Apple Introduces New Frameworks and Tools for Developers, Including Xcode 12

[MacRumors]

As part of WWDC 2020 this week, Apple has introduced a series of new APIs, frameworks, and tools for developers, ranging from App Clips to Xcode 12 to a new SwiftUI API for making widgets that work across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.

• App Clips: New in iOS 14, App Clips surface information from relevant apps without requiring users to download an entire app. Apple describes App Clips as a "small part" of an app designed to be discovered the moment it is needed. Once inside the App Clip, users can easily install the full app with a single tap.
• Widgets: iOS 14 features widgets that can be pinned in different sizes on any home screen page, providing useful information at a glance. For this, Apple has released a new SwiftUI API that allows developers to use the same code to build a widget for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
• Find My network accessory program: In iOS 14, the Find My app is gaining support for finding third-party products and accessories with the new Find My network accessory program. This will allow users to use the Find My app to locate non-Apple devices, complete with end-to-end encryption. A draft specification is available for accessory makers and product manufacturers starting today.
• Xcode 12: Apple's development tool has received a redesign to match macOS Big Sur. Apple says new document tabs make opening multiple files faster, while navigator fonts now match the system size, or can be set to small, medium, or large. In addition, Xcode 12 builds "macOS Universal" apps by default to support upcoming Macs with custom Apple silicon. Apple released the first beta of Xcode 12 today.
• A new StoreKit tool in Xcode lets developers simulate subscription setup, in-app purchases, and refunds directly on a Mac.
• Safari for Mac is adding support for the WebExtensions API used by Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, making it easier for extension developers to work with Safari and distribute through the Mac App Store.
• App Store now supports Family Sharing for subscriptions and in-app purchases.
• HomePod is gaining support for third-party music services.
• Users can set third-party web browser and email apps as default in iOS 14.
• Developers now have the option to detail their app's privacy practices directly in the App Store for users to review, including the types of data the app might collect, whether that data is shared with third parties, and the option for users to opt out.

Apple outlines several other new developer efforts in its press release, including the ability to "challenge" App Store Review Guidelines starting later this summer.

Article Link: Apple Introduces New Frameworks and Tools for Developers, Including Xcode 12

 

[mozumder]

Apple needs an Xcode 11/12 tutorial.

 

[ctg7w6]

Xcode 12 is a universal app so when comes it to iPad?

 

[HiRez]

Xcode 12 is a universal app so when comes it to iPad?

It's Universal for macOS Intel + Apple chips, I don't think it's universal between macOS + iOS. Probably will happen at some point though.

 

[dwaltwhit]

Will it be 11code now? Or perhaps XIcode?

 

[pldelisle]

Still no Xcode to iPad. It’s a shame. Nothing less.

 

[NBAasDOGG]

How are they going to allows cross-platform applications using X11 for the GUI to run on macOS, many of which are not specifically designed for macOS. This includes numerous scientific and academic software projects.

Will I be able to run command line tools from terminal (a python script for example)?
Is python or Rstudio going to work at all?
Is it possible to connect to a server via Terminal and launch a non-Mac applications with its GUI?
What happens to the Unix based language?

I think all scientists got REKT by Tim and his MacOS hipster edition. Why can’t we keep the ****ing desktop OS?

 

[dwaltwhit]

I think the last bullet about apps disclosing privacy on the app store product pages should be mandatory.

 

[mattlqx]

Xcode 12 is a universal app so when comes it to iPad?

Now, as then, Universal refers to the architectures supported by the binary, not the frameworks.

Apple displayed mobile apps being run-able on the desktop. It won't be going the other way around (desktop apps on mobile) because of the obvious resource and UI paradigm differences.

 

[cmaier]

Shockingly my most complex app built fine from a clean build folder in Xcode 12, including for ios 14 and the simulator.

That never happens when Xcode is updated.

 

[hspace]

App Clips... I guess "Applet" was taken.

 

[Spungoflex]

Part of me likes the new look and part of me think it makes Apple computers look like Fisher-Price toys.

 

[cmaier]

App Clips... I guess "Applet" was taken.

There is a difference. Applets are the entirety of themselves. They aren’t a portion of a bigger, more complete, app.

 

[lunarworks]

How are they going to allows cross-platform applications using X11 for the GUI to run on macOS, many of which are not specifically designed for macOS. This includes numerous scientific and academic software projects.

Will I be able to run command line tools from terminal (a python script for example)?
Is python or Rstudio going to work at all?
Is it possible to connect to a server via Terminal and launch a non-Mac applications with its GUI?
What happens to the Unix based language?

I think all scientists got REKT by Tim and his MacOS hipster edition. Why can’t we keep the ****ing desktop OS?

Whatever people have been doing on 10.15 they should still be able to do in 11.0. The kernel hasn't changed.

They did some UX changes, and people are losing their minds.

 

[NBAasDOGG]

Whatever people have been doing on 10.15 they should still be able to do in 11.0. The kernel hasn't changed.

They did some UX changes, and people are losing their minds.

Are you aware of the transition from X86 to ARM?

 

[lunarworks]

Are you aware of the transition from X86 to ARM?

That's a different issue from the newest OS version. There's a lot to be unpacked there, and we don't know all the details yet.

 

[mattlqx]

How are they going to allows cross-platform applications using X11 for the GUI to run on macOS, many of which are not specifically designed for macOS. This includes numerous scientific and academic software projects.

Will I be able to run command line tools from terminal (a python script for example)?
Is python or Rstudio going to work at all?

