then can’t execute make.bash because there’s no bash.
[1] There's rationale and an alternative described at https://github.com/holzschu/ios_system#adding-more-commands.
You can try ish.app [1], which has support for a wide variety of tools (including git). I use it on iPad to work on a small C app that I use a lot. [2]
[1] https://ish.app/ [2] https://github.com/terhechte/gitsi
[1] https://ish.app/ [2] https://github.com/terhechte/gitsi
If you really want an ARM64 based development platform, why not get a Pinebook? Or something like the NVIDIA Jetson Nano? The philosophy of Apple is to link against their officially provided frameworks/SDKs. It's not meant to be a platform for open development.
macOS is still a quite an open platform.
The context was ARM64 based platforms. macOS isn't on an ARM64 based platforms (yet?).
Ah. My bad.
In this app, it appears we are operationally limited to
/private/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/49F47295-F9D8-4FD7-8F34-redactedxxxx/
The default folder is /private/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/49F47295-F9D8-4FD7-8F34-redactedxxxx/Documents
I am able to cd / and can see the following folders
/Applications
/bin
/cores
/dev
/Developer
/etc
/Library
/private
/sbin
/System
/tmp
/usr
/var
... but can't cd into any of them. "permission denied".
None of this is a surprise, of course.
/private/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/49F47295-F9D8-4FD7-8F34-redactedxxxx/
The default folder is /private/var/mobile/Containers/Data/Application/49F47295-F9D8-4FD7-8F34-redactedxxxx/Documents
I am able to cd / and can see the following folders
/Applications
/bin
/cores
/dev
/Developer
/etc
/Library
/private
/sbin
/System
/tmp
/usr
/var
... but can't cd into any of them. "permission denied".
None of this is a surprise, of course.
From the README: https://github.com/holzschu/ios_system/blob/master/README.md
Issues: In iOS, you cannot write in the ~ directory, only in ~/Documents/, ~/Library/ and ~/tmp. Most Unix programs assume the configuration files are in $HOME. So either you redefine $HOME to ~/Documents/ or you set configuration variables (using setenv) to some other place. This is done in the initializeEnvironment() function.
Here's what I have:
setenv PATH = $PATH:~/Library/bin:~/Documents/bin setenv PYTHONHOME = $HOME/Library/ setenv SSH_HOME = $HOME/Documents/ setenv CURL_HOME = $HOME/Documents/ setenv HGRCPATH = $HOME/Documents/.hgrc/ setenv SSL_CERT_FILE = $HOME/Documents/cacert.pem
Your Mileage May Vary. Note that iOS already defines $HOME and $PATH.
Issues: In iOS, you cannot write in the ~ directory, only in ~/Documents/, ~/Library/ and ~/tmp. Most Unix programs assume the configuration files are in $HOME. So either you redefine $HOME to ~/Documents/ or you set configuration variables (using setenv) to some other place. This is done in the initializeEnvironment() function.
Here's what I have:
setenv PATH = $PATH:~/Library/bin:~/Documents/bin setenv PYTHONHOME = $HOME/Library/ setenv SSH_HOME = $HOME/Documents/ setenv CURL_HOME = $HOME/Documents/ setenv HGRCPATH = $HOME/Documents/.hgrc/ setenv SSL_CERT_FILE = $HOME/Documents/cacert.pem
Your Mileage May Vary. Note that iOS already defines $HOME and $PATH.
Odd there is no `which` command; this limits discovery.
`python --version` returns 3.7.1.
`curl --version` returns 7.54.0.
`python --version` returns 3.7.1.
`curl --version` returns 7.54.0.
help -l
Terminus is excellent for iOS. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/termius-ssh-client/id549039908
This may be a dumb question...
To my knowledge, the reason no “real” terminal exists for iOS is because it violates the App Store rules. It is prohibited to download and execute arbitrary code, with a few exceptions.
One exception is JavaScript, which must be run inside of JavaScript Core [1]. What if someone simulated x86 and Linux _in JavaScript_ and then built a terminal and file system on top of it? Would that be in accordance with the App Store rules (since it would be sandboxed in Apple’s JS core)? Would it even be technically feasible? Or too slow for any serious usage?
