💾 Archived View for tilde.pink › ~fzzyyti › gemlog › 8-9-2021.gmi captured on 2021-12-03 at 14:04:38. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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I have a Galaxy Tab 4 from 2014. It was almost unusable with the modern web when I bought it. I basically needed it to read PDFs for a specific purpose, so that worked for me. It also works fairly well for reading ebooks, but navigating to applications or changing settings is very sluggish.
I had dreams of getting a new iPad with a super fast processor, then using an SSH app to log into different systems and use tools from the command line. Of course an iPad is way overkill for this kind of application, but it would be slick and new. I started thinking about whether it was worth it for both the cost to me and the impact to the environment to begin using another device for no other reason than that it is slick and new. I decided to try digging out my old Galaxy Tab and give it a whirl.
I have tried using SSH with this device before with a cheap wireless keyboard. It was acceptable, but it wasn't a joy to use, so I stopped using it. The key to having an enjoyable SSH session lies in the keyboard. I got a Keychron K8 wireless mechanical keyboard with brown switches lately. It easily paired with the 7 year old tablet.
Firing up JuiceSSH with and connecting to a Digital Ocean VPS gave me the perfect environment to play on the small web and do some basic programming for fun. There is absolutely no lag when typing, even with such an old tablet. The keyboard is mechanical, and is enjoyable to type on. It's much better than any laptop keyboard, but I can still easily carry the setup around to different rooms. I think I'm set now, and I didn't have to buy an iPad for no reason afterall!