xr2000

content/blog/iphone-devops-python/index.md

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+---
+title: "iPhone DevOps - python edition"
+date: 2023-07-02T19:25:16+01:00
+draft: false
+tags: [mobile]
+---
+I wrote [earlier](https://clearsky.dev/blog/iphone-devops/) about my dream of developing "single-handedly" on an iPhone. That dream has not gone away. In fact, the arrival of another baby in my house has again led to increased iPhone screentime and decreased laptop-screentime. So consider this an update of my iPhone DevOps adventure.
+
+## But why would you want this?
+I've been a developer since I was a kid. Writing code is what I love to do. Recently, I became a dad. This new task involves a lot of walking and sitting with your child while it either sleeps or cries. Usually I need only one hand to perform these dad-duties. The other hand and also my brain are free to... write code? My child got a bit older in the mean time but still I find that I rarely have time to sit down behind a laptop, yet have enough time to spend on my phone. So what if instead of trying to scroll through the mountain of garbage called facebook, I use that time to code? This is basically my main reason for wanting to code on the phone.
+
+In the beginning, I was mostly developing scripts (both bash and python) that managed my docker environment. The scripts are pretty small and have limited features. I found that using a good ssh client combined with tmux and vi, this was (sort of) doable. 
+
+## New project, new workflow
+This year, i discovered [spacetraders](https://spacetraders.io). It's a kind of game where you command ships using a REST api. I decided that this was a worthy project for my next mobile DevOps adventure. So i got to work using my language of choice: python. However, I quickly discovered that my workflow was not working as well for this project. Mainly:
+
+* This project needed more than 1 module, so I was often switching between files in my editor.
+* The files were longer, so I was scrolling much more. This is very slow in vi
+
+I needed a new workflow for this project...
+
+## What didn't work: VSCode
+I'm a big fan of [VSCode](https://code.visualstudio.com/). It's not the fastest editor but it's very flexible and has a lot of good plugins. I already knew that you could [host it as a webapp and run it in the browser](https://github.com/coder/code-server). What if I had my complete Dev environment in a docker container on my server, and I could just resume my work on my phone where I left off on my laptop? That would be AMAZING!
+
+So I set it up. It was very easy to setup and to get it working. You can even add the site as an icon on your iphone so it kind of feels like a regular 'app'. With some tweaking, the fonts and icons were kind of ok. That's when I found the problem, a real showstopper without a workaround.
+
+> you can't select anything
+
+Wait what? So on other apps or even webapps on my iphone, i long-press and then choose 'select', and then 'copy' to copy something. As with a lot of tasks in my 'mobile development workflow', it's way slower then the desktop experience but it's what there is, and you learn to live with that. But when I long-press in VSCode I get some kind of menu. No way of selecting text. I looked for plugins or other solutions but there is just no way. Desperate, I even tried some [wrapper app](https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/ucow-ultimate-code-wrapper/id1551344923?l=en) **(do not buy this app)**. There is just no way to get this working. Which is so weird because the functionality of selecting text is already in the browser! So VSCode is disabling that somehow. Of course VSCode was never designed to be used on a touch screen. Still, this is crazy. I hope someone fixes this.
+
+## The next best thing: pythonista
+Pythonista is an app that lets you edit and run python scripts on the iphone. It seems to focus mostly on game or ui development, but i've found it usable for cli apps as well. Most importantly, it does a couple of things very smoothly: scrolling, switching between files and the running script output. Observe!
+
+![Swipe swipe](pythonista.gif)
+
+But, maybe much more importantly observe the following shocking innovation!
+
+![Movin](nistasel.gif)
+
+**Eat that, VSCode!**
+
+As with most things that run on an iPhone, the UI is pretty great. But it's not all good news:
+
+* The code runs locally in the app, which means it **stops when you leave the app**. Not really usable for longer running processes. I use pythonista only to do quick tests. To do a longer test I have to commit and deploy the code to my server.
+* speaking of committing, it had **no git support** I work around that using [Polygit](https://apps.apple.com/nl/app/polygit-git-client/id1508942822?l=en) and adding the polygit dir to pythonista. This works fine.
+* It packs a bunch of libraries by default, but it has **no way of installing new packages or upgrading existing ones**. For instance, i found that the yaml lib is broken. This is solved in a newer version, but I have no way to update it. I worked around this by using json...
+* The 'play' button **executes the file that is currently open** Larger projects usually have a 'main' file that you want to execute. Executing some submodule is useless. So when i edit a file and I want to test it, I have to go back to the main.py file and then press play. This is cumbersome. One partial workaround is to have main.py open in a separate tab
+* There is **no way to pass commandline arguments** to a script. I work around this by making all options available as commands within my script.
+* The terminal is **not a real terminal**. You can use `input()` and `print()` but don't expect anything fancy like arrow keys or colors to work
+* It **works only for python**.I would love to work more with other languages such as rust, but I'd need a different solution for that.
+
+This may sound like a long list of pretty serious issues. And it is. But at least for this project, pythonista gets the job done... slowly.
+
+## Conclusion: it works...for patient people
+Coding on an iPhone is no joke. It takes longer and is more error-prone than a desktop experience. I will keep on searching for alternatives. Especially working on rust projects would be nice.
+
+But if you have no other choice, and you have a large amount of patience, you can actually program spaceships from an iPhone. And to me, that's pretty neat!

