back to article Web happy iPhone dev kit grants free evals

WorkLight is offering coders free access to an evaluation version of its multi-platform development suite, billed as a means of building, deploying, and managing applications for iPhones, Androids, BlackBerries, Windows and Mac desktops and notebooks, and the web. Access to the evaluation suite for development purposes is …

COMMENTS

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  1. Aaron Em

    Wow

    Right up with you until "$4 per user per year". Srsly?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    This is not going to wash...

    If this doesn't natively compile then it's going to fall foul of the clause which disallows the like of Java - you cannot run code on your own engine/VM. This is no different to Java or .NET with bridges to the native API. (and if it does natively compile it's going to fall foul of the "only in Xcode" clause)

    JavaScript has no support for calling the native API's. Therefore there *must* be a translation layer somewhere - especially if they're doing it cross-platform as the call to create a button on iPhone is not the same as Android.

    JavaScript is *only* allowed within the browser (or I guess a browser control within another app) - you implement your own runtime - it's not allowed as runtimes aren't allowed.

    Of course, it's not Adobe so "the Steve" will probably let it pass...

    And $4 per user is a joke. The "volume discounts" better be along the lines of: 1 user: $4, 10 users: $0.04...

    As an aside, Apple should have created their own JavaScript/Native UI bridge (like in AppleScript) so it is possible for those who want to knock up a simple app (or a better web app) to do so - even to have added a few small changes to the browser to allow it to run with a simple UI chrome library would have done.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      RE: This is not going to wash...

      "Therefore there *must* be a translation layer somewhere - especially if they're doing it cross-platform as the call to create a button on iPhone is not the same as Android."

      Um, FAIL to you.

      I've experienced a number of compilers where you choose the target platform and it creates code based upon what you chose. This can be no different.

      "And $4 per user is a joke"

      I agree with you there (but who wouldn't!)

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Unbelievable

    Anyone who is aware of Unity3D must be wondering what drugs these people are taking.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Halo

    There are no real rules to violate or comply with.

    Apple gets to change the rules whenever it wants and your option as a developer is to cease developing or agree and comply. They also get to reject any application at any time for any reason.

    So the rules don't matter, the real question is will this anger Steve Jobs. Until he says something publicly that gives this tool his blessing ... I'm not touching it with a 10 foot pole.

  5. The Other Steve
    FAIL

    Crayon waving web monkeys

    You lost me at "Eclipse plugin" and by "Javascsript" I was nauseous.

  6. h4rm0ny

    $4

    Now this could be a good thing (though Eclipse does my head in - ugly, ugly, ugly), Save time, increase your range of platforms for little effort and potentially have some sort of future proofing if updates keep your code working through platform API changes (this last hopefully minor in practice but you never know with some platforms).

    But $4 per user, per year? With the profit margins on a lot of software for mobile devices, they've at a stroke cut out a huge proportion of their potential customers. Clearly they're hoping for someone to roll out complete office suites for iPhone / Android etc and sell them at $80 a pop, making the $4 an acceptable tithe.Seriously, who is the target market for something at that cost? Anyone selling software at prices where that sort of cut is acceptable (and I doubt anyone would view that sort of cut as acceptable), will presumably be willing to invest the resource to do without this product. Unless anyone knows differently?

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