Xcode opinions

MightySausage

As a longtime linux user (9 years now) I've decided to retire linux to the server world and upgrade my desktop/laptop situation. A 13" MacBook Pro seems like the best way to go. Anyways I'm a Sys Admin and also do small bit of dev on the side (C/C++, Python). I see Apple have this Xcode development suite. I was in an Apple store in Sydney and not one of the machines had it installed :rolleyes: So anyone have experience with this software and tell me if it's good or not, pros and cons etc?

Cheers,
El Sausage

Homer

You can get it from here once you have registered as a developer with apple afaik.
It's a fairly hefty download 2.8Gb if I recall though!

Red Alert

I use it regularly for writing iPhone and Mac apps as well as for doing C/C++ stuff and also a very old Fortran95 program. It's a totally different IDE to either Visual Studio or Eclipse, but once you get the hang of it it's very powerful.

Python is a weird one: it can syntax highlight python but the debugger doesn't work with python. But the normal C and C++ side of things is excellent.

The XCode tools also include some other useful stuff like Static Analyzers and a performance tool called Instruments. It also connects with Interface Builder to let you draw out GUIs for the Mac and iPhone.

Best of all, it's free!

Greentree_uk

unless things have changed XCODE is Free and comes with every mac. it's on the install discs, it just isn't installed by default as everyone isn't a programmer! Not one myself but I've read good reports.

MightySausage

How good the the debugger? Have you used the other tools included like the Static Analyzer?

Red Alert wrote: »

I use it regularly for writing iPhone and Mac apps as well as for doing C/C++ stuff and also a very old Fortran95 program. It's a totally different IDE to either Visual Studio or Eclipse, but once you get the hang of it it's very powerful.

Python is a weird one: it can syntax highlight python but the debugger doesn't work with python. But the normal C and C++ side of things is excellent.

The XCode tools also include some other useful stuff like Static Analyzers and a performance tool called Instruments. It also connects with Interface Builder to let you draw out GUIs for the Mac and iPhone.

Best of all, it's free!

ifconfig

I've started using Xcode about 2 months ago principally for iPhone development using Objective C / Cocoa touch.
I like the toolset. If you want to learn some of the short cuts I can recommend the screencasts on the pragmatic programmer's website ( they cost a couple of Euro but helped my productivity in the IDE).

I come originally from a Java background and would be familiar with Eclipse and Netbeans and to a lesser extend IntelliJ.
Some critics say that Xcode is a bit behind those 3 IDEs and also the Microsoft visual tools.

I've been pleasantly surprise how comfortable I am developing with the Xcode tools and I've only scratched the surface. The instruments tool for tracking memory leaks and profiling looks great.

I am also, btw, a UNIX veteran. I worked for many years with Solaris , Linux and even SunOS (showing my age).
Macs are fun and also a nice UNIX platform under the hood if you are that way inclined. There are some nice frameworks and tools which allow you install a lot of the cmdline UNIX open source tools as well if you are an admin /hobbyist with UNIX leanings.

I am intrigued about Red Alert's desktop OSX development stuff.
Eventually I'd like to get into that as well.
Objective C and Cocoa are interesting languages/platforms to develop with.
They promote very good architectural principles, eg Model/view/controller,
the core language Objective C , combines IMHO a very good blend of the power of C and the best OO features of Smalltalk.