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A simple solution to this would be for Apple (or the developer, via Apple) to distribute different builds based on the device installing the app. That is, deve
by chatmasta 9y ago
A simple solution to this would be for Apple (or the developer, via Apple) to distribute different builds based on the device installing the app.
That is, developers could compile a different copy of the IPA for all target devices. Using variables like CPU architecture, screen size, and other feature flags, a smart compiler could cut a lot of code and assets that never run or display on certain devices.
(Granted, this would be much simpler on iOS, which has a limited set of targeted devices compared to Android.)
In fact, it seems Apple has already taken steps in this direction with its cloud compilation (I'm not an iOS developer, so not sure of the specifics). What would worry me is if they started requiring all source code be uploaded to their servers for compilation. Going down that road is fraught with ideological pitfalls.
- magnetic 9y agoI think they already do that with bitcode. You upload the LLVM bitcode and it will generate the code for the appropriate architecture as needed. It's standard when you upload your app to iTunes. They don't use your source code for that.
- throwaway7645 9y agoDo you mean "bytecode" or is "bitcode" a thing?
- sitharus 9y agobitcode is indeed a thing, its a file format for LLVM IR https://lowlevelbits.org/bitcode-demystified/ https://lowlevelbits.org/bitcode-demystified/ It's not really a bytecode as it's not interpreted, but that's debatable.
- throwaway7645 9y agoI continue to learn more.