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Nine-Year Old iPhone Developer Releases Application

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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141717-wen_300.jpg


Reuters recently reported on nine-year old Lim Ding Wen from Singapore, whose Doodle Kids [App Store] application has seen over 4,000 downloads since its release several weeks ago. The free application, designed for his sisters aged three and five, allows users to draw on the iPhone screen using random shapes and colors and then erase their creations by shaking the device.

TG Daily followed up on the story to reveal that the program, along with a number of others, was originally written for the Apple IIGS, as detailed on a personal website set up for him by his father, an Apple IIGS enthusiast. A second Apple IIGS game, Invader War, is also being ported to the iPhone and will be made available through the App Store.

Article Link: Nine-Year Old iPhone Developer Releases Application
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2009/02/10/nine-year-old-iphone-developer-releases-application/
chr1s60

chr1s60

macrumors 68020
Jul 24, 2007
2,061
1,857
California
People are making way too big of a deal about this. I am impressed that a nine year old can write and release an app and happy that he has had over 4,000 downloads, but this has just received way too much press. It was on the front page of Yahoo! yesterday and I have seen this on numerous other sites.
 
V

Veri

macrumors 6502a
Sep 23, 2007
611
0
The average ultra-geek certainly can program by the age of 9 (IIRC I was just getting my teeth into ARM assembler on the Acorn A3000), this much is clear. But isn't it always the way that the story is spoilt with something like...

originally written for the Apple IIGS, as detailed on a personal website set up for him by his father, an Apple IIGS enthusiast
Click to expand...

,,,which even to the least cynical man must read, "but basically his dad did the hard stuff."

If the kid were operating on his own steam, I expect he'd just release the app and be done with it, and no-one would even know his age.

If there are any 9 year old kids reading this: fear not, you can be a developer too, whether your dad has a clue about computers or not. Mine certainly didn't :D.
 
C

chuckcalo

macrumors regular
Jan 27, 2009
114
0
I saw this on engadget 1 week ago, it's impressive how a "9 year old" can write/develop/test a painting program. It takes skills to even make a new application.

I'm not 100% sure he did it on his own.
 
0098386

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
I don't get the hype around this. I was making games on my Amiga when I was 8, and PC at 9 with no help from anyone. My own code, art, music. Many of my local friends were also into this kind of thing. I'm sure there are even more young coders in the wild now.

Seriously. Where has this hype come from?
 
O

overanalyzer

macrumors 6502a
Sep 7, 2007
909
0
Boston, MA USA
I'm kind of with others on this. I'm an application developer now basically because I was already writing programs for use in educating my classmates by the time I was 9 (and of course first learned to program a few years before that). While I think the majority of people aren't like that, I do think that the majority of people who become serious developer hobbyists or professional developers are like that, so I don't feel like this kid is particularly unique.

Not to rain on his parade, of course. I just also don't get the press attention.
 
W

wonderbread57

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2008
455
2
"TG Daily followed up on the story to reveal that the program, along with a number of others, was originally written for the Apple IIGS"

The Apple IIgs was Discontinued in 1992... That would make the purported 9 year old author -7 or -8 years old at most when it was originally written. Assuming he did not write it while he was merely a conversation between spouses (if that) then the father obviously wrote the program for the Apple IIgs. Which means the story is concluding that the kid PORTED the code to iPhone?

:rolleyes::apple::confused:
 
P

pmpknetr21

macrumors member
Oct 4, 2003
91
0
chr1s60 said:
People are making way too big of a deal about this. I am impressed that a nine year old can write and release an app and happy that he has had over 4,000 downloads, but this has just received way too much press. It was on the front page of Yahoo! yesterday and I have seen this on numerous other sites.
Click to expand...

Veri said:
The average ultra-geek certainly can program by the age of 9 (IIRC I was just getting my teeth into ARM assembler on the Acorn A3000), this much is clear. But isn't it always the way that the story is spoilt with something like...



,,,which even to the least cynical man must read, "but basically his dad did the hard stuff."

If the kid were operating on his own steam, I expect he'd just release the app and be done with it, and no-one would even know his age.

If there are any 9 year old kids reading this: fear not, you can be a developer too, whether your dad has a clue about computers or not. Mine certainly didn't :D.
Click to expand...

raggedjimmi said:
I don't get the hype around this. I was making games on my Amiga when I was 8, and PC at 9 with no help from anyone. My own code, art, music. Many of my local friends were also into this kind of thing. I'm sure there are even more young coders in the wild now.

