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With Xcode, we get a simulator (not an emulator), which is good for various level of testing, but in the end you need device for actual testing. I am interested in creating emulator for various iPhone, iPad, and then different iOS versions.
My question is, can we create an emulator for iOS, if so what could be the approach. I am new to the emulator field, i am an iOS developer, so very much familiar with objective c and iOS sdk. I need to know what skill sets are required for this, and how to proceed. Any ebook, website, most welcome. I am not looking for a perfect answer, a good guideline will work.
I don't know how to do this, but I think if you need to do this you need to compile the source code for armv7 or armv7s processors.
Please check these links, I found during my searching iOS Emulator, iOS Emulators
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I've heard that you need to get a Mac if you want to develop iPhone apps. Is this true?
Is it possible to develop iPhone apps using Linux? If yes, what do I need and where do I download the necessary tools?
To provide a differing response, I'm running OS X and Xcode on a virtualised (VMware) machine on Linux. CPU is a Core2Quad (Q8800), and it is perfectly fast. I found a prebuilt VM online (I'll leave it to you to find)
Xcode/iPhone development works perfectly, as does debugging via USB to the phone itself.
It actually surprised me a lot - but I've had no issues at all.
The answer to this really depends on whether or not you want to develop apps that are then distributed through the iPhone store. If you don't, and don't mind developing for the "jailbroken" iPhone crowd - then it's possible to develop from Linux.
Check this chap's page for a comprehensive (if a little complex) guide on what to do :
http://www.saurik.com/id/4
It seems to be true so far. The only SDK available from Apple only targets the macOS environment. I've been upset about that, but I'm looking into buying a mac now, just to do iPhone development. I really dislike what they are doing, and I hope a good SDK come out for other environments, such as Linux and Windows.
Obstacles regarding the SDK:
The iPhone SDK and free software: not a match
Apple's recently released a software development kit (SDK) for the iPhone, but if you were hoping to port or develop original open source software with it, the news isn't good. Code signing and nondisclosure conditions make free software a no-go.
The SDK itself is a free download, with which you can write programs and run them on a software simulator. But in order to actually release software you've written, you must enroll in the iPhone Developer Program -- a step separate from downloading the SDK, and one that requires Apple's approval.
I think it's rather elitist for them to think only macOS users are good enough to write programs for their phone, and the fact you need to buy a $100 license if you want to publish your stuff, really makes it more difficult for the hobbyist programmer. Though, if that's what you need to do, I'm planning on jumping through their hoops; I'd really like to get some stuff developed on my iPhone.
There used to be a project dedicated to solve this defect: iphone-dev
The goal of the iphone-dev project is to create a free, portable, high quality toolchain to enable development for the Apple iPhone and other embedded devices based on the ARM/Darwin platform.
Regarding the alternative tool chain, Saurik's site is useful but for latest firmware development he indicates building on the iPhone itself and stays clear of indicating that you may need to copy necessary iPhone firmware files to your Linux environment. It's not impossible, but just requires additional work, especially for signing the code (there are open alternative solutions out there as well).
Also, take a look at other guides (for the same tool chain) that approach it more methodically.
I'd suggest to still do the final build and code signing and packaging in XCode (which may mean borrowing someone's Mac) in case you run into problems when submitting the application to Apple. Using the alternative tool chain opens up (at least on the Mac) the possibility of using other IDEs other than XCode for developing the application and again resorting to XCode for the deployment and testing with the simulator.
Of course if you do get the code signing / certificate generation working from the command line outside of XCode then you can install a certificate on your actual iPhone and test there (installing the app via iTunes w/your certificate).
The only way I know of doing development in Linux for the iPhone would be to install Vmware and work on getting OS X running in a virtual machine. With that said there are some "legal" concerns in doing that. It is reported that OS X Server can be virtualized but as far as the development story on that I don't know.
If you are truly serious, that's the what I'd investigate.
Good luck.
You can use Tersus (open source), and it lets you export the app as an Xcode project.
You might be able to write code on a Linux box that will eventually find itself on an iPhone or iPad, but ultimately you would need a Mac to test or deploy the code to the iPhone or to submit it to the App store. So ultimately you need a Mac, so you might as well do the work on the Mac too, with all the tools that Apple provide. There are alternatives to Xcode & Objective-C, such as Monotouch - but these utilize the Apple tools too.
