{
 "id": 69755,
 "slug": "ipad-pro-as-a-primary-computer-for-programming-and-server-management",
 "url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/ipad-pro-as-a-primary-computer-for-programming-and-server-management/",
 "language": "en",
 "title": "iPad Pro as a primary computer for programming and server management",
 "subtitle": "Great hardware, but iOS kills background SSH sessions.",
 "summary": "Partly. In my 2016 test the hardware and apps were fine for SSH work in VIM, mail and reading, but iOS killed background SSH connections, and split screen gave no clue which app had keyboard focus. I returned it.",
 "topics": [
  "SSH",
  "ThinkPad",
  "apple",
  "cloud",
  "creating",
  "creativity",
  "experiment",
  "iOS",
  "iPad",
  "laptop",
  "lifestyle",
  "linux",
  "networking",
  "office",
  "pencil",
  "programming",
  "review",
  "tablet",
  "vim",
  "webdesign",
  "work"
 ],
 "date": "2016-08-15",
 "published": "2016-08-15T00:00:00+02:00",
 "created": "2026-08-30T07:13:23.246000+02:00",
 "updated": "2026-08-30T07:16:48.687000+02:00",
 "full_article_url": "https://willem.com/en/2016-08-15_ipad-pro-as-primary-computer/",
 "author": {
  "name": "Willem L. Middelkoop",
  "url": "https://willem.com"
 },
 "note": "A short distillation of a longer willem.com post. Not currently published on willem.com itself.",
 "answers_question": "Can an iPad Pro replace a laptop for programming and server management?",
 "text": "I set the iPad Pro up with the Prompt app from Panic to SSH into a remote Linux system where I work in VIM, plus Safari and Microsoft Remote Desktop for server management. The hardware convinced me: a gorgeous screen, plenty of speed, and a Smart Keyboard that types well, although it lacks ESC, HOME, END and the PAGE keys, so I also tried a Bluetooth keyboard.\niOS, version 9.3 during my test, did not. Split screen multitasking gives no visual indication of which app has keyboard focus, so input regularly landed in the wrong app, dangerous with Linux server commands. Worse, iOS terminates background network connections, which kept killing my SSH sessions. The big screen animations distract, and reducing them only swaps in a cross-fade.\nI returned the 1200 euro package and kept my ThinkPad.",
 "markdown_url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/ipad-pro-as-a-primary-computer-for-programming-and-server-management/snippet.md"
}