Smartphones For Text SSH Use — Revisited

jfischet writes "Back in 2005 a Slashdot user asked this question and the responses were helpful — but I'd like to ask again to see what has changed in three years. I'd like to know what this community thinks is the best choice of smartphone for remotely administering Linux/UNIX boxes via SSH."

Comments

Hater Redux (to tears)

[SuperKendall]

What the submitter asked for is not fine general text entry, but the best choice, specifically for ssh. An iPhone (where every slash, period & ampersand is three taps away) is a poor choice for ssh text entry.

What part of "fully dynamic interface' is your small hater brain having trouble grasping, poor thing?

Or did you not comprehend that would mean an SSH keyboard could well be like the URL keyboard is today, where "/" is on the main screen...

Shell use is not the same as general text entry and the URL keyboard is a good example of how the keyboard can be adapted better for SPECIFIC (same word you used) tasks. Such as ssh. Presumably prediction and other aspects could also be tailored to work better for ssh control of a UNIX system, which is really what the poster was asking about.

Right, thanks - we're looking for a solution right now, not a possible solution that may come about one day.

It's not some far off "one day". It's a MONTH. Possibly less than a month at this point. You honestly cannot wait even a month for some potentially better option, to evaluate fully all the possibilities? That just seems foolish to me, to discard a good possibility out of hand and buy into a one year contract on something today.

Furthermore, you don't even know what new models of an iPhone might do to address complaints you specifically raise. Though I think it unlikely, what if they did add a model with a physical keyboard? We all know new models are coming out shortly, we do not know everything that has changed on them.

Heck, even just what Blackberry is working on that's unreleased yet might be good to wait for evaluation, and that's more uncertain than the iPhone app store and new OS release at this point!

Why buy a $300-$800 device today, when so much in the world may change in just a month or two. Asking the question now is obviously poor timing if you care at all about collecting data before making a choice, unless you are dead set on hating Apple, well, 'cause.

Re:Hater Redux (to tears)

[Anonymous Coward]

oh, and if you are still reading, please make sure you realise I am not saying *anything* about any of apple's products (just want to make sure you dont start changing the subject and calling me an apple hater as well).

SOMEONE needs to say something about Apple's products, so I will.

The general consensus in business (not just computer business, business as a whole) is that Apple Inc has made a killing by taking pre-existing, commodity products, packaging them nicely, advertising well, charging a lot of $$, and appealing to one's personal snobbery.

Then, you get into the computer field, and there are *actually* people who rabidly defend every polished turd Apple Inc. drops, being completely oblivious of the fact (the fact that everyone outside the computer field has grasped long ago) that they're being taken for a ride.

It's almost like some kind of religion. "If Apple doesn't make it today don't worry, the great pumpkin will show up next year with a solution!"

Yes, there are some nice things about Macintoshes (I own two, in fact) -- they look good, the UI is always smooth, and hardware interoperability--among its own products, especially--is great. The iPhone is really neat and easy to use.

Let's face it though, at the end of the day, these are overpriced machines designed to cultivate a sense of elitism among people weak enough to feel they need it.

For the rest of us, I'll take a barebones PC and a Free OS any day of the week--the rest of you Mac Lovers can go sit over there, yes yes I know you love your computer, Mac Fanboi, but I've got code to write and bills to pay.

Re:Do you really need their support?

[LarsG]

Because you're american I'll use small words.

The question was HTF do I get a decent smartphone with AT&T/Cingular?

AT&T/Cingular use GSM. Empaler's answer is correct.

I love this country no one can agree on anything so nothing ever really gets done properly Not really, at least not with regards to cell carrier control of handsets. The problem is that the FCC punted on Carterphone regulation.