• This forum is for posting news stories or links from rumor sites. When you start a thread, please include a link to the site you're referencing.

    THIS IS NOT A FORUM TO ASK "WHAT IF?" TYPE QUESTIONS.

    THIS IS NOT A FORUM FOR ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO USE YOUR MAC OR SOFTWARE.

    This is a NEWS and RUMORS forum as the name implies. If your thread is neither of those things, then please find the appropriate forum to ask your question.

    If you don't have a link to a news story, do not post the thread here.

    If you don't follow these rules, then your post may be deleted.

Apple wants to make it easy for non-programmers to build iOS apps.

Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3
Apple wants to make it easy for non-programmers to build iOS apps


A new digital content authoring tool from Apple could make it simple for people without a background in programming to build their own iOS applications for the iPhone and iPad.

Apple's interest in making iOS development simpler than ever was revealed in a new patent application published this week and discovered by AppleInsider. Entitled "Content Configuration for Device Platforms," it describes a new authoring tool that would allow users to create content without needing to understand or access computer code.

I for one wouldn't be keen to see this come to the light of day. Imagine all the silly mindless games flooding the App store :(
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,163
Reaction score
275
Points
83
Location
UK
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini i5 (2014 High Sierra), iPhone X, Apple Watch, iPad Pro 12.9, AppleTV (4)
It's a double-edged sword.

Yes it could propagate lots of rubbish, but then there's a fair bit of that already.

But on the other hand it might allow someone, with a great idea, to produce an app that otherwise might not see the light of day.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
I for one wouldn't be keen to see this come to the light of day. Imagine all the silly mindless games flooding the App store :(
Ah but there's two things you're forgetting - Apple doesn't have to approve anything if it doesn't want to (which could filter junk out) nor does an increase in simplistic or bad games take away from the good ones. I imagine that, unlike others *cough* apps ported from Android to BB 10 *cough*, the apps made with this (if they indeed are full apps) won't be all that terrible.

The easier it is for people to make apps, the better. I know people who do research projects for instance who, when they found out I could make them an app, were delighted and quite excited. I think this is what Apple is aiming for - tapping into an excitement that is tempered by what is perceived to be overwhelming. As it is right now, if you want to make a native app using Cocoa Touch, you have to know how to use XCode, Objective-C and Cocoa Touch. Even knowing that you need an Apple Developer account and the need to get provisioning files and certificates can be confusing for some. Alternative frameworks such as Flex Mobile are much easier but still relatively confusing for new people. Thus, if you make something really easy and let them push out content with ease, you keep people excited in the potential that apps have while preventing them from feeling overwhelmed.
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
Couldn't agree more. I have waited for something like this. I would like to, for example, like to target apps for some of my students. Change vocabulary, unit content etc, and be able to push that out to users/students.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
Have you thought about doing that as a mobile optimized webpage? If it's simply content based, that would not only be easier to update (since all you'd have to do is change the page) but it would also work across devices.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
I for one wouldn't be keen to see this come to the light of day. Imagine all the silly mindless games flooding the App store :(

I think we all lived through the early days of "today's fart app" of the App Store and that was before application program was trivially easy..so nothing is going to stop dumb people from making dumb apps..:)
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
Have you thought about doing that as a mobile optimized webpage? If it's simply content based, that would not only be easier to update (since all you'd have to do is change the page) but it would also work across devices.

I had not thought of that. There are some sites out there that offer some of this capability but most are not mobile friendly. There could be a place for both types of activities since some of our students do not have Net access at home.

Will do some searching for info on building such pages. I have not done any web-building since taking a few educational technology classes in the '90s. Can you say Netscape Communicator?
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
Can you say Netscape Communicator?
What is that, some sort of chat technology? :p

There are a few mobile friendly frameworks out there that can ease the pain (so to speak) while making the sites really friendly to mobile devices. A nice one is jQuery Mobile - it's free, well supported and works fairly well.

If all you want to do is deliver content to a user that's inevitably going to be hosted online anyway, this might be the easier route.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
And I say WorldWideWeb to you both (I win!).
LOL I concede. Tried to get on Compuserve or the like at one point but the mail order outfit went out of business before delivering the modem. First Net experiences were AOL and Internet Valet.
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
Pssh! Gopher (I really win!)
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
No way, that doesn't count cheater. You can't use different protocols. :p
 

Raz0rEdge

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
15,745
Reaction score
2,071
Points
113
Location
MA
Your Mac's Specs
2022 Mac Studio M1 Max, 2023 M2 MBA
Gopher predates the WorldWideWeb..and I go to play around with it in 93 or so..the web didn't take shape till 95..so..:p
 

Slydude

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
17,596
Reaction score
1,072
Points
113
Location
North Louisiana, USA
Your Mac's Specs
M1 MacMini 16 GB - Ventura, iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2015 iMac 16 GB Monterey
OP
TattooedMac
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
You say it as if you're not part of that group.
 
OP
TattooedMac
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
8,428
Reaction score
295
Points
83
Location
Waiting for a mate . . .
Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac 2.9Ghz 16GB RAM - 10.11.3, iPhone6s & iPad Air 2 - iOS 9.2.1, ATV 4Th Gen tvOS, ATV3

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top