macOS dashcode: unreleased apple widget development app

[meat-eater]

I've been seeing a few rumor posts on the unreleased apple dashcode app. It is supposed to be an IDE to create dashboard widgets. Not ready yet, but looks like it could be cool. It is supposed to feature javascript debugging and WYSIWYG editing.

links: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=safari&rls=en&q=dashcode&btnG=Search

 

[ibookster]

yeah it seems pretty cool. theres is a video of it here http://makkistudios.com/chest/DashcodeDemo.mov.zip

rumors have it, that its not an Apple app, but 3rd party

 

[meat-eater]

Yeah, I saw that video too. It does look like it will be a nice widget dev tool. But it isn't the consumer oriented widget maker tool I want. I have a blog post on dashcode discussing why a consumer oriented widget authoring app would be good.

 

[Epicurus]

yeah it seems pretty cool. theres is a video of it here http://makkistudios.com/chest/DashcodeDemo.mov.zip

rumors have it, that its not an Apple app, but 3rd party

It looks a lot like a cross between Xcode and Automator with a trimmed down Interface Builder added in. Given the debugging strengths the app showed, possibly Apple (or whoever is behind it) is holding back while they expand beyond just Widgets. With a little work, the basic design would be well suited to any number of Applescript, Cocoa or full-fledged HTML work. Creating cool little widgets would just be one of many options. Something like iCode, for beginner programmers who want to knock out a simple program really quickly and easily with lots of WYSIWYG features.

Maybe one way to encourage development of Mac OS applications in the future (assuming that all the work to make porting Windows apps to Macs without recompiling works with minimal performance hits) is to make it easier for up and coming developers to create apps for the Mac. iCode could fill that gap and in the process generate a lot of new little programs for the new Intel platforms. Tiger is cool in its own right, but all the 3rd party Automator actions, Spotlight plugins, and Dashboard widgets make it even better.

 

[ll350]

Do you think it's possible that...

Apple might make developing code too easy? I mean that there would be alot of ill-crafted apps and applets floating around that would casue the dependibility and quality of the OS X user experience to suffer?

 

[superbovine]

Apple might make developing code too easy? I mean that there would be alot of ill-crafted apps and applets floating around that would casue the dependibility and quality of the OS X user experience to suffer?

bahahahaha. Any idiot coding anything can could cause problems on all kinds of things not just os x. It isn't a function of how easy it is code. Bugs in programs exist regardless of weather the language is easy. There is a lot of studies on productivity and error rates of coders, your theory doesn't stand it's ground.