Keeping on my recent theme of changes in programming for iOS, there was an interesting item on the MacWorld website recently, an article about an iPad app called Codify. What makes Codify interesting to me is that it’s the first app, to my knowledge, to allow iOS programming on a mobile device. In other words, you can now write your own apps on your iPad! Given the closed nature of the Apple app world, this is a bold new step that could lead to bigger things. In the video that accompanies the article, the games developed with Codify look a little primitive, but programming on the iPad could get more sophisticated over time.
I say this “could” lead to bigger things, because as it stands, Codify has some substantial limitations that prevent bigger things from happening. The first is that apps created using Codify cannot be shared, they can only be used on the device they were created on. As a result, Codify could not be used to create an app to sell on the App Store. Another limitation is that the apps are limited to the sound and visual palettes provided within Codify, rather than being able to import your own. The Codify palette might be good, but any serious developer would want to use their own sources. A third limitation of sorts is that the apps are created in a language called Lua, a language that I have to admit I had never heard of before. While it is undoubtably perfectly serviceable, it is not as common as Objective-C or Cocoa Touch, meaning that fewer people will be able to jump in and start programming right away. On the other hand, Lua has the advantage of being open-source and is free for anyone to use. Lua is notable for being used in creating World of Warcraft, the huge multiplayer online game, so it’s not like Lua is a completely esoteric language.
Even with limitations, I think Codify is yet another great advance towards making the iPad a serious device on which you can do real work. Dare we hope for a version of XCode for the iPad? Or the ability to distribute apps developed on the iPad? Both would be very cool.
I don't know what I'm talking about, but if programming on Codify is fast and easy, might there be an advantage in using it to create a "mock-up" or to rapid test a concept? If the app looks and feels like a good concept, then use the programming code of your choice to create the beta test version. Your new iPad can be deducted as a business expense. ;>)