Fast and free multi-language code editor for Android (opens in new tab)

(github.com)

42 pointstimeoperator2y ago22 comments

22 comments

https://vscode.dev/ actually works as a progressive web app and you can tunnel into your remote machines to get the full VS Code experience.

It definitely has its quirks though so a bluetooth keyboard is probably quite necessary for anything besides a few minor edits.

albntomat02y ago

As a suggestion, I think you could state more strongly that this is a code editor that runs on Android, rather than a code editor for things that run on Android.

The demo photos definitely cleared it up for me, but the build instructions at the beginning for Mac/Linux/Windows seemed to contribute to the issue.

Cool project!

moron4hire2y ago

There used to be a lot of different code editor and coding environment projects on Android in the first few years it came out. What happened?

analog312y ago

I can only relate my own experience. I got excited about coding on Android, and bought a tablet when the first version came out that supported Python. It turned out that coding on the tiny screen was a chore, even with a keyboard, programming Android was harder than I expected, and... the biggest thing was that since the start of the smart phone era, I simply haven't had a good enough idea for an app.

lelanthran2y ago

> the biggest thing was that since the start of the smart phone era, I simply haven't had a good enough idea for an app.

Doesn't matter if you do, some dodgy company in a foreign country will happily wrap your app in ads and somehow be higher in the search results than your app[1].

If it's a really good idea, someone like Zynga will simply write a polished clone and make millions off your idea while your original app still doesn't show up in the search results.[2] Or anywhere, for that matter.

[1] I wrote an app in 2012 or thereabouts and this happened to me. I don't know if it is still possible.

[2] See how well they did this with Angry Birds.

RadiozRadioz2y ago

> Prerequisites: At least 1,11GB of free disk space: 144,7MB for source codes and around 965,3MB for files generated after building all variants

What?

lol7682y ago

I assume the author of that README is from continental Europe and the decimal separator that has been used is a comma.

RadiozRadioz2y ago

Yes, I assumed so. The alarming part is not the formatting of the numbers, but that there's 145MB of source code and almost a GB of build artefacts... for an Android text editor. That's more code than PostgreSQL.

never_inline2y ago

> That's more code than PostgreSQL.

I'd assume majority of "source code" in this is assets not code.

Also git clone with history vs tarball etc..

eimrine2y ago

Maybe they sacrifise size for benefits in other areas - performance and/or simplicity of developing.

xcjs2y ago

A lot of code editors for Android are almost identical, and it makes me think that they're all forked from the same base project, including this one.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rhmsoft.co...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxdebug.a...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rhmsoft.ed...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.spck

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alif.ide

I've been looking for a good mobile editor for quite a minute, and they all practically have the same UI and features.

I did just discover a port of VSCode, though: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.environmen...

prhrb2y ago

They are not really identical and forked from the same base project, they may have similar features. Acode is foss,built using cordova and JS tech,has its own plugin system. Squircle is also foss and built using kotlin. Vscode for android is just code server inside web view wrapper or browser and embedded git. I can't speak for the other ones as they are proprietary.

xcjs2y ago

I understand that VSCode is different, hence the "though" part of my sentence.

The remaining examples are all almost identical, though.

vanous2y ago

Fdroid says that not all of the code is free... What are the closed portions, anyone knows?

Edit: this seems to be due to (removed for fdroid) google integration. Feels strange... Author removes a Google library for fdroid release but is still being punished be the antifeature.

jonas-w2y ago

https://github.com/massivemadness/Squircle-CE/issues/182

It contains a google library, but can't find what exact library they are referring to, as the link they've provided is dead.

EDIT: Found it in an old commit from around that time the comment was made https://github.com/massivemadness/Squircle-CE/blob/1818d3904...

A googleplay "appupdate" library, I don't have knowledge about App development, but I don't see how this library is needed in the fdroid version?

lostmsu2y ago

It seems to not be needed or used. My take from the thread is that F-Droid complains about the library reference present in the source code at all. It does not know the library is not linked in the F-Droid build.

mananaysiempre2y ago

AFAIU if a nonfree library can’t be disabled or patched out, the app doesn’t get to be published on F-Droid at all. The antifeature description[1] just says

> In our experience, where the upstream developer includes Non-Free libraries, sooner or later they will include more Non-Free libraries, or other Anti-Features. Frequently they become impossible to maintain/update in F-Droid.