content/blog/iphone-devops-ssh/index.md

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+---
+title: "iPhone DevOps - ultimate edition"
+date: 2023-12-28T19:57:34+01:00
+draft: false
+tags: [mobile]
+---
+I wrote [earlier](https://clearsky.dev/blog/iphone-devops/) about my dream of developing "single-handedly" on an iPhone. Then, I wrote [some more about it](https://clearsky.dev/blog/iphone-devops-python/). The dream still lives strongly! I am now coding single-handedly in any language on my iPhone SE model 2022. But although i still like [pythonista](http://omz-software.com/pythonista/) I am now using a combination of three great apps that allow me to write code in any language using only one hand, holding my son in the other!
+
+> what happened to pythonista? Wasn't it awesome because it could copy-paste and stuff?
+
+Pythonista still is a great app. An update came out early this year featuring a much-needed python version push to 3.10. I still like to use the app for small scripts such as [Advent of Code](http://adventofcode.com). 
+
+## A new quest
+So what disturbed the bliss of my little pythonista-powered mobile dev heaven? I blame [protohackers](https://protohackers.com). The day I found this site, I knew i had to go back to the drawingboard for my mobile dev workflow.
+
+The idea for protohackers is this: the site gives you a spec for a client-server protocol. You have to  implement the server. You then plug the ip and port of your running server into the website, and it runs a series of tests interacting with your server. You have to make all tests pass. You can implement your server in any language you like. The specs are mostly watertight, although there are some surprises in the tests. The protocols are on top of either TCP or UDP. Overall these challenges are really well designed and a lot of fun to implement. My solutions are [here](https://git.clearsky.dev/richard/Proto)
+
+So i wanted to do these challenges, but my workflow could not support it:
+* I cant just open up a port on my iPhone. It sits behind a router at home, or some kind of [NAT](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrier-grade_NAT) outside. Even if I could, I don't know if it would be a good idea security-wise.
+* I don't want to do this one in python. I want to use this challenge to gain some more experience in [golang](https://go.dev)
+
+## The search is on (again)
+After revisiting all the options from my earlier searches, and looking at a bunch of code editors/ide's, I was just ready to start vim in a terminal and start working completely on my server.
+
+I was using [termius](https://termius.com/) which is a pretty nice terminal app even when you use the free version. But i decided to do a quick search for terminal apps and see if anything popped out that would work even better. And that's when it happened.
+
+I found [secure shellfish](https://secureshellfish.app/)
+
+## Secure shellfish
+I wouldn't call it the best terminal app, because the menus are a bit hard to navigate and some design choices are a bit... creative. But in spite of that, I love it! Mostly because this app has 1 killer feature:
+
+✨Offline folders ✨
+
+This is like rsync for your phone. In fact I would not be surprised if this is implemented using rsync. Once you configure an offline folder, it will two-way sync that folder while you use the app. The kicker is: on your phone you can now open that folder in another app (like an editor) and make changes. When you switch back to the shellfish app, the changes are uploaded almost instantly. Also changes that happen on the server come back to the phone.
+
+![Offline folders](offline.png "Offline folders")
+
+For me this is a killer feature because it allows me to switch back and forth between the editor and the shell.
+
+* Make a change
+* switch to shellfish
+* up arrow enter
+* back to the editor
+* repeat! 
+
+## The place to run code
+So now that my code doesn't run on the phone anymore, it needs a place to run.
+
+I already had a vps running, so for me this was not a problem. Any linux based machine will do. I use docker to easily spin up environments for each project. I am on a [contabo](https://contabo.com) vps which has really nice specs for money, but I did have some outages lately. I might switch provider soon.
+
+Ofcourse if you are on a budget, ypu can use any linux machine you have running at home.
+
+## The editor
+So now we need to find an editor that can open the "offline folder". I landed on [textastic](https://www.textasticapp.com/) which has its own sftp functionality and even a shell builtin. I didnt get that to work smoothly. The app allows you to open "external folders" which is how you can reach the shellfish folder. 
+
+![External folders](external.png "Two synced folders from my vps and one stored locally by working version")
+
+The syncing works really well. I have seen one problem which is that if you type something and then switch the shellfish app, it doesn't seem to sync the file. It looks like textastic didn't save the file. My workaround is to move the cursor, just tap anywhere in the file before switching away from the editor. 
+
+Other features that this editor does well is search/replace, search in files and file management (move, rename etc)
+
+Im not sure if other editors can do the "external folders" trick, or if textastic is the best one. So far it works really well. There's room for improvement here, I might test some other editors and write a follow-up some time.
+
+## The version control
+I use git mostly as a backup for my code. I have my own git server for private projects and github for public. Now I could use the commandline git and commit that way. That works okay, but I really like the [working copy](https://workingcopy.app) app. It can attach to the same "external folder" and you are off to the races! This app is made by the same developer as shellfish.
+
+## The euros
+Good things have a price. Here's the full damage report:
+
+* shellfish life unlock: € 24,99
+* textastic € 9,99
+* working copy life unlock: € 24,99
+* contabo vps: € 7,25 / month
+
+Shellfish and working copy also have subscription-based pricing which is great if you are unsure if mobile dev will work for you. I went for the fixed price and am pretty sure I'm going to enjoy these apps for quite some time.
+
+## The conclusion
+The conlusion remains the same as the previous editions: it works, but not for impatient people. It has become my alternative to social media. While it might be a lot less effective than a laptop, it's definitely a lot less mind-numbing than instagram.
+
+With that, let's get back to writing some code!

