Really? Where? AFAIK even in poor countries, outdated old tower PCs over 10-15 years old, can be had for peanuts or even free if you go dumpster diving for parts through the imported e-waste scrap and build one yourself. No need to resort to using your phone as a computer.
The author says:
> I waited eagerly for the new release but got so excited I built this huge C++ project from source on my smartphone just to integrate lone with it
Also consider the power consumption of a smartphone vs a 10-15 year old PC.
I think you don't understand what it's like where I come from (India). Everyone has an android phone. Even kids who have never seen a laptop in their lives. If I was one of those kids, it would be quite unimaginable to go out and acquire a computer just to start programming. If I can just get started on my phone the barrier to entry is 10x lower.