

IPhone development is for addicts - c1sc0
http://www.fakepad.com/post/429881381/iphone-development-is-for-addicts
My feelings towards AppStore development are becoming borderline schizophrenic. Despite the damage the AppStore does to devs we keep developing for it. That's addiction!
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wallflower
> We know deep inside that HTML5+JS+CSS is where the future is going.

When I compare the state of the tool suites for HTML5+JS+CSS to XCode, I can't
help but think of Visual Basic 4. In my opinion, Visual Basic 4 was the first
tool that made it easier to build and test GUI-driven database apps. In a
similar manner, XCode is the first tool that makes it easier to build mobile
apps. It doesn't hurt that Cocoa is such a well-designed framework. From the
recent articles about Android development experiences I've read (UI building
in Android being an unholy mess of GridBagLayout and XML), it appears Apple
still has the best-in-class tools for mobile development. Yes, it is a closed
market, the AppStore. However, unless you have a top-200 app, it's likely your
customers will find your app by _searching_ for it, not browsing. This is
highlighted by the recent change that makes keywords mandatory for app
submission.

Until HTML5+JS+CSS is easier to develop, I believe mobile development is going
to favor the iPhone SDK because it makes it easier to get something together.

~~~
somebear
I fully agree, but I also think Apple is moving in that direction with
Dashcode, although it doesn't _really_ provide the full functionality of
Xcode+Interface builder.

I think, the time when HTML5+JS+CSS will become everyday for small apps is the
day when there are some robust UI frameworks. We are moving in that direction
with the different frameworks, e.g. Cappucino [<http://cappuccino.org/>].

In the meantime you can take a look at Qt Quick
[<http://blog.qt.nokia.com/2010/02/15/meet-qt-quick/>]. It uses a declarative
language, called QML, for defining UI and the app logic can be either JS or
hooked into Qt objects written in C++. I've only played with it a couple of
days, and already I am sold on the possibilities for rich animated fast UIs.

~~~
godDLL
Dashcode seems to have been stale for a while now, so I'd be hesitant to bet
on it (you can't really extend it, as we don't own the source).

~~~
somebear
I hadn't looked at it for a while, just thought it was _the_ tool for making
dashboard widgets.

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bretpiatt
I agree to a limited extent with his point of, "It is convenient for us
amateur devs to be able to focus on development and let Apple take care of all
the things we hate most: distribution, payment processing & a little
marketing."

Developers want people to use their stuff but the effort of marketing and
selling it isn't fun. The complete truth is in the article as well where he
mentions all of the ways they don't market your app for you (i.e. the buggy
New Release page). So yes, Apple handles distribution and payment processing
but don't count on them for marketing.

~~~
dangrover
This is a really silly reason for people to develop for the iPhone.

Yes, you can use the App Store to your advantage if you work at it, but you
really should think of it more as replacement to the "download" link you'd
have on a desktop app site. It's best to market things like you would on any
platform (web, desktop, or otherwise) and spread the word. Just because it's
an iPhone doesn't make it magical.

~~~
DenisM
It does drive down your costs compared to web site - you don't have to explain
it to as many people, they do a reasonable job at copy protection and they
handle billing.

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Batsu
The first step is admitting you have a problem :)