Python will be included in the distribution compiled for the architecture. A generic Python script will work fine. The complication will be if you want to use a Python module that contains compiled code and, for whatever reason, the maintainer may need to make some modifications to support the new architecture. Given R's prominence in the scientific/education community, I think it's also a no-brainer to be supported by the platform, either through Apple's own work, or the project's.

Is it possible to connect to a server via Terminal and launch a non-Mac applications with its GUI?
What happens to the Unix based language?

If you want to target an X display from a remote host, an architecture switch certainly isn't going to prevent that except that if for some reason they don't port an X server to the new architecture. But that's not really a large hurdle so I don't see why they wouldn't if they wanted to keep supporting the UNIX-y side of GUI apps. These decisions are largely independent of what the underlying CPU architecture is. I'd like to point out that X isn't a language per se, it's a display protocol.

I think all scientists got REKT by Tim and his MacOS hipster edition. Why can’t we keep the ****ing desktop OS?

Wat?

 

[alien3dx]

How are they going to allows cross-platform applications using X11 for the GUI to run on macOS, many of which are not specifically designed for macOS. This includes numerous scientific and academic software projects.

Will I be able to run command line tools from terminal (a python script for example)?
Is python or Rstudio going to work at all?
Is it possible to connect to a server via Terminal and launch a non-Mac applications with its GUI?
What happens to the Unix based language?

I think all scientists got REKT by Tim and his MacOS hipster edition. Why can’t we keep the ****ing desktop OS?

yup, that's some issue, t2 not solve but now this ? UX Macos still not friendly enough and i'm still using terminal for a long of thing . The loan 500 unsure for how long and not even supported by my country. For those non pro, 4 usb C , more battery juice is okay or our pro need to buy MAC PRO which price like a house ?
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Python will be included in the distribution compiled for the architecture. A generic Python script will work fine. The complication will be if you want to use a Python module that contains compiled code and, for whatever reason, the maintainer may need to make some modifications to support the new architecture. Given R's prominence in the scientific/education community, I think it's also a no-brainer to be supported by the platform, either through Apple's own work, or the project's.



If you want to target an X display from a remote host, an architecture switch certainly isn't going to prevent that except that if for some reason they don't port an X server to the new architecture. But that's not really a large hurdle so I don't see why they wouldn't if they wanted to keep supporting the UNIX-y side of GUI apps. These decisions are largely independent of what the underlying CPU architecture is. I'd like to point out that X isn't a language per se, it's a display protocol.



Wat?

hehe wait.. if the homebrew also out.. if so whatever language also effected.

 

[livinglist]

icons are ugly...just saying

 

[albebaubles]

Apple needs an Xcode 11/12 tutorial.

no just do your homework like we all do every year.
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Still no Xcode to iPad. It’s a shame. Nothing less.

They simply do not have enough onboard RAM, how hard is that to comprehend? Like whining your 4 cylinder won't tow like a diesel.

 

[Philip_S]

Still no Xcode to iPad. It’s a shame. Nothing less.

I suspect the "problem" of side-loading apps without a developer cert is part of the delay. They nerfed apps compiled on a mac a few years ago by reducing the time before the signature expired to discourage that avenue, but its less inconvenient to recompile a thin shim around a pre-built framework (which just happens to contain the whole app logic) if you can do it on your iPad.

 

[yurc]

icons are ugly...just saying

This is what happened if touch screen optimized UI slapped into desktop. Contrary to desktop Apple never want Mac have touch screen but they put touch screen interface for desktop computer which primarily rely with mouse pointer.

 

[LarxJo]

So they redesigned it. But did they fixed the bugs that makes Xcode a very bad IDE, so bad it is basically a simple heavy text editor?
for the last 5 years I lost so much of my time fighting against the auto completion that stop working and forces to reboot Xcode, sometimes clean everything, sometimes to reboot the computer... or Xcode no building when it actually can, but it need a reboot first.

I'am at the moment coding in C#, and Microsoft and Jetbrains have tools that makes Xcode look like it has been coded by babies, that are way way way way more stable and productive and these companies actually fix bugs when we report it, they take it seriously and don't just announce "go *** yourself with the bugs, we did a new design". So did they fix bugs that make Xcode barely usable?

xcode still doesn't even support very basic code formatting. Just reindent. Wasting our time.

 

[CarlJ]

How are they going to allows cross-platform applications using X11 for the GUI to run on macOS, many of which are not specifically designed for macOS. This includes numerous scientific and academic software projects.

Will I be able to run command line tools from terminal (a python script for example)?
Is python or Rstudio going to work at all?
Is it possible to connect to a server via Terminal and launch a non-Mac applications with its GUI?
What happens to the Unix based language?

I think all scientists got REKT by Tim and his MacOS hipster edition. Why can’t we keep the ****ing desktop OS?

In the immortal words of Chris Knight: “But - and I am only saying this because I care - there are a lot of decaffeinated brands on the market today that are just as tasty as the real thing.”

Maybe instead of immediately jumping to getting angry, you could learn a little.

 

[hanske68]

Still no Xcode to iPad. It’s a shame. Nothing less.

Thank God that Xcode is not on iPad. It is bad enough that Apple is dumbing down on everything that makes macOS a great OS. Dumbing down a development platform would be a shame.

Let macOS shouls be kept PRO for professionals that need to perform serious tasks. Let IOS/iPadOS be for playing consumers that just need silly apps to do silly things. Merging them would not be sensible. In my personal opinion IOS is not a suitable development platform for any self respecting developer.