For me, the biggest stumbling block was Interface Builder. Scott points out that for some people, laying out an app using a visual layout tool seemed like magic. But really and truly, visual layout tools have been around since the dawn of time, especially if you're coming from a Windows dev environment. All the .NET dev languages (C++, C#, Java, VB), etc, have a well-integrated visual layout designer. And then there's Delphi. And then again, there's the original (pre-.NET) Visual Basic development system which has been around for a __long__ time.
All these tools have a well-integrated visual layout designer. Did I emphasise well-integrated? Yes, because IB ....errr.... isn't. It just about plays ball with Xcode, but there is a world of difference between (say) Delphi's polished IDE on the one hand, and the Jekyll / Hyde combination of Xcode / IB on the other.
In C#, if I want to resize a control, I just do it instantly there and then - I don't need to call up another app to do the job. If I want to add a button and have some code execute when I click the button, I just drag the button onto a form, double-click the button, and there I am writing the code in the code editor. I love Cocoa as a framework, but the Xcode / IB partnership can trace its history back to Nextstep - and it shows. And don't get me started on all the weird and wonderful idiosyncrasies in IB. It's time IB was put out to pasture, and Xcode had an integrated, extensible layout designer of its own.
by Dave Jewell — Jun 03
All these tools have a well-integrated visual layout designer. Did I emphasise well-integrated? Yes, because IB ....errr.... isn't. It just about plays ball with Xcode, but there is a world of difference between (say) Delphi's polished IDE on the one hand, and the Jekyll / Hyde combination of Xcode / IB on the other.
In C#, if I want to resize a control, I just do it instantly there and then - I don't need to call up another app to do the job. If I want to add a button and have some code execute when I click the button, I just drag the button onto a form, double-click the button, and there I am writing the code in the code editor. I love Cocoa as a framework, but the Xcode / IB partnership can trace its history back to Nextstep - and it shows. And don't get me started on all the weird and wonderful idiosyncrasies in IB. It's time IB was put out to pasture, and Xcode had an integrated, extensible layout designer of its own.
Dave