[1] from the App Store rules:
4.7 HTML5 Games, Bots, etc. Apps may contain or run code that is not embedded in the binary (e.g. HTML5-based games, bots, etc.), as long as code distribution isn’t the main purpose of the app, the code is not offered in a store or store-like interface, and provided that the software (1) is free or purchased using in-app purchase; (2) only uses capabilities available in a standard WebKit view (e.g. it must open and run natively in Safari without modifications or additional software); your app must use WebKit and JavaScript Core to run third-party software and should not attempt to extend or expose native platform APIs to third-party software; (3) is offered by developers that have joined the Apple Developer Program and signed the Apple Developer Program License Agreement; (4) does not provide access to real money gaming, lotteries, or charitable donations; (5) adheres to the terms of these App Review Guidelines (e.g. does not include objectionable content); and (6) does not offer digital goods or services for sale. Upon request, you must provide an index of software and metadata available in your app. It must include Apple Developer Program Team IDs for the providers of the software along with a URL which App Review can use to confirm that the software complies with the requirements above.
To my knowledge, the reason no “real” terminal exists for iOS is because it violates the App Store rules. It is prohibited to download and execute arbitrary code, with a few exceptions.
One exception is JavaScript, which must be run inside of JavaScript Core [1]. What if someone simulated x86 and Linux _in JavaScript_ and then built a terminal and file system on top of it? Would that be in accordance with the App Store rules (since it would be sandboxed in Apple’s JS core)? Would it even be technically feasible? Or too slow for any serious usage?
[1] from the App Store rules:
4.7 HTML5 Games, Bots, etc. Apps may contain or run code that is not embedded in the binary (e.g. HTML5-based games, bots, etc.), as long as code distribution isn’t the main purpose of the app, the code is not offered in a store or store-like interface, and provided that the software (1) is free or purchased using in-app purchase; (2) only uses capabilities available in a standard WebKit view (e.g. it must open and run natively in Safari without modifications or additional software); your app must use WebKit and JavaScript Core to run third-party software and should not attempt to extend or expose native platform APIs to third-party software; (3) is offered by developers that have joined the Apple Developer Program and signed the Apple Developer Program License Agreement; (4) does not provide access to real money gaming, lotteries, or charitable donations; (5) adheres to the terms of these App Review Guidelines (e.g. does not include objectionable content); and (6) does not offer digital goods or services for sale. Upon request, you must provide an index of software and metadata available in your app. It must include Apple Developer Program Team IDs for the providers of the software along with a URL which App Review can use to confirm that the software complies with the requirements above.
> What if someone simulated x86 and Linux _in JavaScript_ and then built a terminal and file system on top of it?
https://bellard.org/jslinux/
https://bellard.org/jslinux/
It is not necessary to resort to JavaScript for the emulation, emulation and interpretation are allowed. App Store effectively forbids the usage of JIT (so VMs do not run as fast as one could expect) and running any code that’s not included in the package at the time you submit the app for review (with an exception for educational apps).
I’m not doubting you, but I don’t see where in the App Store rules it forbids JIT, other than the prohibition of running third-party code. Emulation and interpretation are allowed — if the code is first- or second- party.
Educational apps are an interesting exception, but as I quoted in my patent comment, JavaScript is the other major one.
So I wonder if JIT compilation and execution is possible under the rules in JavaScript? (Again, is that even feasible?)
Educational apps are an interesting exception, but as I quoted in my patent comment, JavaScript is the other major one.
So I wonder if JIT compilation and execution is possible under the rules in JavaScript? (Again, is that even feasible?)
Generally, JIT requires the ability to execute data (writeable memory pages that contain code). iOS apps need a special system permission (in Apple's terminology — entitlement) to construct such pages. To my knowledge, no apps except for the first-party ones (like Safari) have this permission.
Apps can call into one system API that has this JIT capacity (WKWebView). It runs in a separate process and uses IPC to communicate with the app. It has an API that allows the application to execute arbitrary JS code at full speed. Some time ago it lacked support for WebAssembly, but it may have been resolved by now.
