Safari 5 and Xcode 4 Coming at WWDC

[ViperDesign]

Ever since I moved to Chrome, I have not looked back. I was a firefox user for many years.

Safari just never really got me. Very boring browser. No plug-ins, yikes.

 

[Lord Vader]

Safari just never really got me. Very boring browser. No plug-ins, yikes.

What does that even mean?

 

[Nicolas Cage]

I hope XCode 4 has at least:
* more refactoring tools
* hassle free debugging of unit tests
* optimize #imports functionality ( like Eclipse )
* Quick Fix ( like in Eclipse )
* less buggy!
* A decent plugin manager - for extensions
* Configurable code templates within XCode
* generate protocol methods in implementing class

1. Maybe.
2. Yes.
3. Not sure.
4. Yes, and more.
5. It'll be buggy for now, as it's a total rewrite of the IDE. I'll actually be surprised if they have a build ready to seed to developers this week, but they might pull it off.
6. Last I heard (which was a while ago, I admit), they were planning a comprehensive extension API for Xcode 4.
7. Don't think so.
8. Not sure.

BTW, I'm about 80% confident that the Xcode 4 tool suite is the project known as "Marble". Unless they reuse codenames, the identification of that name with a new UI theme was incorrect.

 

[wizard]

A very good question, I will focus on iPhone development.

IB 3 was a big upgrade from 2, and I think is very nice now. What do you not like about it?

Personally I find the whole thing frustrating. Mind you I'm talking as someone recently coming to the Mac and in this case experimenting with iPhone programming. The biggest problem I have is wrapping my mind around IB followed closely by the realization that one can build most of your GUI just as easy with code. The app I was working on used list displays where I found it to be much faster and easier to just hand code your cells and the like. Considering all the other boilerplate that needs to be done coding up a cell is a minor distraction.

Beyound the slowness of the IB cycle I gave an issue with the connection metaphor. Maybe I'm not use to it yet or have been corrupted by the various forms based environments out there but IB is counter intuitive and is easy to break things in. I hate to say this but property dialogs are far easier. I can walk up to any number of IDEs, for various platforms and not have the problems IB introduces.

Documentation sucks. It is a complete mystery as to what IB is doing, how it does it or what the format of the xib file is. A good tutorial might help but if there is one it apparently doesn't come with XCode.

Part of my problems started with the first iPhone SDK betas. In retrospect it was a mistake to get involved in the beta program as the software wasn't even beta quality, especially interface builder. All the bugs and corrupted files really biased me against the software. While much of that is gone now the hate is still there.

At this point I'm on hold development wise due to priority problems. In other words life and the full time job are wearing me down. When I get back to it maybe I will take another crack at IB. But honestly it has left me with a very bad impression.


Dave

 

[wizard]

Safari doesn't need an extension for that.

@Aaron--
How about DownLoadThemAll to capture videos off the pages? There are a lot of extensions I use on FireFox that don't exist for Safari.

it doesn't exist because it is built in. Well if you know how to do it.


Dave

 

[wizard]

For a long time I felt the same way.

Personally, I can't stomach Eclipse and all the tools associated with the project.

It took a dual core processor and GigaBytes of RAM to start to change my mind. Massive it is but the key here is that you only need to install what you use. So if you don't like a tool don't install.

I do use Eclipse on and off, primarily for Python and static HTML where it has excellent support. It isn't perfect and the last thing you would want to do is run it on an old single core machine. Kept focused though Eclipse can be useful.


Dave

 

[gorjan]

What does that even mean?

I don't get it either. I only want flashblock and adblock. Everything else just slows things down. I want a streamlined browser that takes up as little ram and screen area as possible.

But I would never use chrome. I don't surf anything secret or anything, I just don't want Google mining my usage pattern and making money on it.

 

[Nicolas Cage]

Add to the list UI improvements such as these.

Apple needs to hire this guy.

What's a Smart Address bar?

A little bit like Firefox, it searches page titles and anywhere in the URL instead of just listing URLs that start with what you've typed.

Is there any chance that Safari 5 will be coming to the PPC as well? (fingers crossed)

Safari 5 is Intel-only, but there will also be a Safari 4.1 update which will still support Tiger/PPC and will include many of the same fixes and minor improvements.

Seems we might be getting a peak at 10.7 after all.

Signs point to no. We might find out the cat name, but I don't think it's nearly ready for a developer preview. There just isn't enough to show yet.

The thing is, there are some huge new features coming, things that will affect every team within Apple that works on Mac software, so if they don't announce it at WWDC this year, it'll probably leak out by next year. In order to keep up the appearance of having their information under control, maybe they will announce some of those big features at this WWDC. That's only speculation, though.

 

[newfoundglory]

huh?

The nitro javascript engine, which increases javascript speed doesnt work for PowerPC AFAIK. Its similar to Google's V8 which compiles javacript to machine code to make it run faster.... but for that to happen you have to implement an assembler which does this for the platform needed - you cant just write one in Xcode and check the build for Intel and PowerPC box. We're talking about low-level processor-specific instructions. Thats a lot of work, and you wont do that for a technology you arent shipping anymore.

This is why there is no Chrome for PowerPC Macs... and this is why PowerPC will not be getting an increase in Javacript speed with Safari 5.

If HTML 5 implementation relies on Intel-specific code, then there will be no HTML 5 for PowerPC either.

 

[aiqw9182]

The nitro javascript engine, which increases javascript speed doesnt work for PowerPC AFAIK. Its similar to Google's V8 which compiles javacript to machine code to make it run faster.... but for that to happen you have to implement an assembler which does this for the platform needed - you cant just write one in Xcode and check the build for Intel and PowerPC box. We're talking about low-level processor-specific instructions. Thats a lot of work, and you wont do that for a technology you arent shipping anymore.