You can with some work run OS X in a VM on Linux. However I should point out that this will break the OSX license agreement, even if you buy the copy of OSX - as it is only licensed to run on Apple hardware.
Sorry to give you this news - the ecosystem around the iPhone/iPad is very tightly controlled.
EDIT: One major exception to this is writing a web app for the iPhone. There are some excellent web apps for the iPhone which are almost as good as user experience as a native app. However I did interpret your question to be about native app development. Web apps, although the user can create an icon for launching them - are still 'second class' citizens.
I've had success building iOS apps on linux using the iOS clang toolchain by cjacker. Basically it consists of the upstream clang and llvm tools from your linux distro, a linux port of apple's linker and some extra tools to help simplify the build process (such as converting xcode projects to Makefile format).
It does take a few steps to install, but you're a software developer so you'd be used to that. I posted an up to date howto for Debian 7 (Wheezy) online:
https://rogerkeays.com/how-to-build-an-ios-toolchain-for-linux-debian-7
Otherwise you want to go with the generic instructions which are a little older:
http://code.google.com/p/ios-toolchain-based-on-clang-for-linux/wiki/HowTo_en
Good luck.
There's a framework called Rhodes.
The concept is based on Ruby on Rails and you develop your mobile app in Ruby and HTML, and you can write your code in a Linux environment. You can then create an account at Rhohub, where you add the code (through GitHub), and it allows you to compile it for iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian, all off the same code. You don't have to code in Objective-C for iPhone, nor Java for Android, etc. It does the conversions for you. All you need to do is stick to the Rules for creating an iPhone application (or the Phone's you want to develop for) so it can be accepted at iTunes (or the equivalent market).
This will allow you to add the app to iTunes as well.
I have not found any emulators, however, which means that to test your app you need to put it on an iPhone, which is a mission.
I am using this option as I want to create apps for all phones and I use Ruby on Rails already. If you just want to make an app for an iPhone, then invest in a Mac.
Hope this helps.
You're right non-jailbroken phones are limited to Apple's App store and Apple "has the right" to enforce whatever rule, it's totally nonfree territory.
However while developing, one won't have to deal with Apple at all. You can use e.g. rsync to upload the code to the device and test it.
To a certain extent, yes, it is possible. You can type Objective-C code and set up your projects. You can even test the C and C++ parts of your code with gcc.
What you cannot do:
Use Interface Builder to set up your interface, as it's Mac-only. (Not required, but recommended.)
Compile code that uses Apple's Cocoa classes - they don't exist on Linux.
Test code in the Simulator - there isn't one for Linux.
Compile code for real devices or for the App Store - all this requires tools that Apple only provides for OS X.
You need to get mac for it. There are several tool chains available (like win-chain) that actually lets you write and build i Phone applications on windows. There are several associated tutorials to build the Objective C code on Windows. But there is a problem, the apps hence developed will work on Jail broken i Phones only.
We’ve seen few hacks to get over that and make it to App Store, but as Apple keeps on updating SDKs, tool chains need regular updates. It’s a hassle to make it up all the time.If you want to get ready app you can also take help from arcapps its launches apps at a reasonable price.
iphone app development
I did an attempt to port cocos2d-iphone to GNUstep so that you can Develop game based on cocos2d. However for publishing you need a mac. cocos2d-GNUstep.
I would recommend getting a mac because the ios simulator is amazing for testing in the early stages of an app. But I do know of a small company we work with that develops using Unity so they don't need a load of macs. That way they only need one mac for the office and that's just to compile the final build. It also means it works on android but it really depends on what your building because it's a games engine. You may want to look into web apps using frameworks like Sencha Touch Mobile
Unity: http://unity3d.com/
Sencha Touch: http://www.sencha.com/products/touch/
If you value your time, buy a Mac! I don't know enough about Linux development options to offer a viable solution, but it seems the proposed methods involve some pretty roundabout work. If you plan on seriously writing and selling iPhone apps, I think you could easily recoup the cost of a Mac Mini or Macbook. :-)
You will never get your app approved by Apple if it is not developed using Xcode. Never. And if you do hack the SDK to develop on Linux and Apple finds out, don't be surprised when you are served. I am a member of the ADC and the iPhone developer program. Trust, Apple is VERY serious about this.
