Any word on an SSH client?

[adhir]

One more -- can the keyboard be hidden in landscape mode for a large vertical console display?

Regarding getting private keys on the system, you could also allow SCPing the private key from a remote server into the local store, rather than going through hoops with email and/or http. It would be much more secure that way as well...

 

[canadacow]

Your ssh client looks great. Thrilled with the landscape mode support.

Few comments, in addition to other good ones I've seen so far:

1) Where are the ESC and ALT keys?

Due to limited real estate I'll probably place them only in landscape mode.

2) A great feature for oft-used ctrl sequences (think ESC-x or CTRL-c-CTRL-v, etc) would be a "macro" button, which when held down, would present the saved macros for selection -- like holding your finger down on the '.?123' key presents the numeric/symbol pad which disappears when you select or release.

A great idea that several others have suggested as well. This is high on my list.

3) Not sure if Apple's SDK would allow this, but it would be fantastic if the landscape mode keyboard could be made translucent -- just enough to see it, but so that the screen behind it would be visible. This would allow typing on a good sized keyboard while also allowing a large console.

While we can't control what the iphone keyboard looks like I was certainly considering having transparent overlays of my own creation to do exactly this. It is on the to-do list. The wikipedia has free SVG keyboard layouts for pretty much every national variant that exists.

4) Fonts -- Monaco would be great -- can you not use external (app provided) font files? If so, and there are copyright issues with Monaco, please use Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.

External fonts using the provided SDKs would not work. However, as I mentioned previously in the thread, I'm integrating an X Server, which gives me FreeType, which in turn gives me access to pretty much any font on the planet (patents and copyrights taken into account, of course).

5) can the keyboard be hidden in landscape mode for a large vertical console display?

Yup. That keyboard-looking-icon does exactly that.

6) Regarding getting private keys on the system, you could also allow SCPing the private key from a remote server into the local store, rather than going through hoops with email and/or http. It would be much more secure that way as well...

I think this will probably be the route of choice in this case. SCP first, TFTP second and possibly email and/or http last.

Great stuff - can't wait to buy it. I'd love to test it for you as well if you're willing to give me a pre-apple copy. Would gladly pay via Paypal.

Thanks

As far as I know it should be out any time now, given Apple's blessing. Thanks for the input and I'll follow up with those who have requested to be beta testers to help me work out the bugs in the X server!

 

[rdrr]

As far as I know it should be out any time now, given Apple's blessing. Thanks for the input and I'll follow up with those who have requested to be beta testers to help me work out the bugs in the X server!

So you got past the export laws issue?

 

[canadacow]

So you got past the export laws issue?

I believe so. Ideally if my crack legal team did their job right, when released the app should be available in the UK and other "exotic" countries!

 

[xcoded]

SSH client...

Count me in if you need beta testers, I happen to manage a few Asterisk boxes and routinely log in to them via SSH.

Also use a bit of X Windows from time to time, so I can check that as well.


Best Regards.

 

[adhir]

While we can't control what the iphone keyboard looks like I was certainly considering having transparent overlays of my own creation to do exactly this. It is on the to-do list. The wikipedia has free SVG keyboard layouts for pretty much every national variant that exists.

Interesting. I just looked at these. For kicks, I overlayed the SVG on your landscape screenshot to see what the key size would turn out to be. I've attached the results of 5 mins of playing, allowing both the actual iphone landscape keyboard and the svg us layout to show through with transparency.

Couple things:

1) coincidentally, the full kb svg from wikipedia has the exact same aspect ratio as the landscape iphone keyboard, but with two important differences: smaller keys, and no space between keys.

2) i believe this will cause a problem in that it will be very difficult to actually hit the key one is intending to hit. i believe it may make more sense simply to copy apple's layout, with the spaced out, larger keys, and make it transparent.

Great stuff -- looking forward to seeing the real thing.

 

[Dolby]

Due to limited real estate I'll probably place them only in landscape mode.

Can you do something similar to the .COM key where if you hold it down other choices pop up? That might be a way to save space when the phone is vertical.

 

[adhir]

another idea

Might be nice to have a virtual screen area larger than the viewport, so that a larger (readable) font can be used, while keeping the keyboard on the screen in portrait mode, and allow using the finger to scroll around -- perhaps even do some intelligent scrolling of the viewport based on where the cursor is..

 

[manitoba98]

I don't even have an iPod touch or iPhone, and I want iSSH to come out. Apple should provide a means for users to identify applications that they want expedited through the approval process. Surely that's as much in Apple's interest as users' and developers'.

 

[SlapMonkey]

@canadacow: ooh, I need an SSH app so bad and now that pTerm is released it's tempting, but I am trying to hold out for your iSSH just based on what I've read and your active participation in these forums... so keeping my fingers crossed that Apple approves your app in the next few days!

 

[yg17]

@canadacow: ooh, I need an SSH app so bad and now that pTerm is released it's tempting, but I am trying to hold out for your iSSH just based on what I've read and your active participation in these forums... so keeping my fingers crossed that Apple approves your app in the next few days!

Ditto. I was about to buy pTerm but from what I read, it's buggy and missing some features, so I'm waiting for iSSH.

On average, how long does it take Apple to approve an app?

 

[canadacow]

Ditto. I was about to buy pTerm but from what I read, it's buggy and missing some features, so I'm waiting for iSSH.

On average, how long does it take Apple to approve an app?

For standard stuff I'm seeing about 3 days, but I've been staring at "Awaiting Export Sign Off" for a few now. Oh well.