This is why there is no Chrome for PowerPC Macs... and this is why PowerPC will not be getting an increase in Javacript speed with Safari 5.

If HTML 5 implementation relies on Intel-specific code, then there will be no HTML 5 for PowerPC either.

So I'm guessing you have no idea that the current Safari 4 build for PowerPC has HTML5 support like the Intel version?

Apple may no longer be shipping PowerPC products but as long as they support 10.5, I can't see them dropping it. When 10.7 rolls around is when you will start seeing zero support for PowerPC as Apple only supports the current OS release and the previous one.

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Fingers crossed. I'd like to see some skins.

 

[newfoundglory]

So I'm guessing you have no idea that the current Safari 4 build for PowerPC has HTML5 support like the Intel version?

Apple may no longer be shipping PowerPC products but as long as they support 10.5, I can't see them dropping it. When 10.7 rolls around is when you will start seeing zero support for PowerPC as Apple only supports the current OS release and the previous one.

I want to see Safari 5 supported on the PPC, I just get the feeling that all the work that has gone into improving graphics drivers and performance and 64-bit is all working towards faster jscript and better html 5. I would love Safari 5 to be faster than Safari 4 on my G4, as i'd use it more, but its never gonna happen.

I could be wrong, but i'm just guessing here.

 

[aiqw9182]

I want to see Safari 5 supported on the PPC, I just get the feeling that all the work that has gone into improving graphics drivers and performance and 64-bit is all working towards faster jscript and better html 5. I would love Safari 5 to be faster than Safari 4 on my G4, as i'd use it more, but its never gonna happen.

I could be wrong, but i'm just guessing here.

64-bit has nothing to do with the support conversation. Core Duo and Core Solo Macs can only run Safari in 32-bit mode.

 

[newfoundglory]

I would not be surprised if 10.6.4 is actually required to install/run Safari 5, as it requires the graphics improvements for improved html 5 support.

As for 64-bit, Apple are clearly working towards 10.7 being 64bit-only.

 

[aiqw9182]

I would not be surprised if 10.6.4 is actually required to install/run Safari 5, as it requires the graphics improvements for improved html 5 support.

As for 64-bit, Apple are clearly working towards 10.7 being 64bit-only.

Where the HELL does it say anything about graphics driver improvements being for HTML5? The improved graphics drivers in 10.6.4 are for Steam and Mac games in general as stated by Valve developers.

And 10.7 likely WILL be fully 64-bit but that has absolutely nothing to do with the current conversation.

 

[Poll Smoker]

There's that faux retort again...

All your reply does is show that you don't know what "faux" means, and that you're a jack*ss.

 

[guzhogi]

- Tab settings

Hoping for tabs on the top like Chrome. Safari had this in the Safari 4 beta, right?

- Hardware acceleration for Windows

What about hardware acceleration on Mac?

As for extensions, I don't see Apple doing this. Probably give one of their BS answers like it would make Safari less secure or they don't to risk people make ***ty extensions and ruin the Safari experience.

 

[Poll Smoker]

it doesn't exist because it is built in. Well if you know how to do it.

 

[Mavimao]

Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm calling it right now. Steve Job's "one more thing" announcement: G5 Powerbooks!

 

[3282868]

Google bought Bumptop a month back.

http://mashable.com/2010/05/02/google-bumptop/

LOL you're kidding! I find that amusing as Apple has had patents out for a few years now with three dimensional desktops. Now Google owns Bumptop, hmmmm. Does anyone know when Bumptop was first developed? Not to stir the cauldron or make unrelated assumptions, but I find it amusing that Google bought a program that alters a desktop into three dimensional form when Apple has been attempting the same concept while the two companies are [seemingly] going through a "divorce".

 

[matticus008]

What about hardware acceleration on Mac?

What about it? It's already there. Safari for OS X uses CoreAnimation and CoreImage, along with other hardware-accelerated frameworks.

Windows, obviously, can't use them. But Windows does have Media Foundation, and that's where hardware acceleration comes in on Windows. If true, Apple will beat both Microsoft and Mozilla to the punch for non-beta hardware accelerated browsers on Windows.

 

[KnightWRX]

LOL you're kidding! I find that amusing as Apple has had patents out for a few years now with three dimensional desktops. Now Google owns Bumptop, hmmmm. Does anyone know when Bumptop was first developed?

Forget Bumptop and Apple, I think it was 1999 or 2000 when Sun Microsystems showcased Project Looking Glass.

Apple is far from the first to look into 3D desktops.

 

[3282868]

Forget Bumptop and Apple, I think it was 1999 or 2000 when Sun Microsystems showcased Project Looking Glass.

Apple is far from the first to look into 3D desktops.

I realize that, but I find it amusing that the two companies now seem interested in the concept.

...and what's with the ? I find that icon so insulting and unnecessary...

 

[Harmush]

Does that mean if a new safari and Xcode are being release. A new iPhone probably won't be?

 

[Compile 'em all]

Safari:
1 - It will use WebKit2.
2 - It will still have PPC support but you will need Leopard or newer.

Xcode:
1 - Clang/LLVM is mature enough that Apple can create an Xcode IDE with an emulated Mac system that can be run on Windows.
2 - Xcode has a plugin system so Visual Studio users can develop for the Mac, or at least the iPhone OS devices.
3 - The iPad will get an Xcode app that will let you create iPad UIs and type code. It will not compile the UI or code, but will be able to connect to a mac that can compile them and send back status information.
4 - The iPad will get developer documentation in an iBook format so developers can read up on documentation at their leisure.

I think Xcode on the iPad will be the biggest bomb that apple has dropped in recent history if it happens. I actually wouldn't care for anything else they would release or announce.