It is easier then ever these days to develop as a lone coder. The iPhone is not hard to develop for. Apple's development tools are good. Most of the Apps on the AppStore are written by a lone coder. Just because you don't think they could be done by a single person, doesn't mean they are not.
Coding for the iPhone is more or less easy. It's high-quality artwork and icons that today's lone coder needs help with. Toolbar icons in particular are notoriously hard to get right.
The App Store is very visual. An attractive app will outsell a well-coded-but-average-looking app every time.
Also during the website update process Apple messed up something. Now I cannot access the iPhone Developer Center even though I am a paid iPhone developer. I called them this morning and they told me my account is fine but they are experiencing a bug in the system. The Developers Portal and iTunesConnect working fine as long as you access the website using the URL not a link through the iPhone Dev Center. Anyone else having the same problem?
Apple's normal practice is to drop the price of software and services over time as their market share increases. This really isn't out of character for them. Certainly it is pretty likely that the iPad is Apples first step toward replacing OS X and Windows for ordinary users. I'm sure within two years schools will be doing one-to-one iPad programs instead of laptops. There is no way they are planning to eliminate the Mac for power users any time soon though.
Yes, regular Mac's will continue to go on for quite some time, but it has cause some jitters. Even the A4 has caused some unrest. One would think that Apple would want to get that processor (and it's siblings) into as many boxen as it can to reduce it's per unit costs. But then they got $40 billion to play with.
The iPhone OS jumping over to a device that replaces the functions of Apple's low end laptops might be very good for that segment of Apple's customers, but it doesn't help new computer users learn how to use computers they will face in the workplace, just use a appliance instead.
nice idea but the days of a lone coder in the garage are long gone. even on the iphone i see more professional apps that require a team of people and development tools other than what Apple gives you coming out every day
But it is still really cool that you can download their development tools for free. I don't program for a living but love playing around with programming languages. You can't get squat for programming on Windows for free.
I think it is extremely cool that apple is willing to give this stuff away.
But it is still really cool that you can download their development tools for free. I don't program for a living but love playing around with programming languages. You can't get squat for programming on Windows for free.
I think it is extremely cool that apple is willing to give this stuff away.
I would just like to point out that Eclipse, Netbeans, and Visual Studio Express are all major development environments for Windows which are free. IMO, Eclipse and Netbeans are both better for Java development on the mac than XCode, but for C-family languages XCode rocks.
I am glad of this. The Mac is my favorite of Apple's platforms and I am always more excited to hear about new Mac apps than new iPhone ones. I hope some iPhone devs, having gone to the effort of learning Objective C and the Cocoa Foundation classes, will consider writing some Mac apps.
You'd be surprised what one person can accomplish if they are motivated.
I actually have a neighbor who has converted his garage to be a place where he codes with a couple other guys. I had to do a double take to make sure it was the garage. Sure enough. He pretty much uses half the garage for storage and the other half for coding.
Hardware discounts are not included with membership in the new Mac Developer Program (MDP). Memberships in the Apple Developer Connect (ADC) programs, which do include hardware discounts, are not being renewed and no new ADC memberships are being accepted. Since ADC discounts on fully configured systems could easily exceed the cost of an ADC membership, their elimination helps compensate for the lower $99 price for MDP membership.
Yup, the headline is an idiotic misinterpretation of the facts as usual. Also one has never had to be a paying MDP member to release software, only to get benefits.
In the iPhone Development program one has to pay $99/year to even have the possibility to release software for beta testing--no escaping this. Seems stupid to me, but I guess they figure it filters some folks out and it seems intrinsic to the structure of signed software (but why $99?)
Will this be the case with the new MDP too?--no creation of software for a small audience unless you pay Apple?
This looks to me like the first step in creating an app store for the MacOS platform - replicating what they have done for the iphone for the Mac....what do you think of that idea?
This looks to me like the first step in creating an app store for the MacOS platform - replicating what they have done for the iphone for the Mac....what do you think of that idea?
Having been in and around the Apple Developer community since the late 1980's, I think you are spot on.
This looks to me like the first step in creating an app store for the MacOS platform - replicating what they have done for the iphone for the Mac....what do you think of that idea?
Quote:
Originally Posted by justflybob
Having been in and around the Apple Developer community since the late 1980's, I think you are spot on.
I'm half in agreement with dofo's post. I don't see this as a sign that a Mac App Store is imminent, but I do think the success of the iPhone App Store could find its way on the Mac as an easier, safer and friendlier way for getting Mac apps.
However, I don't foresee Apple disallowing the current application installation method. That wasn't expressed or implied but that is how many will take it, unfortunately. I don't even see how Apple could do that without destroying their Mac platform completely.
I am just worried this is the beginning of the end for the mac pro towers. Steve even said "we are a mobile devices company" and they took "computer" out of their name years ago - now we are all iPhone developers who do not need a hardware discount to work and test on the little machines.
I am just worried this is the beginning of the end for the mac pro towers. Steve even said "we are a mobile devices company" and they took "computer" out of their name years ago - now we are all iPhone developers who do not need a hardware discount to work and test on the little machines.
They are also selling more Macs than ever and making more money than ever selling Macs. There is no reason to believe that they will drop an area of their business that makes them billions a year. They still have Xserves and make OS X Server, which I'm sure sells less than their pro Macs.
Having an app store similar to what Linux has, where you can launch one app and browse all the packages available from the sources sounds interesting. However I would not want to see that as the only way to install something on a mac.
