I don't know if I'll be getting Coda 2, but Diet Coda looks incredible. I find that the iPad is a nice supplement to my workflow, particularly when I have to be really mobile (this means iPad and smartphone only). I have a few good writing workflow (http://interchangeproject.org/2012/05/08/my-ipad-setup/) but I don't have a mobile coding workflow that works for me yet.
The biggest thing I'd be using Diet Coda for would be fixing small issues on the go.
There are times when I'm traveling ultra light and just have an iPad and my phone. This is usually what I do when attending conferences, or when I'm traveling and I don't expect to do much coding or writing. But stuff comes up even when I don't intend on doing work, and the ability to make small fixes from my iPad would be a big help.
I'm switching to a 13.3-inch Macbook Air as my main computer (with a 27-inch external display). We'll see if this changes my view on not bringing my laptop places. Still, the iPad is much lighter than an Air and gets incredible battery life.
I might even be out at a coffee shop on the weekend and realize that there is something I want to fix on a website. If I'm out at a coffee shop, relaxing, reading some stuff, I almost never have a laptop with me.
It isn't a question of cost, it is a question of comfort.
When you get an iPad you realize laptops have instantly become less useful. iPads fit into a tiny bag, they have crazy battery life, and they can do many things as well as a desktop. It is a no brainer to carry them with you instead of a laptop, as they do 90% of the things you need a computer for very well.
Having a nice text editor/FTP program would be greatly welcomed.
Yes, this is what I was getting at. When I take a weekend trip, I don't like to bring a laptop. I can bring my iPad, iPhone and one charger. It's incredibly light and takes up very little space.
But sometimes stuff comes up.
I have also begun to find the iPad a pretty nice environment for writing on. I have yet to find a program that I like to program in, however.
It's not the screen resolution of a dual-screen desktop, but a new iPad is almost as good as a 27" iMac !!
new iPad: 2048x1536 = 3.14 million pixels
27" iMac: 2560x1440 = 3.69 million pixels
I don't have a new iPad yet, though, so I don't know if the quality or the experience is comparable.
The killer feature for mobile coding is a keyboard and screen that are separable. Put the screen wherever is most convenient and the keyboard wherever is most convenient.
You could even code on an airplane. Even the smallest MBP is uncomfortable in coach, for me anyway.
Looks great. I think I've moved beyond wanting Coda 2 for the desktop (I use BBEdit + Transmit instead), but it'll be nice to have the iPad version as a kind of mobile insurance.
Well, obviously, because you have MacBook Air. There isn't a lot of point comparing iPad apps with full OS X apps- they live in quite different worlds.
I'd further add that if you're a dev type, and expected to remotely fix stuff, that you'd have a laptop anyway. Can't see doing anything more than fixing a typo on the iPad...in which case, I'm sure a SSH app is all that's needed.
Having a local editor for remote files is super handy if your SSH is flaky for whatever reason (say, you fall off LTE into 1x or GPRS land), regardless of the device you're on. Never mind being able to take advantage of the touch screen...
You need to be connected to the network. From their website: "Can I work on my site offline? Not Currently. Diet Coda's focus is editing files on your staging server; if you want to build a whole new website while you're there, that's also cool."
The biggest thing I'd be using Diet Coda for would be fixing small issues on the go.
I hope this it it.