iOS Keeps me from wanting to be an iOS developer...

[firewood]

It'd be cool if there was a way for that, IMO.

But as it stands now, simply dropping the fee <and doing nothing else> would make it so that you (or any other developer) could sell your code to any Joe User with instructions for how to compile it in xCode and copy it to their own devices.

That'd seems like it'd create a whole new market for apps that don't have to go through the screening process.

There is already a way for that. Just require that anyone who wants to use your code buy the iOS developer enrollment to get the optional upgrade to their device (certificates and provisions). Then sell your Xcode project or put it on github, and let anyone enrolled build, install and run it on their own devices.

This is a very useful distribution method for any code that's worth more than $99 to Joe User. If your code is worthless, or nearly so, then not useful.

Drop the fee, and the malware bots would reproduce like wild (with zero cost to replicate), sending billions of evil apps to every iOS mailbox and web page they can find. No iOS device customer needs that.

 

[kage207]

I find apps that aren't natively built are apps I tent to use less. Of course this is always dependent on the material and purpose of the app but if an app is built using native code there's more things you can do with it that integrates with the OS's features.

One prime example was how facebook performed on iOS a few years back using code that wasn't written with objective c. Battery drain and performance were sub prime and Facebook even acknowledged it with press releases and in the app update notes that they were switching to native code.

....

You know that this is just for the OP, right? So if they don't have to pay for making a web app, then why not? A lot of the things you can do in iOS dev, you can do with HTML5.

Lastly, that's not a prime example is not FB a few years ago. That was an iOS app but used UIWebViews. So they really bloated their application in terms of media and animation, and it just wasn't ready for mobile devices as the JavaScript and HTML5 wasn't optimized. A lot of things caused the FB app to suck beyond using HTML5 and iOS code combined.

HTML5 hasn't been finalized until just last October 2014. So they've done a lot of work a lot of work and there is new functionality that just wasn't there a few years ago. We as developers have just now learned how to start scaling web apps as well to run smoothly and not bloat things.

 

[1458279]

Although we don't know how complex the OP's app would be, there is also the issue of the learning curve of native vs HTML5. Also, it could be something that HTML5 happens to do very well.

Overall, I think he should at least give HTML5 a shot. I'd be surprised if there weren't a pile of good books that would have some excellent example projects to try out and wouldn't cost too much to try.

 

[firewood]

The first year after the iPhone launch, circa 2007, the only iPhone apps that one could create (on an un-rooted device) were HTML web clippings.

You can still make those. With an icon and appropriate manifest file, anyone can download an web app from your web site, clip, and then launch and run them completely off-line, very much like a native app.

I wrote a simple HTML5 word game that way many years ago. Made an icon for it. Put it on a web site with a manifest file. Clipped it to my iPhone 3G. Still runs just fine on my iPhone 6, even in Airplane mode.

Since one can do a ton now with the HTML5 canvas and WebGL, I'm not sure why this isn't vastly more popular for iOS app distribution outside the App store... at least for free apps, where the developer isn't interested in the user having a credit card on file with Apple, and for apps that don't need 60 Hz frame rate smooth animation, etc.

So an iOS developer enrollment is only really needed if you want high performance (frame rate animation), access to special iPhone features (notifications, camera, etc.), or revenue from the App store.

 

[kage207]

So an iOS developer enrollment is only really needed if you want high performance (frame rate animation), access to special iPhone features (notifications, camera, etc.), or revenue from the App store.

Actually with HTML5 you can access the camera.

Edit: Also you can setup your web app to send you an email for notification as you can set the email address as VIP to make it give you a notification.

 

[jmantn]

You know that this is just for the OP, right? So if they don't have to pay for making a web app, then why not? A lot of the things you can do in iOS dev, you can do with HTML5.

Lastly, that's not a prime example is not FB a few years ago. That was an iOS app but used UIWebViews. So they really bloated their application in terms of media and animation, and it just wasn't ready for mobile devices as the JavaScript and HTML5 wasn't optimized. A lot of things caused the FB app to suck beyond using HTML5 and iOS code combined.

HTML5 hasn't been finalized until just last October 2014. So they've done a lot of work a lot of work and there is new functionality that just wasn't there a few years ago. We as developers have just now learned how to start scaling web apps as well to run smoothly and not bloat things.

To each their own however in my experience native coding gets better performance then one size fits all but again it depends on what the app is trying to do.

 

[1458279]

To each their own however in my experience native coding gets better performance then one size fits all but again it depends on what the app is trying to do.

I think this is exactly the point. It sounds as if the OP is not a professional programmer and the app doesn't sound like it's performance critical. OP's best choice doesn't sound like native to me.

 

[kage207]

To each their own however in my experience native coding gets better performance then one size fits all but again it depends on what the app is trying to do.

I never disagreed with this position. I'm trying to get the person to realize that the old FB app was a native app but used web technologies that weren't yet optimized for the mobile devices we use. Yet even if they were to take the old FB approached they'd still need a developer license.

I'm saying there are more routes for developing an iOS app beyond paying Apple and HTML5 has made major progress for web apps.

 

[Weaselboy]

[Mod Note]

I have removed some personal comments that were not contributing to the discussion. Please keep it on topic and civil.

Thanks

 

[firewood]

My chief complaint is that if I just want to put an app I create on my own device (like you can on the Mac, after all), it should not be closed/blocked unless you pay.

There are lots of things that requiring paying more to use an iPhone. Can't make phone calls on the road without paying (monthly!) for a cellular plan. Same with mobile data. Depending on your provider you may have to pay even more for International roaming. Most people can't get a fast connection to the internet from home without paying (monthly) for broadband. Maybe you insure your iPhone and other possessions against fire and theft, requiring an annual or even more frequent payment. Or you purchased a case to protect it against drops. Or a Mac to run Xcode.

Even the internet connection that most people use to download the free Xcode to their iMac at home usually costs a lot more than $99/annum.