So, these are the technical limitations of the platform. Apple chose to implement a number of arbitrary rules on top of that. Well, it's not a democracy, and they are free to do so. There is always a slight chance of having some form of less restricted execution environment in future versions of iOS, mainly due to how much their iPad Pro hardware is overpowered relative to the OS capabilities.
So, these are the technical limitations of the platform. Apple chose to implement a number of arbitrary rules on top of that. Well, it's not a democracy, and they are free to do so. There is always a slight chance of having some form of less restricted execution environment in future versions of iOS, mainly due to how much their iPad Pro hardware is overpowered relative to the OS capabilities.
This was also discussed here a few months ago by the author of utmapp (Qemu on iOS). In order to get their code to work, they need to effectively run their own code in debugging mode. And yes, this requires the same entitlement as the JS JIT.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22387742
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22387742
I was considering using lib-tex (the library implementing texlive 2019 for this shell) last week for an iOS app I’m working on that needs to generate basic LaTeX images. It’s really impressive, these programs running in A-Shell are modified by renaming their `main()` function and making sure global/static variables are cleaned up so they can run as a separate thread in-process instead of spawning a separate process. I decided to use the more limited KaTeX instead because it sounds like a maintenance nightmare, making sure nothing leaks and updating everything every time a new version comes out...
I wonder if that process can be automated to a point where you could “lib-ize” any C/C++ project (sed replacing malloc/free with something that cleans up when the process “exits”, replacing exit/fork/etc, replacing static). I think that would really open up the number of interpreters available on iOS.
I wonder if that process can be automated to a point where you could “lib-ize” any C/C++ project (sed replacing malloc/free with something that cleans up when the process “exits”, replacing exit/fork/etc, replacing static). I think that would really open up the number of interpreters available on iOS.
Is there any way I could use a USB C to DB9 console cable on an iPad Pro with this? I’m thinking this could be a great setup for working in the cramped data center.
check into AirConsole. Works great, skip the cable. https://www.get-console.com/shop/ No relation.
Why is the download so large I wonder? Almost 650mb app.
It includes Python, clang and other utils.
"includes Python, Lua, JavaScript, C, C++ for programming and TeX (texlive 2019, including LuaTeX) for text processing."
I'm actually surprised it's only about 650 MB. TeX (Live) alone is huge.
I'm actually surprised it's only about 650 MB. TeX (Live) alone is huge.
It will ask if you want to download a 800MB package if you run the latex command so TeX is not really included in the main download.
Lua is rather tiny. JavaScript and the executor for C/C++ (as the compiler compiles to WASM) are mostly Apple frameworks (JavaScript Core). Now Python and Clang are fairly big, but not usually 650mb big, I’d say 200mb is more likely. Now if TeX was included, totally agree, but as sibling comment indicated, it’s not.
The compiler compiles to LLVM IR.
From their own website:
> clang/clang++ compiles your C/C++ files to webAssembly with wasi included. Executee the resulting files using 'wasm command'. You can also compile to webAssembly elsewhere and bring the files to your iPad.
> clang/clang++ compiles your C/C++ files to webAssembly with wasi included. Executee the resulting files using 'wasm command'. You can also compile to webAssembly elsewhere and bring the files to your iPad.
The LibTerm app does that: https://libterm.app
> LLVM: You can compile C code into LLVM IR format with clang and interpret it with the lli command.
> LLVM: You can compile C code into LLVM IR format with clang and interpret it with the lli command.
Yeah, I confused it with that. My mistake. (Someone should really tell them to not make their websites look the same!)
I jailbreak several iOS devices just to have terminal many years ago, and it was quite an interesting experience. I always hope Apple could let user access terminal in iOS, at least in developer mode. After all, it's still BSD based just like MacOS, and iPad Pro is so powerful but nowhere to go for a programmer.
Sadly, it seems Apple doesn't really care about this.
Sadly, it seems Apple doesn't really care about this.
This app is in the app store, so apple isn't actively blocking this kind of thing anymore, which is an improvement!
Indeed! I was just dreaming they could take even more steps :D
Doesn't Apple ToS forbid programming (excepting embedded lua etc)? Did that change?