Comments
It is easier then ever these days to develop as a lone coder. The iPhone is not hard to develop for. Apple's development tools are good. Most of the Apps on the AppStore are written by a lone coder. Just because you don't think they could be done by a single person, doesn't mean they are not.
Coding for the iPhone is more or less easy. It's high-quality artwork and icons that today's lone coder needs help with. Toolbar icons in particular are notoriously hard to get right.
The App Store is very visual. An attractive app will outsell a well-coded-but-average-looking app every time.
Apple's normal practice is to drop the price of software and services over time as their market share increases. This really isn't out of character for them. Certainly it is pretty likely that the iPad is Apples first step toward replacing OS X and Windows for ordinary users. I'm sure within two years schools will be doing one-to-one iPad programs instead of laptops. There is no way they are planning to eliminate the Mac for power users any time soon though.
Yes, regular Mac's will continue to go on for quite some time, but it has cause some jitters. Even the A4 has caused some unrest. One would think that Apple would want to get that processor (and it's siblings) into as many boxen as it can to reduce it's per unit costs. But then they got $40 billion to play with.
The iPhone OS jumping over to a device that replaces the functions of Apple's low end laptops might be very good for that segment of Apple's customers, but it doesn't help new computer users learn how to use computers they will face in the workplace, just use a appliance instead.
Perhaps it won't matter.
nice idea but the days of a lone coder in the garage are long gone. even on the iphone i see more professional apps that require a team of people and development tools other than what Apple gives you coming out every day
But it is still really cool that you can download their development tools for free. I don't program for a living but love playing around with programming languages. You can't get squat for programming on Windows for free.
I think it is extremely cool that apple is willing to give this stuff away.
Did anyone ever code in a garage?
You'd be surprised what one person can accomplish if they are motivated.
Especially if that accomplishment allowed them to move out of Mom's garage.
Especially if that accomplishment allowed them to move out of Mom's garage.
Yeah, my bad. I guess I failed to realize how other people live. I just couldn't imagine coding in the garage.
But it is still really cool that you can download their development tools for free. I don't program for a living but love playing around with programming languages. You can't get squat for programming on Windows for free.
I think it is extremely cool that apple is willing to give this stuff away.
I would just like to point out that Eclipse, Netbeans, and Visual Studio Express are all major development environments for Windows which are free. IMO, Eclipse and Netbeans are both better for Java development on the mac than XCode, but for C-family languages XCode rocks.
Did anyone ever code in a garage?
You'd be surprised what one person can accomplish if they are motivated.
I actually have a neighbor who has converted his garage to be a place where he codes with a couple other guys. I had to do a double take to make sure it was the garage. Sure enough. He pretty much uses half the garage for storage and the other half for coding.
The cars are under a carport.
Whatever floats your boat I suppose.
. . . the days of a lone coder in the garage are long gone. . . .
?! Maybe in the garage!
Spoken with the self assurance and ignorance of an "Al Bundy."
Hardware discounts are not included with membership in the new Mac Developer Program (MDP). Memberships in the Apple Developer Connect (ADC) programs, which do include hardware discounts, are not being renewed and no new ADC memberships are being accepted. Since ADC discounts on fully configured systems could easily exceed the cost of an ADC membership, their elimination helps compensate for the lower $99 price for MDP membership.
Yup, the headline is an idiotic misinterpretation of the facts as usual. Also one has never had to be a paying MDP member to release software, only to get benefits.
In the iPhone Development program one has to pay $99/year to even have the possibility to release software for beta testing--no escaping this. Seems stupid to me, but I guess they figure it filters some folks out and it seems intrinsic to the structure of signed software (but why $99?)
Will this be the case with the new MDP too?--no creation of software for a small audience unless you pay Apple?
Yeah, my bad. I guess I failed to realize how other people live. I just couldn't imagine coding in the garage.
I sure as heck wasn't talking about me!
My dear old mum is a spry 88. If I was still hanging out in her garage I'd be getting my arse kicked on a daily basis.
This looks to me like the first step in creating an app store for the MacOS platform - replicating what they have done for the iphone for the Mac....what do you think of that idea?
Having been in and around the Apple Developer community since the late 1980's, I think you are spot on.
This looks to me like the first step in creating an app store for the MacOS platform - replicating what they have done for the iphone for the Mac....what do you think of that idea?
Having been in and around the Apple Developer community since the late 1980's, I think you are spot on.
I'm half in agreement with dofo's post. I don't see this as a sign that a Mac App Store is imminent, but I do think the success of the iPhone App Store could find its way on the Mac as an easier, safer and friendlier way for getting Mac apps.
However, I don't foresee Apple disallowing the current application installation method. That wasn't expressed or implied but that is how many will take it, unfortunately. I don't even see how Apple could do that without destroying their Mac platform completely.
Having been in and around the Apple Developer community since the late 1980's, I think you are spot on.
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/08/05/bodeg...tore-for-os-x/
I am just worried this is the beginning of the end for the mac pro towers. Steve even said "we are a mobile devices company" and they took "computer" out of their name years ago - now we are all iPhone developers who do not need a hardware discount to work and test on the little machines.
They are also selling more Macs than ever and making more money than ever selling Macs. There is no reason to believe that they will drop an area of their business that makes them billions a year. They still have Xserves and make OS X Server, which I'm sure sells less than their pro Macs.