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Maybe we’ve just been writing very different types of software but as noted earlier, it’s been very unusual for there to not be built in or third party solution

Maybe we’ve just been writing very different types of software but as noted earlier, it’s been very unusual for there to not be built in or third party solutions to problems I’ve encountered in UIKit/AppKit. The ceremony involved seems pretty minimal to me considering the trouble saved. It’s a relatively small front loaded cost that precludes problems further down the line. As for icons there’s a bunch of shell scripts, AppleScripts, etc that will take care of minor one-time annoyances like icon scaling (though there’s actually good reason for 1x, 2x, and 3x versions of images to be distinct… scaling a single high rez icon down tends to look like a terrible smugdy mess on “normal” DPI displays).

auggierose 3y ago
Sure, you can streamline the process of icon creation. The point is that Apple often sets up things in a "simplified" way which is not really simpler, just more annoying. There are no "normal" DPI displays in Apple's ecosystem anymore, so one SVG should always be fine in many cases. Again, my main point is that coding Apple apps just takes too much time and ceremony compared to what you get out of it (an app that only runs in Apple's ecosystem). The only way to justify writing an app specifically for Apple products is when you depend on their special hardware and ecosystem features. Or of course if you don't care if your app runs anywhere else. Or if you have resources to blow. Apple treats software as an extension of their hardware: Generality and abstraction do not count for much, as long as this makes it possible to fit the software tightly to their current hardware. That's nice for Apple, but not so much for a developer who doesn't care for much more than generic hardware features.
- jwells89 3y ago
  There’s plenty of people in the Apple ecosystem that still use normal-DPI monitors. 2560x1440 27” monitors are very commonly used with Macs for example, and it’s not unusual for iOS devices to get hooked up to 1080p TVs. I’d say the investment is also worth it for those who don’t like developing lowest common denominator apps.
  - auggierose 3y ago
    > I’d say the investment is also worth it for those who don’t like developing lowest common denominator apps. If I look at Electron, that lowest common denominator is pretty high. I'd argue that if you put the same effort into an Electron app that you have to put into an Apple app, you get a much better Electron app compared to the Apple app. And you can run it on Linux and Windows. So, unless there is something essential for your app you cannot do in Electron, not liking the lowest common denominator still fits into the resource blowing category. Hell, blowing resources can sure be fun!

auggierose 3y ago

Sure, you can streamline the process of icon creation. The point is that Apple often sets up things in a "simplified" way which is not really simpler, just more annoying. There are no "normal" DPI displays in Apple's ecosystem anymore, so one SVG should always be fine in many cases. Again, my main point is that coding Apple apps just takes too much time and ceremony compared to what you get out of it (an app that only runs in Apple's ecosystem). The only way to justify writing an app specifically for Apple products is when you depend on their special hardware and ecosystem features. Or of course if you don't care if your app runs anywhere else. Or if you have resources to blow. Apple treats software as an extension of their hardware: Generality and abstraction do not count for much, as long as this makes it possible to fit the software tightly to their current hardware. That's nice for Apple, but not so much for a developer who doesn't care for much more than generic hardware features.

jwells89 3y ago
There’s plenty of people in the Apple ecosystem that still use normal-DPI monitors. 2560x1440 27” monitors are very commonly used with Macs for example, and it’s not unusual for iOS devices to get hooked up to 1080p TVs. I’d say the investment is also worth it for those who don’t like developing lowest common denominator apps.
- auggierose 3y ago
  > I’d say the investment is also worth it for those who don’t like developing lowest common denominator apps. If I look at Electron, that lowest common denominator is pretty high. I'd argue that if you put the same effort into an Electron app that you have to put into an Apple app, you get a much better Electron app compared to the Apple app. And you can run it on Linux and Windows. So, unless there is something essential for your app you cannot do in Electron, not liking the lowest common denominator still fits into the resource blowing category. Hell, blowing resources can sure be fun!