content/blog/time-priority/index.md

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+---
+title: "Time == Priority"
+date: 2023-04-01
+---
+"I don't have time" is something i hear people saying often. I hear it at work when we're thinking about a new project, or sometimes I hear the words coming out of my own mouth explaining to my wife why I haven't started on some home-improvement-project yet. Everyone is busy. But are we really?
+
+I must have been around 16 when I was at summer camp. I don't remember what the conversation was about, but I clearly remember one of my friends muttering: "time is priority" after someone complained about not having enough time. At the time I thought that was a wise thing to say. It stuck with me and became one of my core values.
+
+Basically the amount of time we have is the same for everyone. Lets say you sleep about 8 hours per day. That leaves 16 hours per day or 5840 hours per year. If you are lucky enough to live a full 80 years, that means a whopping 467200 waking hours that you get to spend on this (mostly) beautiful earth. That sounds like a lot right?
+
+Now the question is: how will you spend these hours? There are so many options to spend your time on. An hour spent scrolling through instagram is an hour not spent doing useful work. And an hour doing useful work is an hour not spent with your loved ones. So how do you make a decision about what you spend your next hour on? I think the answer should be **priority**.
+
+If some activity has a high priority, you should try very hard to spend enough time on it. If health and fitness are a high priority for you, you will probably spend multiple hours per week doing something sporty. If your work is important for you, you might be putting in a bit more than the regular 40 hours.
+
+This does not just go for your "life choices". It is also true for the choices you make at work. No matter how big your team is, you will always have to make choices on what you spend your time on.
+
+So instead of saying: "I don't have time for that" it would be more accurate to say: "I have other things to do that are higher priority for me" But on the other hand, that might sound less friendly to the person asking for your time. So maybe just keep the priority thing to yourself :-)

content/blog/xr2000/index.md

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+---
+title: "Challenge: XR2000"
+date: 2025-08-10T21:29:12+01:00
+draft: false
+tags: [challenge]
+---
+Today I’m releasing the **XR2000**: A programming challenge with extensive science fiction backstory. This is a project I’ve long wanted to make, and it has slowly come to life in the last few years.
+
+I love a good puzzle or game that involves programming. Over the years I found a couple of these games that were particularly fun. These really inspired me to start the XR2000. Before explaining more about my new challenge, I want to mention (and recommend) these games.
+
+## TIS-100
+This is one of the weirdest games ever. [TIS-100](https://store.steampowered.com/app/370360/TIS100/) that lets you write assembly code for a fictional cpu. There is a complete manual documenting the CPU instructions and all peripherals. It really got me hooked on legacy computing and assembly programming.
+
+## Space Traders
+In [Space Traders](https://spacetraders.io) you control a spaceship through a REST API. The game is mainly focused on trading (as the name suggests) and involves closely monitoring and analyzing market prices. It's a great challenge for learning a new programming language or programming in general. The simulation has remarkable depth.
+
+## Protohackers
+[Protohackers](https://protohackers.com) is not a game but more a programming challenge like [AoC](https://adventofcode.com) but focussed on backend and protocols. It really makes you dive into the depths of tcp, udp and sockets.
+
+## And now something different
+I decided to create a challenge that combines a science fiction story with a programming challenge. The programming challenge so far is mostly focussed on binary protocols, and some cryptography.
+
+The story is far from finished. There are lots of ideas on continuing the story, expanding the fictional universe and including more low level / assembly techniques. So let's call this chapter 1. More might follow depending on the success of this first part. So let's get ready to...
+
+## Dive in!
+To get started:
+
+```
+nc clearsky.dev 29438 
+```
+
+And don’t forget: this is supposed to be fun!
+
+This challenge was fully [developed from an iPhone](https://clearsky.dev/blog/iphone-devops-ssh/)