5. What Can Be A Make Or Break For Going Apple

Funny I just realized that by the title above this post gives you the impression that going Apple to make one or break it! Well depending on what side of the window you are on, it could fit that that situation. If you have been around computers as long as I had, that argument of Windows (now Win10) vs Apple (Macs) has always came up as it did for me. 

It started out always Win10 because it is all over and cheap. Software for everything is out there, so you never have a hard time finding a type of software you are looking for. And for public domain software (free) is also all over the place. Building a Windows computer from scratch is easy and also there is a wide selection of features available to build a computer from scratch. The reason for this is Windows was originally based on Intel processors like 80286, 386, 486, pentium, pentium pro, etc, etc, etc.

So if you want  development software for Windows, it goes from simple freeware to the big daddy called Visual Studio. Most developers go with Visual Studio and since it is made by Microsoft, you have every feature and a wide selection of programming languages to choose from. I used to use it in the past and I would start with Visual Basic to Visual C to Visual C++. One problem I found is you spend a lot of time trying to learn a programming language but because one language is good for simple easily programed programs to a specialized language for game development like Visual C++. But the cost for the full development package is very expensive. 

Now for the other guys, Apple. It started out that the early models of Macs were designed so you had to buy a Mac to get a Mac. That was because they used a power pc processor(?? or something like that) in all their computers.  That was how it was for a long time. Then several years ago Apple decided to design a Mac using an Intel processor, and it opened up a new way to build a Mac with basically the same components that were used on a Windows computer and gave a bigger selection of processors. Then Mac found out it was far easier to build a Mac as a single board computer. And they also got smaller. This in turn tended to make a Mac with new designs as used in a Mini, tablets, iPads and Macs. They got to where instead of having a computer, cables, monitor, etc. which needed a lot of space to a monitor with all the hardware built in as the whole computer. One thing I was always impressed by is Apple was always thinking outside the box. They had created a computer with features that were always steps ahead of Windows like high speed serial ports in the gigabit range, super high resolution displays, etc.

Now to develop for Apple computer you have only X-Code for coding. It is a complete developer's package which up to recently was only for Objective C and now Swift. As stated in the last post, X-Code is a complete development package for all Apple platforms from desktop Macs down to the iPhones.  The library is all standardized so you run the same language for all platforms. The only thing you change is the device platform by selecting the model for example iPhone 4s to iPhone 6s. You write once and generate for others which is pretty cool. One thing Apple saw was that Objective-C has a long learning curve and it takes a long while to learn it. So what Apple did is took the features of Objective-C and made it super simplified and called the language Swift. The feedback for Swift as a development language was designed to speed up programming in less time and was simpler for even non programmers to learn to use. It was a big win for Apple to the point where Apple is now suggesting its use for all Apple programming, and it is free to all Apple developers as is X-Code.

Now for platforms, Win10 computers tend to be cheaper in price than is Apple computers. The first thing I noticed is Apple computers quality is considered high class. You can tell from the way it is built to the accessories are top of the class. A lot of thought has been put into the design of all Apple devices. So if you want a computer that will last for a long time then Apple is for you. Because the processors are built from several companies, the ICs are super customized depending on the device. iPhones and iPads because of the size of the device are super customized. One model for example gives you a complete computer in a package which is 7" x 7" x 1". My customized Mac has a quad core processor with 2 1TB hard drives and 16 gigs of memory in that small package. It also has super high speed serial ports, USB 3.0 and high speed port capability for different display adapters. For me this computer is capable of running as a Apple Mac Server or an Apple Mac. And it is fast. But also this computer is more expensive than a Microsoft PC. And this is true for all the Macs and other devices.

Now this is what I would call the make or break of going Apple. For me after looking at what the computer is capable of doing, the quality of the product, the free development software and the great developer support that comes from Apple, it was expensive at the start but I will never go back to a Windows PC! By the way I can also run Win10, Vista, Linux, Android and Crome op-systems in the Mac environment on this same Mac with no problems! So I know I made the right choice.

Happy computing!