Don't take the risk, Buy a Macbook or Mac mini (yes a mini can run Xcode - though slowly - boost the RAM if you go with the mini). Also, while I've seen OS X hacked to run on VMware I've never seen anyone running Xcode on VM. So good luck. And I'd check the EULA before you go through the trouble.
PS: After reading the above, yes I agree If you do hack the SDK and develop on Linux at least do the final packaging on a Mac. And submit it via a Mac. Apple doesn't run through the code line by line so i doubt they'd catch that. But man, that's a lot of if's and work. Be fun to do though. :)
I was just wondering if anyone knows of any articles relating to upgrading an iPhone application from 3.0 to iOS4. (Thanks for this iWasRobbed).
While the application still runs on iOS4, it will not run on the iPhone 4, but does on my iPhone 3G.
When I deploy the app on the iPhone 4, the Default screen loads and it will sit there hanging. The only inclination towards a problem I get is this warning:
warning: UUID mismatch detected with the loaded library - on disk is:
/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneOS4.0.sdk/System/Library/Frameworks/UIKit.framework/UIKit
warning: UUID mismatch detected with the loaded library - on disk is:
/Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/SDKs/iPhoneOS4.0.sdk/System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/DataAccessExpress.framework/DataAccessExpress
Thanks
James
James,
Apple has provided this checklist: http://developer.apple.com/iphone/checklist/
It generally should not be that big of an issue. Typically, you just set the baseline SDK as 4.0 and the deployment target as either 4.0 or something 3.0+.
If it is not running on an iPhone 4, you may wish to explain further what specifically it is doing or not doing when you attempt to run it on that device. Keep in mind that all apps (for the most part) that were designed to run on 3.0 and above will typically run well on an iPhone 4.
There might be some issues with deprecated methods, so make sure you resolve those prior to installing and running the app. You should get a compiler warning for any of those, if not check your target settings and there should be a checkbox for it.
Other than that, I'm not sure what else would prevent you without understanding further details of your project.
As additional information, you should really look into the WWDC 2010 video called "Future Proofing Your Applications" (watching it now :)
That is most likely a mismatch between what iOS your iPhone 4 is running and what SDK you're using in Xcode. The UUIDs are mismatched because the iPhone 4 is using a different version SDK to what you've coded in.
Solution, install the latest SDK and make sure your iPhone matches this. The latest out is 4.1
I had the same problem and think I have solved it because the problem has gone away.
Firstly I deleted the build folder. Then I Installed the latest version of ios (4.1 in this case) onto my iphone through itunes. Afterwards i installed the latest xcode and iphone sdk package from the apple devlopers site.
This in itself probably fixed the problem but just to be sure I added a new provisioning profile for the phone on my computer and everything worked great afterwards.
Hope that helps
I know there is no official SDK for Windows, which is very annoying. Is there any way to develop applications on a Windows computer, other than somehow running a Mac OS in VMware? I know you can do it with Xcode, but that is also only for Mac OS X. Google searches have revealed absolutely nothing.
If I cannot use the SDK or Xcode, is there any way I can just check syntax or something and just make my code in Notepad and save it with the proper extension? I have no idea whether or not I would be able to do that, probably because I have never even tried the SDK and probably never will without buying a Mac.
I looked into this before buying a Mac Mini. The answer is, essentially, no. You pretty much have to buy a Leopard Mac to do iPhone SDK development for apps that run on non-jailbroken iPhones.
Not that it's 100% impossible, but it's 99.99% unreasonable. Like changing light bulbs with your feet.
Not only do you have to be in Xcode, but you have to get certificates into the Keychain manager to be able to have Xcode and the iPhone communicate. And you have to set all kinds of setting in Xcode just right.
You could easily build an app using PhoneGap or Appcelerators Titanium Mobile.
Both of these essentially act as a WebKit wrapper, so you can build your application with HTML/CSS/JavaScript. It's a pretty portable solution, too, but you are somewhat limited in what you can make - i.e, no intensive rendering or anything. It really all depends on what you're looking to do.
You could do what saurik of Cydia does, and write your code on a PC then build it on the iPhone itself (it is a Mac, technically!) after you jailbreak it. However, you don't get Interface Builder, so you're basically creating UIs in code by hand. It'd also be pretty tough to actually submit your app without a Mac.
