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iOS Objective-C Basics (Retired) Fundamentals of C Anatomy of a C program

Posted by Josh Foy
Josh Foy
396 Points

Must we use a Mac?

What are some Alternate Programs I can use for Windows 7 other than xcoder and some others mentions in this vid

3 Answers

Dino Paškvan
Dino Paškvan
Courses Plus Student 44,108 Points

While there are ways (not very good ones) to develop iOS apps on other operating systems, for the iOS development lessons here on Treehouse, you will need a Mac to follow along.

Tom Bedford
Tom Bedford
15,645 Points
Tom Bedford
Tom Bedford
15,645 Points

If you want to develop iOS apps you need to be running OS X to use Xcode. I'm not aware of alternatives that will allow you to code native iOS apps and publish them on the App Store.

If you don't have access to a Mac you could either:

  1. Use a service to control a Mac over the internet (e.g. Mac in Cloud). I haven't had any experience with them, but it might work as a start.

  2. Find a guide for building a "hackintosh" or running OS X as a virtual machine on a PC. I'm not sure on the legality of this.

There are a couple of ways to run Objective-C on Windows. This may be enough to allow you to complete Objective-C Basics, though you won't be able to follow the main iOS courses with it.

I doubt any of the alternatives above would give you an ideal experience creating Apps. In the long term it would be best to get a Mac if you want to develop for iOS. The cheapest route would likely be a second hand Mac Mini.

You can develop Android Apps on Windows.

Dino Paškvan
Dino Paškvan
Courses Plus Student 44,108 Points

I'm not sure on the legality of this.

The Mac OS X EULA forbids installations of Mac OS X on a "non-Apple-branded computer".

Holger Liesegang
Holger Liesegang
50,595 Points
Holger Liesegang
Holger Liesegang
50,595 Points

Like Dino already wrote IMHO the "mackintosh" solution is definitely illegal and the "How can I develop for iPhone using a Windows development machine?" question is a FAQ here in the forum (nearly every other day) so maybe it should be clarified in the iOS Development track info. This is often discussed on the internet like here but I personally don't know any developer who as ever developed an iOS app on a Windows PC - at least legally and having some fun doing so :)

Josh Foy maybe you might want to think about buying an older Mac Mini so you can still use your monitor, mouse and keyboard (if you aren't using a Windows notebook of course).

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

I for one think people should not post links about things that are of questionable legality such as hackintoshes.

Tom Bedford
Tom Bedford
15,645 Points
Tom Bedford
Tom Bedford
15,645 Points

Hi James Barnett,

I don't think it's a problem to talk about something that exists. Amit Bijlani started out on a "hackintosh" (link) and he is now teaching iOS development here on Treehouse.

That said, my advice to Josh was to buy a Mac.

As for the legality, it's not really clear cut. Breaking the EULA isn't necessarily a criminal offence.

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

> Breaking the EULA isn't necessarily a criminal offence.

I agree.

I don't think people post links to things that encourage the breaking of EULAs for the same reason we shouldn't point people toward blackhat SEO and anything else questionable ethics.

Amit Bijlani
Amit Bijlani
Treehouse Guest Teacher
Amit Bijlani
Amit Bijlani
Treehouse Guest Teacher

Yes, it's true that I got started by using a Hackintosh, as they say invention is the mother of necessity. However, looking back it was a very painful experience because I spent more time maintaing the Hackintosh because of the limited driver support non-Apple hardware. Time that could have been better spent developing apps and or adding features to existing apps. Aside from legality, I encourage anyone getting started to simply use a Mac because it's easier that way. They might be pricier but if you've ever used a Mac then you will never go back to using a PC.

Christopher haro
PLUS
Christopher haro
Courses Plus Student 3,372 Points
Christopher haro
Christopher haro
Courses Plus Student 3,372 Points

no you can use your phone, or chrome book.

Christopher haro
Christopher haro
Courses Plus Student 3,372 Points

sorry you can use eclipse ,