4. What Can Hold You Back?

One thing I didn’t talk about is one of the most important things to think about before deciding to start anything. In the last post, I talked about getting the iPhone, but what I didn’t discuss was the cost. Now there were a lot of other phones out there where the price was cheaper and if I didn’t do my homework, I would have probably got a Samsung or other big name phone or an old Android type phone that was cheaper. But after reading about all the other people that had iPhones and really enjoyed them, I decided to bite the bullet and get one. Also having a payment plan helped also. So that is one item I decided to get started with. By the way, i'm still running the same iPhone after 4 years and still find no need to update!

So next I started studying about what type of development program Apple has and how to get started. The more I read about it, I saw that theirs was just as good as Visual Studio that I had experience with in the past. One of the things I was used to with Visual Studio is it costs some big money to get it. But I was used to the Microsoft way and paid the cost to get it. It is really good software because it covers C++, Visual C, etc. so it gives you a big selection of programming languages to pick from for the Windows op-system. It like having the kitchen sink and everything else and it is a top rate way to program. Plus I hope you like learning because there is a lot of languages there to program with!

 Apple’s development software is called X-Code and even though it doesn’t cover the 6 or so different languages, Apple decided to stick with one, well two now. What I like is X-Code is it is used for all of Apple’s op-systems. These are the following: IOS, used in iPhones, iPads, and the small tablet like computers. OS-X is the op-system that is with all Apple computers like the iMacs and their different variations. The new kid on the block which just recently became available is IOSTV. This is a variation of the IOS op-system that just recently became available when the Apple TV4 internet device became available. What this has done was open a whole new market for making apps for the Apple TV! 

Another thing is the Apple op-system is based on UNIX. UNIX is one of the first op-systems that was made for the bigger mainframes in the early days of computers. It was one of the first op-systems that did multitasking of programs via the command line. Because of this, it is one of the most stable op-systems around. And if you heard of Linux, it is a UNIX clone, also very stable.  Later another computer system was designed by Steve Jobs, who after he was let go from Apple, started a company  called NEXT.  The NEXT computer was designed with a visual based op-system instead of the UNIX command line based. Then Apple, because of failing sales decided to bring back Steve Jobs, this is where Steve Jobs took the idea and made the first Mac. The Mac was all visual based with graphics and windows and also used the mouse! From this after lots of changes came the visual op-system which then became OS-X and later IOS. IOS is like it's big brother OS-X with icons, windows, etc. It totally change the whole idea how a phone based op-system looks and is used.

One big selling point I saw was this is given to developers for FREE! Everything you need for developing for any Apple device is included. It is also capable of drag and drop! Need a button or text box, just drag and drop. And it is easy to program these features in code too! Another plus is X-Code looks for errors as you program and if it can will suggest a fix in real time! Very Cool!

Another selling point is Apple has a Apple conference at least twice a year. It comes in 2 conferences. One is the Apple Conference where you find out about all the new products and features that are coming. The other one is the Apple Developer’s Conference. Here they talk about the the changes in features on the devices and also the programming changes and discussions for doing the programming with X-Code. They also caries the previous year’s conferences on the Apple developers site so you can see those videos. So that is a big plus for learning.

Another thing that I liked is the X-Code Simulator. Now for people that doesn't have a Apple product, that is iPhone, iPad, iMac etc. yet, the simulator will test your program as a software device. This is mostly used for the Apple iPhones, iPads and Apple TV4 for a start. So lets say I want to develop for the iPhone 4S. Set it for that and it will show a simulation for an iPhone 4S. Want to see how it looks for an iPhone 6, set it and recompile. The simulator works just like an actual device on the screen.  Very cool! 

Now how about for an actual iPhone? Well for only $99 a year, you will be able to do that too! Also you will now have access to a lot more X-Code development library and courses. And believe me, the first time you do that successfully it is a big thrill! This is the best way to test your app on an actual device, because if it runs on your device with no problems it will probably pass hopefully at Apple. And if it passed with Apple, you are on your way to having an app for sale in the app store!

The next post will discuss what can make or break your idea for becoming an Apple Developer, so we will discuss that next. 

See you there!

