I think I really want to write on a device with a retina screen.
I realized today that I had never tried switching my external monitor at work to high DPI mode. That essentially runs a non-retina screen in retina mode, giving you a wonderfully large and smooth look with one fourth the amount of space the screen normally provides. On a lowly full HD screen, space becomes highly limited.
But boy, does text look nice. All those smooth lines …
I actually ended up using the screen like that the last few hours of the day. Even if way too little code fits on the screen it feels as if something is actually gained in the process too. Something felt a bit closer, easier to grasp and touch, a bit more straightforward.
Perhaps another soothing factor is that the small space forced all other windows to hide behind Sublime, effectively giving full focus to my code even though I had not made the window full screen. Short chunks of large, smooth text alone on a screen give a whole different feel than a lot of small text crammed into a window surrounded by the edges of other windows.
I also switched resolution as I was coming out of my afternoon energy slump, but I can not see how that could possibly have anything to do with grasping anything better.
I almost wish I could enable high DPI mode even on this 11 inch Macbook air screen. You know, just for the shiny feel.
In related news, I am of course asking myself the same world-altering question as many other people: Ipad air or retina mini? I am almost completely certain that I have not fully decided yet. I was so certain I was in for the mini for a long time, but even though it is a lot more powerful than I would have guessed I hesitate now that the Air is so slim. The writing part of me - although it of course likes a physical keyboard best for really extensive (or quick) writing - does like the thought of the keyboard not shrinking. The media consuming part of me also likes the thought of things looking as large as possible. On the other hand, there is the portability part of me, who knows that I always enjoy and use devices more if I actually have them with me. That part also loves the thought of reading in bed and other places with a minimum of weight to hold up. And the thought of almost my whole world - including remote access to full, chunky steampunk computers - fitting into such a small package. The writing part - not to mention the coding part - is after all unlikely to give up access to a keyboarded device somewhere anytime soon, so why not optimize for everything else with the Ipad?
So much to consider … But I have a plan, oh yes …
… no side of me can wait for the day when they can code in some meaningful capacity on Ios, ditching computers completely for almost everything. What is the holdup Apple? Surely someone is running a cool experiment or five with a touch version of Xcode in some secret lab? Can I get in on that?