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The simulator doesn't run a full x86 version of iOS; it runs an x86 version of the iOS userland on top of the host kernel (Darwin) and components shared between
by kitsunesoba 10y ago
The simulator doesn't run a full x86 version of iOS; it runs an x86 version of the iOS userland on top of the host kernel (Darwin) and components shared between OS X and iOS.
A port of the simulator would be possible but it'd be a good deal heavier than its OS X counterpart since it'd be running the entire OS instead of just the topmost layer.
- sjtgraham 10y agoBoth platforms share the same core OS (Darwin) and Kernel (XNU), so when I say the simulator is basically an x86 iOS I think that's fair.
- kartickv 10y agoYou're again missing the point that that would be heavier and so perhaps not as good for developers that choose to use macOS. The question is not whether "the simulator is basically an x86 iOS". The point is that requiring macOS to build iOS apps is not an arbitrary restriction — it's a tradeoff. You can argue for or against Apple's decision, but you can't argue that it's an arbitrary restriction on Apple's part.