Recommend MacOS X GUI programing language or framework

J

jsn

Registered
Hi all

I need to develop a stand alone application for mac and I am looking first for a GUI programing language or framework.

What MacOS X GUI programing language or framework do you recommend?

Please advise
 
Step 1: Download XCode from Apple.

Step 2: Learn Cocoa/Objective-C to develop the app (and use Interface Builder for the GUI).

Step 3: There is no step 3.
 
That's pretty much it. You can use other frameworks, like Qt or wxWidgets, but the apps you make will seem "un-Mac-like".

Objective-C/Cocoa is the language/framework combo to use for OS X. Everything else is a second-class citizen in the Mac world.
 
Ick.

C#? On a Mac? If you want .NET applications, stick to Windows applications.

Learning a new programming language is trivial if you're versed in basic programming knowledge -- loops, objects, primitives, data structures, etc. The only difference is syntax. Working with an array of integers on a Mac in C or C++ or Objective-C is no different from working with an array of integers in C#, only the syntax differs. If you're truly a "programmer," then the language you use shouldn't matter -- and for that reason, use a language that is well-supported and well-known on the platform you intend to target.

That means for Mac development, use Cocoa and Objective-C.
 
What about it? It's for Java and some php development. Many a great Mac OS program is written in Java (like Cyberduck, the FTP client), but all of the GUIs are built with Interface Builder, which is a part of XCode.

I don't think you're going to get many other answers than what's already been given. The best (and only) is:

XCode IDE
Objective-C for the guts
Cocoa
Interface Builder for the GUI

Do you have a specific adversity to XCode and/or the languages we've recommended already? Is there a specific language that you are dead-set on using?
 
jsn said:
What about Eclipse?
Click to expand...
To follow on ElDiabloConCaca's comments, Xcode is generally considered to be the finest development system available on any platform. Much talk is made of C/C++/Objective-C. It often gets lost that at the heart of Xcode is gcc. You may program using any combination of the programming languages included in gcc. Until recently, Xcode was free as had been Apple development systems since forever. It is now a $4.99 download at the MacOS X App Store. The sales tax on Microsoft's Visual Studio is more. You will simply not get a better development system at any price.

Having said that, if you would like to develop for MacOS X, Windows, and Java, then you might look into REAL Studio, formerly REALBasic. Quite a few MacOS X titles are written with it. It was included with earlier versions of Microsoft Office:mac with Microsoft's endorsement of REALBasic as a substitute for Visual BASIC. The development suite allows you to convert Visual BASIC projects into REALBasic projects. You may also produce Windows applications and Java applets. However, REALBasic does not claim to produce efficient code. Also, REAL Studio is not cheap.
 
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