Microsoft launches finished Visual Studio for Mac with support for all Apple platforms: "The finished Studio release can be used to create apps for macOS, iOS, tvOS, watchOS and Android, as well as Web and cloud apps, Microsoft said. Some features include Git integration, an extension system, and multi-platform app templates."

I'm a big fan of Apple products and a long-time lover of Xcode. However, with that said, once the iPhone started taking off, Xcode became a somewhat hostile platform for traditional Mac development. Too many changes, too many compromises from supporting both iOS/Mac in one tool, too many releases, too little backwards compatibility, too many bugs. Too many great Mac development features were ripped out of Xcode. I still enjoy/use the tools but I also like to be able to chart a practical development plan without getting hit on the head with a forced upgrade once a year. Not everything about agile and continuous deployment is a boon. Microsoft, for what it's worth, built a huge business by taking care of their ISV's first, not chasing consumer fads. The ISV's built Windows into what it is, a platform juggernaut in vertical and horizontal markets. I'm cautiously optimistic about these new tools from Microsoft and I also think it's great for the Mac platform to have more serious developers using Macs for everything: shell scripting, Android, Mac, iOS, web, and, why not, Windows and C#.

Honestly, I don't need a new compiler and a new operating system upgrade once a year. And I don't think anyone else does either. Except maybe the press.

It could be worse though, one might be stuck maintaining JavaScript. That's the real nightmare: code written last week that only runs on one browser (and only the build that came out last week).

Mac OS X development was so orderly under the stewardship of Avie Tevanian.

Here are some interesting, related thoughts about the lack real value in the hype of constant churn:
youtube.com/watch?v=3E7hkPZ-HTk
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2017/05/windows-10-hits-500-million-devices-growing-by-two-thirds-in-a-year/

Labels: Apple vs. Apple