[1] https://f-droid.org/docs/Anti-Features/#UpstreamNonFree

amadeuspagel2y ago

The problem with coding on the phone is the editing experience. Phone keyboards aren't made to edit code. The only thing this editor does to improve that is to show a bunch of special characters above the standard keyboard[1]. That keyboard also has its own autocomplete function, which doesn't make sense in the context of a code editor. A code editor for the phone should implement its own keyboard.

[1]: https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/ihz5t_M6QeHCMiHkCz9ZAx...

bitwize2y ago

A lot of the keyboard problems on Android wrt coding, etc. can be enormously mitigated by downloading and using Hacker's Keyboard:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.pocketwork...

It's pretty much a must for things like Termux.

amadeuspagel2y ago

But I guess that isn't ideal for things other then coding and doesn't offer any kind of integration, like autocomplete.

bitwize2y ago

It does integrate with Android autocomplete, but I have autocomplete turned off in mine.

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22 comments

kevmo3142y ago

https://vscode.dev/ actually works as a progressive web app and you can tunnel into your remote machines to get the full VS Code experience.

It definitely has its quirks though so a bluetooth keyboard is probably quite necessary for anything besides a few minor edits.

albntomat02y ago

As a suggestion, I think you could state more strongly that this is a code editor that runs on Android, rather than a code editor for things that run on Android.

The demo photos definitely cleared it up for me, but the build instructions at the beginning for Mac/Linux/Windows seemed to contribute to the issue.

Cool project!

moron4hire2y ago

There used to be a lot of different code editor and coding environment projects on Android in the first few years it came out. What happened?

analog312y ago

lelanthran2y ago

> the biggest thing was that since the start of the smart phone era, I simply haven't had a good enough idea for an app.

Doesn't matter if you do, some dodgy company in a foreign country will happily wrap your app in ads and somehow be higher in the search results than your app[1].

[1] I wrote an app in 2012 or thereabouts and this happened to me. I don't know if it is still possible.

[2] See how well they did this with Angry Birds.

RadiozRadioz2y ago

> Prerequisites: At least 1,11GB of free disk space: 144,7MB for source codes and around 965,3MB for files generated after building all variants

What?

lol7682y ago

I assume the author of that README is from continental Europe and the decimal separator that has been used is a comma.

RadiozRadioz2y ago

never_inline2y ago

> That's more code than PostgreSQL.

I'd assume majority of "source code" in this is assets not code.

Also git clone with history vs tarball etc..

eimrine2y ago

Maybe they sacrifise size for benefits in other areas - performance and/or simplicity of developing.

xcjs2y ago

A lot of code editors for Android are almost identical, and it makes me think that they're all forked from the same base project, including this one.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rhmsoft.co...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.foxdebug.a...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rhmsoft.ed...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.spck

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.alif.ide

I've been looking for a good mobile editor for quite a minute, and they all practically have the same UI and features.

I did just discover a port of VSCode, though: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dev.environmen...

prhrb2y ago

xcjs2y ago

I understand that VSCode is different, hence the "though" part of my sentence.

The remaining examples are all almost identical, though.

vanous2y ago

Fdroid says that not all of the code is free... What are the closed portions, anyone knows?

Edit: this seems to be due to (removed for fdroid) google integration. Feels strange... Author removes a Google library for fdroid release but is still being punished be the antifeature.

jonas-w2y ago

https://github.com/massivemadness/Squircle-CE/issues/182

It contains a google library, but can't find what exact library they are referring to, as the link they've provided is dead.

EDIT: Found it in an old commit from around that time the comment was made https://github.com/massivemadness/Squircle-CE/blob/1818d3904...

A googleplay "appupdate" library, I don't have knowledge about App development, but I don't see how this library is needed in the fdroid version?

lostmsu2y ago

mananaysiempre2y ago

AFAIU if a nonfree library can’t be disabled or patched out, the app doesn’t get to be published on F-Droid at all. The antifeature description[1] just says

[1] https://f-droid.org/docs/Anti-Features/#UpstreamNonFree

amadeuspagel2y ago

[1]: https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/ihz5t_M6QeHCMiHkCz9ZAx...

bitwize2y ago

A lot of the keyboard problems on Android wrt coding, etc. can be enormously mitigated by downloading and using Hacker's Keyboard:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.pocketwork...

It's pretty much a must for things like Termux.

amadeuspagel2y ago

But I guess that isn't ideal for things other then coding and doesn't offer any kind of integration, like autocomplete.

bitwize2y ago

It does integrate with Android autocomplete, but I have autocomplete turned off in mine.

1 more reply

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