3. How Things Started To Come Together And What To Think About.

Its a new day coming! 

By now you can probably figure out what one of my platforms can be. Four years ago after all these years I finally decided to buy a phone. I mean considering all the features that are on a phone and and what they can do it started out as a hard decision. 

After a while I noticed one thing that one particular phone had a big following. It was also made by a company that has a big history of being a great tech giant. It also just happened to be in the news big time because it had a big development coming. 

Now as a diehard Windows person since the beginning of computers, I always didn’t really pay attention to the ‘other guys’. So I never knew much about them. Well the company is called Apple and they had just announced that a new phone with a lot of new ideas that nobody else had was coming out. It was the iPhone 4S and believe me when I read up on all the ideas and features it had, I thought of my dream idea. 

So I bought one and since it was totally different than Windows in all aspects, I got used to how it operates with its new op-system. To me I was used to Windows op-system and I never really liked its interface. I totally never like the idea of updates all the time and when they didn’t work, it was a headache! It seamed like a bunch of extra steps to do things and it wasn’t too intuitive. 

When I used the iPhone, it was like ‘hey this really makes sense on how you operate it’! So the more I read about the iPhone and Apple, I found out if you can run an iPhone, you can run the Apple computer! Now I thought why not, lower learning curve! And everything was the same as in operation and looks! So this was my initial entry into the world of Apple and computing! But one thing was holding me back and I'll talk about that in the next post!

Thanks for visiting!

2. Purpose Of This Site

Hi again!

Part 1, I described an idea I had long ago and how I can build up my dream. I did a lot of research into the devices that became available and what you can do with them.

After a lot of research into what is out there in app land and what was available, the how to's, popularity, app devices and ease of use, I picked the best of the best that is available. 

I decided to make this site to show my current training and at least a picture of an app and it's purpose. Since I have never done this before, I did my research on the type of training that is available on the internet and I found some very good ones! 

The apps I will describe here is from the very best learning sites that I have found. Since these sites are ones you have to pay for, my examples will have and describe the same principles used for programming with a step by step approach that you can learn.  I will develop a different type of app and give you the ups and downs as I go thru my process. 

Since I do spend a lot of time developing and learning, there may not be a lot of posts at first. But as I step through the process of learning, I will post a picture of the simple app with a little description of what is behind it to make it. 

Now my process can be a little expensive to start depending on your hardware available. I will describe the setup I am using and point you with some ideas. Now it will take a lot of learning how to program, but I can simplify the process. It can take a lot of time, with trial and error along the way.  But believe me the rewards of seeing simple apps running on a device is well worth the effort.

I really do enjoy what I am doing now and the rewards can come later as you build up the knowledge and experience! 

So I hope you visit often and see what changes are a coming! And who knows, you might learn something too! Thanks for visiting and leave me a comment on what you think! I'm open for ideas too! 

See you next time!

1. Want to develop an app?

Hello! 

This first post is just an invitation to the world of app development. Are you interested on how they make the small apps on your particular device do what they do? So was I about a year ago.
Since this was a new endeavor for me, I didn't know where to start. 

My particular ideas started as how can I use a portable device as a computer?
Can it be used with external bluetooth devices such as a keyboard, earphones and speakers?
The popularity of the device would show the size of the market out there.
Like a computer, does it have any sensors or hardware programming capability?
Does it have a high resolution display that you can program to?
Does it have WiFi  capability so it can use the internet from anywhere?
When no keyboard is around, does it have a touch screen keyboard?
Can I play my movies?
Can I listen to radio?
Can I take pictures?
Is there programming languages available?
Can I draw on it?
How long has the company that makes the device been around?
Do they have the latest ideas in development software?
What is the costs involved for the software and updates?
And last, can I use it as a phone?

The reason for this is several years (10+) ago, I had and still have a portable device made by Nokia, called the N800. It was one of the first portable tablets around and it did half of the above on the list. I used it a lot and it fit in your pocket. So now with what is out there, the technology was catching up to my dream device. So now what I was looking for was a do it all type of device that I can program!

Read what happens in my next blog post!

For Nokia N800 information

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N800