Yellow Box :: Cocoa and XCode For Windows

Back in the days before OS X came out, there was Yellow Box. If it were available today, it could easily be described as XCode and Cocoa for Windows. There was also Red Box back then, essentially the same as what we’ve got now: OS X on Intel processors. To make things interesting, it is well-known that iTunes exists for Windows, and (somewhat infamously) also known that Safari exists for Windows. Apple even makes a utility for Windows to manage AirPort base stations.

“So, what!?”, right?

No. It’s bigger than that. What Apple is tinkering with more and more in their skunkworks is the development environment formerly known as Yellow Box. That technology never went away. It may have languished with time somewhat, but thanks to Microsoft’s determined support for backwards compatibility, most of what was ever in Yellow Box still works. Sure, some of it is crufty and all that, but the recent developments with Safari and on-going development of iTunes for Windows is indicative enough that they’re definitely toying with the idea of releasing Yellow Box once again.

This makes perfect sense. Macs run on Intel. Windows runs on Intel. Mac users can install Windows on a Mac. Why not develop the same application on a Mac, in Mac OS X, in XCode, then compile it for both operating systems at once!? That’s right. That’s exactly one of the things you will see coming out of Cupertino in the next year or two. If they don’t announce it at this year’s WWDC, you can expect it at the following year’s WWDC.