Android 10 is locking down http://termux.com, and wifi ipads have higher compute/$. If this works at full speed, I might get one.
Android 10 is locking down http://termux.com, and wifi ipads have higher compute/$. If this works at full speed, I might get one.
No, Codea is a full featured Lua IDE for iOS, and there are lots of other programming environments too. What they prohibit is compilation to native code. If you have an interpreter (like lli, in this case), that’s fine.
That was not always the case. 2017 article about them easing restrictions on this: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/06/07/apple_relaxes_devel...
Wow, that was a few years back - I'm glad to learn about this change. Quoting (and reformatting for better understanding) below..
---
On June 5th of this year [2017], the Apple Developer Program License Agreement (which applies to both the iOS and Mac App Stores) was revised to:
3.3.2 ..Interpreted code may be downloaded to an Application but only so long as such code:
(a) does not change the primary purpose of the Application by providing features or functionality that are inconsistent with the intended and advertised purpose of the Application as submitted to the App Store,
(b) does not create a store or storefront for other code or applications, and
(c) does not bypass signing, sandbox, or other security features of the OS.
---
An Application that is a programming environment intended for use in learning how to program may download and run executable code so long as the following requirements are met:
(i) no more than 80 percent of the Application’s viewing area or screen may be taken over with executable code, except as otherwise permitted in the Documentation,
(ii) the Application must present a reasonably conspicuous indicator to the user within the Application to indicate that the user is in a programming environment,
(iii) the Application must not create a store or storefront for other code or applications, and
(iv) the source code provided by the Application must be completely viewable and editable by the user (e.g., no pre-compiled libraries or frameworks may be included with the code downloaded).
---
On June 5th of this year [2017], the Apple Developer Program License Agreement (which applies to both the iOS and Mac App Stores) was revised to:
3.3.2 ..Interpreted code may be downloaded to an Application but only so long as such code:
(a) does not change the primary purpose of the Application by providing features or functionality that are inconsistent with the intended and advertised purpose of the Application as submitted to the App Store,
(b) does not create a store or storefront for other code or applications, and
(c) does not bypass signing, sandbox, or other security features of the OS.
---
An Application that is a programming environment intended for use in learning how to program may download and run executable code so long as the following requirements are met:
(i) no more than 80 percent of the Application’s viewing area or screen may be taken over with executable code, except as otherwise permitted in the Documentation,
(ii) the Application must present a reasonably conspicuous indicator to the user within the Application to indicate that the user is in a programming environment,
(iii) the Application must not create a store or storefront for other code or applications, and
(iv) the source code provided by the Application must be completely viewable and editable by the user (e.g., no pre-compiled libraries or frameworks may be included with the code downloaded).
It hangs if I run ssh-keygen or ssh-keygen -t ed25519. Tested on a recent ipad pro and iphone x.
same here. Is this a bug or can't ssh be used at all?
This is a known bug that the author appears to be implementing a fix for: https://github.com/holzschu/a-shell/issues/14
Just this morning I realized I had a need for a decent SSH client for iOS, although I don't need something that includes vim, clang, and Lua, Python, and C, though.
That's extreme overkill for my needs -- I'd just like the ability to log in to a few hosts (preferably using public key authentication!) and run various commands just like I normally do in a terminal.
If anyone has any "favorites" they recommend, I'd be interested in hearing about them. I'd prefer something open-source (out of principle) but I'm certainly not opposed to paying a reasonable amount.
That's extreme overkill for my needs -- I'd just like the ability to log in to a few hosts (preferably using public key authentication!) and run various commands just like I normally do in a terminal.
If anyone has any "favorites" they recommend, I'd be interested in hearing about them. I'd prefer something open-source (out of principle) but I'm certainly not opposed to paying a reasonable amount.
[deleted]
I love Blink, and it is open-source.
https://blink.sh/
https://blink.sh/
Could not get this connected to my cluster, oddly. Maybe something to do with its 2 factor authentication process.
I want to try it but $20 for a shell seems like a tough sell!
I built it from source to see if it was what I needed and it so scratched my itch that I paid the $20 as a contribution.