For full disclosure, please be aware of the app I did submit to Apple, "I created a build I considered stable, not feature-packed. That means no X Server or multiple connections. Neither are quite ready yet. Just the same, what Apple had submitted to them has exactly what you have seen in the screenshots. Landscape and portrait, a keyboard that's removable in landscape mode; scrollback via swiping; arrow keys via swipping; crtl, Fn, tab and shift (and combinations there-in) as well as a command on connection." I don't want to be seen as writing vaporware but I don't want to be seen as writing shovelware either.

 

[SlapMonkey]

For standard stuff I'm seeing about 3 days, but I've been staring at "Awaiting Export Sign Off" for a few now. Oh well.

For full disclosure, please be aware of the app I did submit to Apple, "I created a build I considered stable, not feature-packed. That means no X Server or multiple connections. Neither are quite ready yet. Just the same, what Apple had submitted to them has exactly what you have seen in the screenshots. Landscape and portrait, a keyboard that's removable in landscape mode; scrollback via swiping; arrow keys via swipping; crtl, Fn, tab and shift (and combinations there-in) as well as a command on connection." I don't want to be seen as writing vaporware but I don't want to be seen as writing shovelware either.

Well for me at least, X Server I was surprised was even going to be an option... and multiple connections, which would be nice, I'm sure you'll add in an update. So if the rest of what you say is going in (removable landscape keyboard, ctrl, Fn, etc.) then that's all I've been waiting for!

It would be nice, once released, for someone to do a side by side comparison of pTerm and iSSH so we can truly see the pros and cons of each app.

 

[akac]

For standard stuff I'm seeing about 3 days, but I've been staring at "Awaiting Export Sign Off" for a few now. Oh well.

For full disclosure, please be aware of the app I did submit to Apple, "I created a build I considered stable, not feature-packed. That means no X Server or multiple connections. Neither are quite ready yet. Just the same, what Apple had submitted to them has exactly what you have seen in the screenshots. Landscape and portrait, a keyboard that's removable in landscape mode; scrollback via swiping; arrow keys via swipping; crtl, Fn, tab and shift (and combinations there-in) as well as a command on connection." I don't want to be seen as writing vaporware but I don't want to be seen as writing shovelware either.

Export compliance may add another week to two...just FYI.

 

[xgdlm]

I believe so. Ideally if my crack legal team did their job right, when released the app should be available in the UK and other "exotic" countries!

Hope this will be available on the french exotic store.

More over ... please make a way to dowload provate key, using an URL.

Most of SSH users don't allow anymore passwords login on there server. I wish I could paste my key on my local network .. download it from iSSH and then use it on your software

Hope to see iSSH fast on my AppStore

Regards,

Xav

 

[hazmat]

You can do transferring of keys via wifi, like 1Password does.

Also, any chance of easy access to a pipe character, or is it not necessary? I could just see it being used a lot because of the small screen, and it's unfortunately buried into the keypads.

 

[canadacow]

Which would be the most convenient? A downloaded shared private key, or a public key generated on the iPhone and then uploaded to the servers?

Would be more chatty but I'm tired of having my ideas stolen while the playing field is not level (looking at you, Eric Maland, pTerm guy!). I'm all for ripping off each other's ideas once my app is out and it should be any time now, so just hang tight!

 

[BuzzLightyear]

Which would be the most convenient? A downloaded shared private key, or a public key generated on the iPhone and then uploaded to the servers?

Definitely a key-pair generated on the iPhone which you then put the corresponding public key portion on the servers you want to access.

Shared private keys are a bad idea, especially for a portable device. If your iPhone is ever lost or stolen, you can remove any potential for access by simply removing the iSSH public key from the authorized_keys file. Dealing with a shared private key would not be nearly as convenient.

 

[adhir]

Would be more chatty but I'm tired of having my ideas stolen while the playing field is not level (looking at you, Eric Maland, pTerm guy!). I'm all for ripping off each other's ideas once my app is out and it should be any time now, so just hang tight!

Really - what did he rip off? Up until now, your participation in this forum, and hopefully soon your google discussion forum, which is a better venue (http://groups.google.com/group/issh) is what has held me and probably several others from buying pTerm... Please keep the public face -- it is more important than the possibility of someone "stealing" ideas you present in these forums...

Still holding off for release. In the meantime, since real work needs to get done, I did the jailbreak. Mobileterminal, as buggy as it is, is tiding me over. It has some really good UI features which should be adopted by you and/or pTerm guy. Most notably, the popup macro pad when holding the finger on the display...

 

[manitoba98]

X11

When you have the X server up and running (maybe you already do?), could you post screenshots of how that looks?

 

[canadacow]

iSSH (albeit 1.0) is out and available internationally. I will be posting 1.1 this evening for review. In 1.1, there will be:

* Key generation storage and exchange
* Additional keys in landscape mode, specifically "ESC" and "|"
* Multiple concurrent connections
* Active connection list
* Option to store password and server port
* Misc bug fixes

Thanks all for the support and keep the comments coming!

http://www.zinger-soft.com/

 

[dustobub]

Go yell at Apple to change the release date. You got put back at August 8th. Unfair.

Dustin

 

[jaseone]

w00t! All up and running! Just upgraded my Wordpress install using SVN from my iPhone using iSSH, life is good!

 

[CommanderData]

Go yell at Apple to change the release date. You got put back at August 8th. Unfair.

Dustin

DAMN IT! Now I have to re-scan the last 7 or 8 days worth of apps to see if there is anything else cool that I missed. Why does Apple back-date these things... it should have the date it became visible in iTunes, not some date last week! For the record, I just bought iSSH too

 

[gzambran]

Anyone here purchases both iSSH and iTerm?