iOS CocoaPods vs native SDK install

[patent10021]

I'm getting used to using Parse SDK, frameworks, CocoaPods but at the same time I'm wondering why I should be using CocoaPods and why have all the big players like Facebook supported CocoaPods.

I was previously used to importing the frameworks from SDKs directly into my project. Now that I'm reading a lot of documentation and tutorials that use CocoaPods I'm thinking it's not as convenient or at least not any more convenient than direct import of SDK.

You still need to import via Terminal, deal with a workspace instead of project and other little things so why is everyone using CocoaPods and why have Pods taken off?

I can see how they are useful for smaller things like custom alerts. In this sense pods are like plugins.

 

[1458279]

I'm no expert, I just went thru a few tutorials on this myself and it does seem a bit backwards. Given all the advancements in Xcode, you'd think this would be more automatic and easier to control than terminal.

I'd be concerned about completing a project and having an auto-update change something that screws up the code. It seems pretty dependent on the 3rd party code being updated properly and this seems risky to me.

However, making these things auto update seems to be the trend. Microsoft and Apple's OSX are auto update. I understand app maybe doing this too. Things are moving more towards the "dumb terminal" model, where things are not done on the device, but on the cloud or somewhere else. It's almost as if the device has become part of the IoT (Internet of Things) like an online fridge or house controls.

Not real big in the idea, but it seems everyone is jumping on board.

 

[firewood]

Cocoapods supposedly fixes dependency issues, but I prefer to control those issues myself and not add Cocoapod itself as a dependancy.

So I usually build a Cocoapod test app. Rip (copy) any needed SDKs and prefix files out of that project. And then build my own project which just uses the needed SDKs directly.

 

[dantastic]

I have looked at Cocoapods and I think they are trying to solve I problem I don't have. And I don't think a lot of people actually have either. Cocoapod fanboys often come from the Java world where they go off and import 200 different projects. We'd rarely do something like that.

All Cocoapods are to me is yet another dependency. It can be a huge time sink, and adding very little value.
There are other problems as well, such as wanting to modify something in the library you import. It gets very very messy really fast.

There is a valid use case for Cocoapods. But I think in the iOS word we would not come across it very often and the majority of projects are better served without.

There are alot of people saying a lot of things on the Internet. Even if a whole bunch of them are in agreement they could still be dead wrong... Just sayin'

 

[patent10021]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt this way. I just don't see what the problem of downloading the actual SDK and clicking the + sign in the binaries area in Xcode.

I could see the advantage of Cocoapods if it was a one click solution and auto-updates but it has just as many steps if not more than standard Xcode import. [If it's your first time you might have to fiddle a lot in Terminal too).

Not to mention you get away from the standard Xcode Project structure and need to use workspaces. Do senior programmers use Xcode workspaces instead of projects? Why are there workspaces anyway?

Anyway I think from today I will stop using Cocoapods. It was "cool" while it lasted.

 

[1458279]

Do we always have a choice? I saw a tutorial with Parse and it went thru the setup without showing a way to do things any other way.

I agree with the "answer to a question nobody asked" view.

 

[patent10021]

Do we always have a choice? I saw a tutorial with Parse and it went thru the setup without showing a way to do things any other way.

I agree with the "answer to a question nobody asked" view.

Choice with what? If it's a major SDK like social logins, PaaS etc they always have SDK.

What are you using that doesn't offer a choice?

 

[1458279]

Choice with what? If it's a major SDK like social logins, BaaS etc they always have SDK.

What are you using that doesn't offer a choice?

The two that I was looking at were the RESTful kit and Parse. IIRC, both the tutorials went thru the Cocoapods process. It's been a while, but I thought the tutorial for RESTful said it was mandatory.

 

[patent10021]

The two that I was looking at were the RESTful kit and Parse. IIRC, both the tutorials went thru the Cocoapods process. It's been a while, but I thought the tutorial for RESTful said it was mandatory.

Excuse my lack of knowledge as I'm not a senior iOS dev. But I'm pretty sure you don't need CocoaPods for RESTful.

https://github.com/RestKit/RestKit

The hardest thing about working with RestKit is the installation and setup. There are two setup options: CocoaPods (with automatic configuration, i.e. the easy way) or Git submodule (with manual configuration, the harder way). I recommend using CocoaPods. http://www.raywenderlich.com/58682/introduction-restkit-tutorial

Granted, typing "pod 'RestKit' seems a lot easier

I found these toots for myself and anyone else that can find them helpful.

How to Configure RestKit in your Xcode Project using git submodule.

How to Make REST API Calls and Parse JSON with Swift