I don't do any professional development on my iPad, I just like having the ability to mosh/ssh back into my machines at home to run a script or push a quick edit to my personal github.
I don't do any professional development on my iPad, I just like having the ability to mosh/ssh back into my machines at home to run a script or push a quick edit to my personal github.
It's definitely steep, but if you are doing serious work in the shell on iOS, it's worth it IMHO. I was traveling by motorcycle for 6 months and did all my dev work on an iPad using emacs over mosh on Blink, and it was a great experience.
It’s open source if that makes you reconsider. It’s definitely worth supporting them IMO.
You can build it yourself from source with Xcode.
But this is one of the apps I cannot believe is not subscription-based. Author keeps up with changes in iOS and improves constantly.
The cost is justified too as the market for terminal emulators is much smaller than general iOS audience.
But this is one of the apps I cannot believe is not subscription-based. Author keeps up with changes in iOS and improves constantly.
The cost is justified too as the market for terminal emulators is much smaller than general iOS audience.
I'm glad it isn't, that would effectively price me out. The current price point is quite steep just for being able to check on my private server on the go (I don't earn a penny from it, it's just for fun and toying around), a subscription would be a dealbreaker. A dozen apps for the price of a coffee a month ends up being real money over the long run, and not everyone who buys this sort of thing has company money to spend.
How about Prompt from Panic? https://panic.com/prompt/
Unless I'm missing something, Prompt can only connect to other servers.
This connects, in shell mode, to your iOS device.
This connects, in shell mode, to your iOS device.
Isn't this more like a sandbox that lets you play in the sandbox with a CLI? I don’t think it actually gives you shell access to your iOS device, just a shell interface to its own program (and the other commands it supports).
Upvote for Panic. I’ll always upvote those guys. Prompt is great.
You should definitely try other terminals.
This used for years
Blink is mosh based... works great
Prompt, by Panic Software, the authors of Transmit and Coda. They even managed to get rid of disconnections while in the background, admittedly in a hacky way using location services.
I had no idea this worked. It’s a little odd to have to give my SSH client location access, but I just tested this and it totally works.
I have a copy of both Blink and Prompt. Normally I use Blink more, but this keep alive is a really handy feature.
I have a copy of both Blink and Prompt. Normally I use Blink more, but this keep alive is a really handy feature.
There is geo track command in blink. It will also keep connections.
This is a completely undiscoverable feature. It isn’t mentioned anywhere I saw and isn’t part of the normal config screen. I’m happy it’s there, but now I’m curious what else I was missing...
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
accurate and performant rendering (we use reacts), external display support (mirror and standalone shell), KeyCast (display pressed keys, useful for screencasts and live streaming), bundled beautiful fonts (Pragmata, Iosevka, Fira Code), full width row of additional keys on software kb (cmd is there too for cmd-c/v/w/t etc), smooth scrolling (in tmux/vim/emacs too), trackpad support (within tmux panels/vim/emacs too), links detection in selection, selection manipulation via kb (vim, emacs and arrows mode), accessibility (voice over), dictation input and IME support, port forwarding and proxy command support, images view and persistent mosh connections (you can reboot device and get connection back)
Another vote for Blink. I’ve used it for over a year with very few issues. They consistently push out bug fixes and add well thought out features. It’s a joy.
This is very cool, over the years I've been using different apps - iSSH back in 2010/2011 and Terminus lately - to connect to servers over ssh/mosh but having a local working terminal would be great. Is there any way this can update Apple Notes?
And
> "A text-based user interface for a screen-based platform"
Is that a play on "Limitless paper in paperless world" from a Dunder-Mifflin ad?[0]
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIUSPM7xjAk
And
> "A text-based user interface for a screen-based platform"
Is that a play on "Limitless paper in paperless world" from a Dunder-Mifflin ad?[0]
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIUSPM7xjAk
I'm seeing more and more dev tools being developed for mobile
e.g. yesterday on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22968079
Seems like there's pent up demand for more hacker stuff on mobile! :) I wonder what this could mean for the direction of the mobile paradigm (move towards fewer walled gardens like app stores please?)
e.g. yesterday on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22968079
Seems like there's pent up demand for more hacker stuff on mobile! :) I wonder what this could mean for the direction of the mobile paradigm (move towards fewer walled gardens like app stores please?)
