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Will Developers Finally Start Coding On the iPad?
An anonymous reader writes "It's not so long since Apple silently dropped the restriction about iOS apps for programming — iPad owners can now code in Lua with Codea or with Python for iOS. Yesterday, a new app called Kodiak PHP brought another IDE to the iPad, this time for PHP coders. Pandodaily's Nathaniel Mott describes it as a full-blooded software development tool with comparison to other iOS apps. Cult of Mac reports that the demise of the Mac might be closer than we think, but are developers really ready to use the on-screen keyboard to do some serious work?"
Someone else pointed out a more fundamental problem: you cannot write iPad software using your iPad.
They are wrong.
Once you jailbreak an iOS device, you can also compile on it. Why would you not be able to?
The developer of the alternate Cydia app store used to ssh to his iPhone in from his netbook (yes, really) and compile software on the device.
You can do all GUI creation in code; you do not ever have to use Interface Builder or other GUI tools if you do not wish to. There is no limitation on what you can do.
If you mean something along the lines of "it's not possible to type long on an iPad", the same keyboard I am typing on now attached to my computer can also be attached to the iPad.
But even going outside Jailbreaking, there are already ways to develop subsets of iPad applications - using an app called Codify. In fact it even represents a crude start at thinking about how you would realistically have a good code editor work on a touchscreen. They have a video, you should watch it.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Except that it would violate their own terms of service
The terms of service.... that Apple defines. So if they wish to "violate" them why would they not change, or even ignore them?
The company defining TOS is never beholden to it the way users are.
See, for example, the $99/year fee for permission to write iOS applications.
Apple cares a lot more about knowing who a developer of an app is than about your pitifully small development registration fee which doesn't even cover the free technically support calls you get each year, never mind toolset development and free WWDC videos, etc. etc.
No, I said that Apple would require people to buy a high-end laptop or workstation
You are the one citing Apple trends.
Apple has never required the purchase of a high-end desktop or workstation.
Plenty of people develop on a Mac mini.
It is rare for an individual developer to make a popular iOS app
Wrong. Outside of games it is in fact common.
all I said is that users will not have such freedom; you will need to pay for the privilege.
Users have that freedom if they want it.
If they want to be in the App store they must pay the App Store owner, one way or another.
You are envisioning some odd world were Apple is making tons of money on DEVELOPERS.
You are dead wrong. Apple in the end spends WAY more on developer support than they gain in terms of hardware and developer program sales.
What Apple gains money from is having a platform with a huge range of software which is why they are OK not charging a huge developer fee like Microsoft used to.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Pretty sure he was talking about using an iPad SSH client *on* the iPad, to open a terminal on the same iPad where you would use vim to code.
In short, one device, the iPad.
Otherwise, why specify the keyboard?
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I bet you also wonder why anyone would want to stick his penis into a vagina, too.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
'A computer in every home' was Bill Gates' dream.
'A Lawyer in every computer store' was Jobs.
There is also no reason that Apple couldn't remove the restrictions on iOS and allow anyone to write software for it -- but no sane person can think that is going to happen.
There are no restrictions for anyone to *write* software for the iPad.
The only *restriction* is: you can only install it via the AppStore (with an developer account, thats how corporate developers get their "private" software on the iPad).
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
I agree that a HyperCard replacement would be fine, for Macs as well. But calling Runtime Revolution a HyperCard replacement ... no modern "so called replacement" had ny thing to do with hypercard at all ... Runtime Revolution is a kind of VisualBasic, thats all, not a HyperCard replacement or successor.
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
No, Java is preinstalled, and even it would, what would be the problem?
Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.