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.
10 comments ↓
Don’t you think this these is going too far?
Remember: OS X for Intel was developed parallel to the Power PC version all over the years, since Steve Jobs came back to Apple.
IMO it is not more or less than having an ace up one’s sleeve…
iTunes is written in Carbon, not Cocoa, and Safari is a Win32 app that uses the cross-platform WebKit.
Some of us Windows users want to develop programs for the Touch and iphone. We need the ability to do this. Does Apple want to keep us out of the loop? Can they afford to?
NW
Apple better make xCode for windows, I’m a big developer and I need to move to the iPhone/iTouch market.
No… You’re wrong :( As bonch said, iTunes is not Cocoa (Yellow Box), it’s Carbon/CoreFoundation. Safari links to CoreFoundation as well, I believe.
you’re completely delusional.
I cannot belive that Apple has not bothered to create an iPhone IDE for windows, what!?
Has Microsoft provided their software development environment to the Macintosh?
A) Microsoft will not likely produce any of their Visual Studio tools for OS X. That would rely on DirectX working on OS X. Highly unlikely.
B) Although XCode could be much more easily made for Windows (than Visual Studio for OS X) it is not likely to happen any time soon.
XCode depends on tools that are *NIX-based and are notoriously not Windowsy. XCode also relies on a ton of frameworks for windows and standard and modified BSD headers. It is highly optimised for OS X, just like Visual Studio is highly optimised for Windows.
I think it would be nice for apple to develop xcode for windows but I don’t see it happening. The genius stroke for me is that they know everyone wants to get into iPhone development, so by keeping it on OSX only they are likely to increase their mac sales also
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