

Dash now available on iOS - davidbarker
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dash-api-docs/id935284832?mt=8&uo=4

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BinaryIdiot
I can certainly see the use case for this being on the desktop (and for those
that don't know: it is). I have been in plenty of situations where I can not
access the internet so having offline copies is incredibly helpful.

I don't understand the use case on iOS. I don't want to just outright poo on
the idea so is there anyone who is going to pick this up that can articulate
why? I feel great value in having it offline but being able to ctrl + f or
copy and paste on a larger screen (the same screen I'm developing on), I just
don't get the mobile.

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hrktb
I never used Dash (I never heard of it before, I might actually give it a try
now), but a use case would be to have an iPad as a second/third/fourth screen.

I have a dual screen setup at work, but windows gets buried really fast. A
coworker would printout the most static bits of information (API docs, design
mocks, storyboard etc.); this could be an alternative to that.

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e28eta
I definitely use an iPad as another screen, like for a UI spec.

I'm skeptical about using the iPad keyboard to look things up, usually I'm
copying symbols from code to lookup, or typing into Alfred. Even just moving
my hands to a new keyboard would probably be slower.

Which means I'm looking forward to when Dash iOS uses some of the
continuity/handoff features to stay in sync with desktop Dash. (Maybe it
already does?)

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BinaryIdiot
> I'm skeptical about using the iPad keyboard to look things up

Yeah this would be my main concert about the use case. Though if you have a
bluetooth keyboard that can switch between devices it might not be so bad.

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philgr
I like the idea of using the iPad as a second screen while I develop, keeping
Dash at arm's reach all the time.

If you don't find the necessity for that on a Mac (or if your desk is short of
space), use the OS X version, if you're on Windows, I suggest you take a look
at Zeal ([http://zealdocs.org](http://zealdocs.org)).

~~~
tomengland
Yep. Dash also has support for in-editor lookup. For sublime, highlight the
function IE: app.use and hit ctrl+h, it'll popup the express documentation.
Very handy!

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UUMMUU
What is the use case for this? I can't imagine that I would be doing a lot of
hardcore development on a machine that wasn't my dev machine which has Dash on
it.

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slantyyz
How about screen real estate? If you have a super crowded monitor, you can
take advantage of a mobile screen that is otherwise underutilized?

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smweber
That's exactly it. I've been waiting for this since Dash first came out. At
the time I was doing iOS dev in a lot of coffee shops and airports with spotty
wifi on an 11" MacBook Air. This would have been perfect then, having
searchable offline docs on a second screen! Even though I'm working in an
office most of the time now, I still bought it to use on my iPad.

~~~
graublau
I would still rather cmd+tab and copy&paste into a desktop app than carry
around an extra device to view docs, personally.

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kennymeyers
I've been using the Dash beta, and the use case I have for it is offline docs
and quick lookup. I can certainly access Apple's docs in a browser on my iPad,
but being able to parse through programming guides, do searches and quick
lookups is really helpful. If I want to read up on a Go class, or find
something when not at my machine, it's been great. I've really enjoyed using
it.

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sudhirj
Dash has long since become my technical Kindle app. I think of the doc sets as
technical books, so being able to carry them around is a massive boon.

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agrippanux
Dash is one of those Mac apps you didn't realize you absolutely needed until
you have it (like Bartender or FlyCut or Divvy). That said, buying it again
for iOS isn't appealing.

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cmyr
Is the 'buying' not appealing, or is using Dash on iOS not appealing? If you
don't think you would look up API much on an iOS device, fair enough. For me,
being able to use an iPad as my go-to documentation viewer is tremendously
appealing. This is a professional tool, that I use daily (on OS X), and having
it on iOS will make my life better.

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niutech
If you don't mind being online, you can use
[http://devdocs.io](http://devdocs.io) for free.

~~~
mikeash
It doesn't seem to have any Apple documentation, which is a common use case
for Dash.

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ThompJackie
This is incredibly useful, but I don't know why they are charging $9.99. In my
experience they would make more with a free/advertising app

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teacup50
... advertising in developer documentation? Seriously?

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tosh
Great app, awesome plugins.

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willtheperson
I didn't say that you couldn't , I said that you shouldn't

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tmikaeld
I guess you mean "Dash API Docs now available on iOS"

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hk__2
The original desktop app is called Dash:
[http://kapeli.com/dash](http://kapeli.com/dash)

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dimman
When speaking of dash, one usually means 'Debian Almquist SHell'. [In the
context: 'dash is now available on iOS' to make it abundantly clear]

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mikeash
Seriously, "one usually means"? I could see that phrase being applied to the
meaning of "dash" as the punctuation mark, or "run fast," but an obscure UNIX
shell only used in a couple of Linux distributions? I hope that was a joke.

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dimman
... in the context "dash is now available on iOS", since thats what we're
talking about, right. Obscure UNIX shell? Wow.

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mikeash
How does adding iOS, an OS with no shell and a walled garden that prevents
third parties from adding any such functionality, help your case at all?

The ash shell seems somewhat well known. Dash, not so much, what with it only
being used on one Linux distribution and some derivations.

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kevinSuttle
I designed the docs for my product team, which are extensive, to be mobile-
first. There is no such thing as a mobile context or "use case".

[http://kevinsuttle.com/posts/the-right-questions-to-ask-
mobi...](http://kevinsuttle.com/posts/the-right-questions-to-ask-mobile-first-
deniers/)

~~~
kevinSuttle
I love that this was downvoted.