I personally love Blink https://blink.sh/ it provides a great mosh client.
Blink is great, but $20 for a terminal you might use occasionally or emergencies is pretty stiff for me personally.
If you only need it on occasion or for emergencies, there's a lot of cheaper options. If you're using it on a daily basis for development work, $20 is a steal! I'd gladly pay $100 for Blink! It's one of the most polished and functional apps on my iPad.
It's free and opensource on github (if you register as developer for apple).
Edit: spelling error
Edit: spelling error
I actually use iphone with blink as my full time working device.
I haven't used either this or the one in the original submission. What differences stand out the most to you? I'll be trying both out later tonight, but I'm curious to know your thoughts.
I just downloaded a-shell so still playing with it.
What I love about Blink is that it supports mosh and it includes tunnels, ssh-agent etc. out of the box (no need to install anything). It seems very well polished for the purpose of remote work. I have a mosh session open with our deep learning server in the lab 24h (works with network outage etc.).
I assume you can setup the same on A-Shell. Will play with it and update here.
What I love about Blink is that it supports mosh and it includes tunnels, ssh-agent etc. out of the box (no need to install anything). It seems very well polished for the purpose of remote work. I have a mosh session open with our deep learning server in the lab 24h (works with network outage etc.).
I assume you can setup the same on A-Shell. Will play with it and update here.
[deleted]
I can see that this tool in turn leverages ios_system, but neither A-shell nor the ios_system github repository appear to present an exhaustive list of the available commands. This seems like an obvious first step in improving documentation.
This is super interesting. It looks like a-shell is written by the same person as ios_system. It’s also used in Blink.sh for their loading screen.
running help at the shell gives you a (rather friendly) list of available commands. Similar to termux, I believe.
Invoking “help -l” will give you a full list of available commands.
Nice!!!
What iOS really needs to make this useful though is a way to project to a proper screen and keyboard/mouse configuration. Like Samsung DeX. Kinda hoping this will happen as they are making the iPad Pros more like a computer.
What iOS really needs to make this useful though is a way to project to a proper screen and keyboard/mouse configuration. Like Samsung DeX. Kinda hoping this will happen as they are making the iPad Pros more like a computer.
iPadOS supports this completely, as long as the application is written with the external screen APIs in mind.
Link to git repo https://github.com/holzschu/a-shell
iSH is another good alternative, with alpine Linux and possibility to install packages. Still in beta though
How does this compare to ish? I know ish translates x86 into ARM on iOS. How does this work?
It doesn't. It _interprets_ x86. There's a similar project to do this for RISC-V, but it's not on TestFlight. I assume this pick the LLVM IR? It's an interesting question what the optimal IR for this would be, but it would probably be higher level than this, maybe more like WASM or the Zinc (O'Caml IR).
The included commands for this are native code. The C compiler produces LLVM IR.
I can't parse this, but the facts remain that the only JIT Apple allow is their own. Any other app cannot generate and run native code at runtime. Thus, apps are interpreting the immediate form (for iSH that 32-bit x86 and for A-Shell it's LLVM IR).
iSH is threading, that is, the x86 code is translated into an IR consisting of pointers to the code that executes its interpretation. This is a technique older than FORTH and which may be the best you can do on iOS currently. A-Shell may do the same, I don't know.
EDIT: updated with more details.
iSH is threading, that is, the x86 code is translated into an IR consisting of pointers to the code that executes its interpretation. This is a technique older than FORTH and which may be the best you can do on iOS currently. A-Shell may do the same, I don't know.
EDIT: updated with more details.
This is a great tool.
Love it
Love it
Is there any documentation on what shell syntax this supports? I assume it's not running a standard shell like Bash or zsh.
Edit: https://github.com/holzschu/ios_system/blob/master/README.md confirms its not running sh, bash, or zsh, and has some additional details on the available commands. I still think it would be nice for this to be more explicit, but the information is out there.