No, you must have an Intel Mac of some sort. I went to Best Buy and got a 24" iMac with 4G RAM for $1499 using their 18 month no interest promotion. I pay a minimum payment of something like $16 a month. As long as I pay the entire thing off within 18 months - no interest. That was the only way I was getting into iPhone development.
There is another solution if you want to develop in C/C++. http://www.DragonFireSDK.com will allow you to build iPhone applications in Visual Studio on Windows. It's worth a look-see for sure.
Technically you can write code in a .NET language and use the Mono Framework (http://www.mono-project.com/) to run it on the iPhone. I haven't ever seen someone do this from scratch, but the folks that write the Unity Game Development platform (http://unity3d.com/) use it to make their games iPhone-compatible. The game itself is written in .NET, and then they provide an iPhone shell with the Mono frameworks that allows everything to run on the iPhone. I don't know whether they've contributed all of their modifications to Mono back to the open-source repository, but if you're serious about writing iPhone apps outside the Mac environment, it might be possible.
That said, I think you could dump weeks into getting that to work, and it might be best to invest in a Mac instead :-)
This really comes down to how much you value your time. As the other posters have mentioned, there are a couple of ways you can build iPhone apps without a Mac. However, you are jumping through serious hoops, and it'll be much more difficult and take longer than it would with the proper development chain.
You can buy a second-hand Mac Mini for a couple of hundred bucks on eBay. If you're serious about doing iPhone development you'll make this back in saved time very quickly.
No one has brought up the hackintosh. If you have supported hardware it might be the best option.
There are two ways:
If you are patient (requires Ubuntu corral pc and Android SDK and some heavy terminal work to get it all set up). See Using the 3.0 SDK without paying for the priviledge.
If you are immoral (requires Mac OS X Leopard and virtualization, both only obtainable through great expense or pirating) - remove space from the following link.
htt p://iphonewo rld. codinghut.com /2009/07/using-the-3-0-sdk-without-paying-for-the-priviledge/
I use the Ubuntu method myself.
http://maniacdev.com/2010/01/iphone-development-windows-options-available/
check this website they have shown many solutions .
Phonegap
Titanium etc.
What are the options for developing iPhone apps?
Currently I've tried to install gnu kit for Linux without success! Too many steps, and at the and I was unable to compile a single app.
The Apple SDK seems to be much more easy, but I don't have a Mac.
So am I missing something?
You need a Mac, no question. You also need an iPhone or iPod Touch to develop on as although the simulator is pretty good, it is not perfect - I have example code that works fine in the simulator but fails on the hardware. The hardware also has to be modified to add development keys to it so there is a certain risk to using a real iPhone - many people testify that it's safe enough but myself I chickened and purchase an iPod Touch for development. Keys also have to be installed on your Mac and integrated into Xcode - and that's tricky enough to get right even with the standard Apple setup. Xcode is free and really quite a decent IDE.
Your minimum requirements are therefore
An Intel Mac running the latest Mac OS. Cheapest option there is a Mac Mini - $599 although you could probably pick up one on Ebay that would work just fine for $400 or less.
An iPod Touch (or an iPhone if you need the camera/phone features for your app) - $229
A developer licence from apple so you can get they necessary keys - $99
To emphasize, you absolutely have to test the code on real hardware and the amount of pain you will go though trying to use anything else but a Mac and Xcode will easily eat the cost of buying a Mac.
Yes, the Mac. It's probably not worth the effort without the tools. Especially without the emulator. Apple designed the iPhone, it runs a version of OSX, and they have made the tools. It's not even like all you need is the complier because you don't have the tools to debug, load and manage the applications.
Check out http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596155193/ from your local libarary, it says you don't need a Mac, just a jailbroken iPhone/iPodTouch and Linux. I don't know that you can use the SDK to do it, I'm waiting for the 2g jailbreak to even start, but I sure hope I don't need a Mac.
Besides the official MAC you have a project at google code that attempts to make a toolchain for Linux and Windows. iphone-dev This link shows you how to build it.
There's another FAQ site that answers many of the base iPhone development questions like this, which I've found useful. So you might want to check out iPhoneDevelopmentFAQ.com