Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#1

Post by tomhoward » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 3:56 PM UTC

Cocoa Touch apps (2007)
twitter.com

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#2

Post by tiahura » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:16 PM UTC

So macOS is finally getting touchscreen support? Awesome.

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#3

Post by powersurge360 » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:19 PM UTC

tiahura wrote: post #2

So macOS is finally getting touchscreen support? Awesome.

Not sure if this is a joke, the emails refer to iPhone and it’s original sdk. Originally, to develop for iPhone, you had to settle for making web apps.

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#4

Post by pier25 » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:27 PM UTC

Jesus they had 3 months to do it.

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#5

Post by swiley » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:27 PM UTC

Man, it would be nice if we could go back.

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#6

Post by justinator » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:31 PM UTC

powersurge360 wrote: post #3

tiahura wrote: post #2

So macOS is finally getting touchscreen support? Awesome.

Not sure if this is a joke, the emails refer to iPhone and it’s original sdk. Originally, to develop for iPhone, you had to settle for making web apps.

Well the iPhone shipped with native apps. You, as a developer, just couldn't make them yourself. So my question what is, and wasn't there when it come to the internal SDK and what needed to be built out? I guess exactly what Bertrand lists lol. One of those things would be seen as a miracle to ship in that timeframe.

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#7

Post by aaronbrethorst » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:33 PM UTC

I just realized that more time has elapsed since the iPhone launched (about 14 years: 2007 - 2021) than had between when Jobs returned to Apple and the iPhone launched (about 11 years: 1996-2007). Yikes.

Also, the three month deadline helps explain why the iPhoneOS SDK was such a mess when it first launched.

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#8

Post by wayneftw » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:33 PM UTC

People on HN have repeatedly said to me that Apple actually originally intended for web apps to be the only apps for the iPhone, forever.

I never believed it. Glad we have some evidence that that was never the case.

Clearly web apps were a stop-gap until they got their SDK done.

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#9

Post by refulgentis » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:33 PM UTC

pier25 wrote: post #4

Jesus they had 3 months to do it.

I _deeply_ appreciated a recalcitrant Serland's "Let's do it right this time, rather than rush a half-cooked story" was followed immediately by Jobs' "Sure, as long as its ready in 12 weeks"

Of course, history shows it wasn't _actually_ rolled out till June (modulo direct 3P relationships Apple did earlier), but good to know managers are always managers and FAANG is always FAANG, 90% of the work gets done _in spite_ of the lack of planning

Re: Cocoa Touch apps (2007)

#10

Post by mortenjorck » Thu, Jun 03, 2021, 4:37 PM UTC

"Let's protect the user, by keeping control of [...] which entities can distribute apps (implies: signing infrastructure, policies, etc...)"

Imagine an alternate universe where this foundational goal of the iOS SDK was interpreted just a little more loosely, with something closer to MacOS notarization, and an App Store that had to compete just like the Mac App Store.