Seriously. Where has this hype come from?
Click to expand...

overanalyzer said:
I'm kind of with others on this. I'm an application developer now basically because I was already writing programs for use in educating my classmates by the time I was 9 (and of course first learned to program a few years before that). While I think the majority of people aren't like that, I do think that the majority of people who become serious developer hobbyists or professional developers are like that, so I don't feel like this kid is particularly unique.

Not to rain on his parade, of course. I just also don't get the press attention.
Click to expand...

The people that are writing about this kid are people that are NOT developers, so they have no clue as to how early someone might start the "software developer game". When people, journalists, computer users hear words like programmer, App Store release, 400 downloads, etc., they think to themselves, "Wow, that sounds hard." Then they hear that the person who did it is 9 years old and they think, "Man! That kid must be a genius!"

They're not you guys. They're not aware that this could be a common thing amongst developers. Neither was I, quite frankly, until I read this. Point is, stop hatin' on the kid. Put the bottle of Hater-ade away and leave the kid alone. So he gets a little press for his pop's effort... Who cares? (Well, you guys do, but why?) :eek:
 
NAG

NAG

macrumors 68030
Aug 6, 2003
2,821
0
/usr/local/apps/nag
wonderbread57 said:
"TG Daily followed up on the story to reveal that the program, along with a number of others, was originally written for the Apple IIGS"

The Apple IIgs was Discontinued in 1992... That would make the purported 9 year old author -7 or -8 years old at most when it was originally written. Assuming he did not write it while he was merely a conversation between spouses (if that) then the father obviously wrote the program for the Apple IIgs. Which means the story is concluding that the kid PORTED the code to iPhone?

:rolleyes::apple::confused:
Click to expand...

Yes, the instant Apple discontinued the IIgs all IIgs in existence exploded and vanished into the ether leaving no trace save some floppies with a paint program on it.

Seriously, this is kind of a silly part to nitpick. I find it unlikely that a 9 year old did the whole thing by himself but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he did a good deal of it.
 
W

wonderbread57

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2008
455
2
NAG said:
Yes, the instant Apple discontinued the IIgs all IIgs in existence exploded and vanished into the ether leaving no trace save some floppies with a paint program on it.

Seriously, this is kind of a silly part to nitpick. I find it unlikely that a 9 year old did the whole thing by himself but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he did a good deal of it.
Click to expand...

I considered that possibility but deemed it was too low probability to need to account for. Considering the guy is a developer I assume he likes to develop for machines that are still being sold. So it's actually more likely that he wrote the code closer to 1986 when it was introduced then when it was discontinued. Regardless the point was to establish that the father authored the "original" version, a point which I don't believe you are disputing. So your post appears to be an exercise in silly nit picking it self. We can pretend it was a clever (and deliberate) way of driving the point home.
 
W

wonderbread57

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2008
455
2
Digital Skunk

Digital Skunk

macrumors G3
Dec 23, 2006
8,097
923
In my imagination
branjosef said:
Amazing. Knew it wasn't a 9 year old from the US.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Right, because we don't give awards for other people's work. Or celebrate mediocrity. At least in the part of the country I live in. :rolleyes:

iWoz87 said:
fair play to the kid
Click to expand...

Sure, if the article said that the kid ported the apps over that his father had written, or if it said that 9 year old kid ports useless apps that father made 17 years ago and no one really cares," then sure, he'd get all the credit.

Not to mention that his idea is far from original so it should read, 9 year old kid reinvents the wheel from father's old programing. :D
 
andreab35

andreab35

macrumors 6502a
May 29, 2008
825
0
USA
I still don't understand the logic behind how a 9 year old can create a successful application- but I cannot still get the grips of iPhone development?
:confused:
 
alexbates

alexbates

macrumors 65816
Nov 24, 2008
1,082
0
Georgia, USA
This is actually a pretty good program. I have had three-year-olds play Crash Bandicoot on my iPod, but it wasn't too easy for them. This seems like the perfect app for younger kids to get if they want to mess around with one of their parent's iPhones in the car or somewhere.

Good job Lim and keep up the good work!
 
notjustjay

notjustjay

macrumors 603
Sep 19, 2003
6,056
167
Canada, eh?
I was about 9 years old too when I wrote my first program for the Apple ][. Here it is, in it's entirety:

10 PRINT "I CAN BEEP!"
20 PRINT CHR$(7)
30 GOTO 10

I ran the program, and my teacher came over, saw the output, and said "Yes, you most certainly can. Now make it stop!"
 
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