The iOS port of Lagrange has progressed to the point that public beta testing can commence. I've submitted the first build to TestFlight, and it is now available.
Let's set some expectations, though. There is a long list of known issues and some features are not exposed in the user interface, especially on the phone. (Please see the build notes in TestFlight.) The main purpose of this first build is to find out if there are any fundamental problems with my SDL-based approach. It is better to change course early, if it comes to that.
I've personally tested this build on the following devices:
Apart from a few performance hiccups, the first two generally run pretty well. The older iPhone seems to struggle a bit with scrolling, but there is a number of things that can be done to optimize the rendering. I'll get around to those after the UI is a bit more polished.
If you have an older/smaller iPhone, I'm quite interested to hear how it looks and feels. Screenshots are welcome, too. The user interface is fully scalable to any screen size, so if it feels too cramped/small/big, check out the UI Scale Factor setting under Settings > User Interface. You can enter any value between 0.5 and 4.0. The new scale factor is applied when you exit Settings. Currently there are no device-specific scaling factors preconfigured.
If you're already running Lagrange on the desktop, it would be pretty sweet to easily import all your data to the phone/tablet, right?
Well, this is not implemented yet. Importing client certificates is possible via copy/paste, but for bookmarks the only way is to save your "about:bookmarks" on the desktop and serve it at some URL so the mobile device can access it.
I'm planning to do an export/import feature at some point that copies all the data, including subscriptions and identities. That'll be useful on the desktop as well.
I've been running Lagrange on my phone for a while now and generally it is already an "okay" experience, bugs notwithstanding. I'll keep working through them in some sort of priority order.
So prepare for a bit of turbulence, but I hope this test flight will soon enter clearer skies and not end in a Hindenburg-esque fireball.
π 2021-03-12
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