flak rss random

Panic Prompt ssh client

One of the things I used to like about my phone was the fact that it didn’t have an ssh client. Going to a bar and drinking is a great accompaniment to reading about obscure server config tweaks, but less ideal a place for trying them out. I count the inability to screw things up as a feature. But then I wrote a mail system in ruby which required 24/7 care and feeding, and suddenly I couldn’t leave the house without a baby monitor.

I was vaguely familiar with Panic when they announced their ssh client, Prompt. There were two things I liked. First, Panic had reputation for building things which worked (I think, no personal experience). Second, some of the best iPhone apps come from established companies who build them either as an experiment or to meet their own needs, not trying to make a quick buck. The main problem was that at $7.99, Prompt was a full $7.99 more than I’d ever paid for an ssh client. Finally the price dropped temporarily to $1.99 and I took the plunge.

Short version: it works. There are a few bugs, but nothing major. It is almost certainly worth the full price, which only seems expensive in comparison to App Store pricing (and openssh). And now I can finally use my phone to suspend my laptop without getting out of bed.

There are also some free or lite ssh clients available, which are universally so bad as to not be worth naming. From terminal emulation too poor to run top to rejecting hostnames that didn’t contain a dot, the bugs are many and varied.

Posted 30 Apr 2013 17:00 by tedu Updated: 30 Apr 2013 17:00
Tagged: review software