Are there really that many people that want to code a Node.js app but can't set up an quick ubuntu image using virtualbox? EC2 as a dev environment seems a bit backwards.
In fact, I can even code and fix things from my iPad, your iPad, anyones computer, my phone, a library kiosk or an airplane cockpit.
If I want to try something experimental (aka dist upgrade etc), I just clone the AMI, make my modifications, and if I like it, I keep it.
My emacs looks exactly the same, where ever I am. If I need to get to a different computer, I still log in through my EC2 instance, where all servers I need are accessible via convenient shortcuts and the appropriate port forwarding is configured already. And, again, I can do this from wherever I am.
How is that backwards?
I still don't think it is a good development environment for someone that finds a node.js install too complicated. This seems to be what the article suggests.
Especially with node.js that simply doesn't make sense.
If you're running it with users on it which would actually need CPU, memory or disk, duh I would run it on EC2.
I was just about to set up an EC2 micro with node and mongo this weekend.
I also get the opportunity to build a server, deploy in an environment that I can scale in "one day"
I think there are a lot of valuable skills to be gained by doing this for free and for fun right now, so that I can do it for a startup later on.
If I don't know how to build an EC2 system, I can't be confident in my ability to sell that skill later on.
I installed git on the AMI, so I can switch branches on the same AMI.
EDIT: Removed lingo abuse.
If I want to share my node app with someone, I just tell them to visit http://snowball2.jrock.us:4545/ and there we are.
(Really? -2? I am actually surprised that this is a problem. I have to share web apps with my friends, in both directions, regularly. It's never been a problem. Everyone has a publicly-routeable address these days.)
It's quite frustrating.
Now that you mention it, Virtual Box would be a great solution and it would be great to have a guide walking through this. I used google to figure everything out and 'node.js ec2' is a query you get to pretty quickly when you have no starting reference point.