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Why does Gideros? - My Balance — Gideros Forum

Why does Gideros? - My Balance

HubertRonaldHubertRonald Member
edited January 2014 in General questions
It's been almost 10 months since I started using Gideros and found desirable to give an assessment of this SDK, for any new user who want to try with this tool.

First of all let me introduce myself briefly to put into context, the assessment of Gideros that I will provide.

I did not study at university, software engineering nor was a developer, but I am an industrial engineer and then I specialized in system simulation and operational research, the only language used for creating codes (structured) was matlab.

I learned OOP in Python in two months on a course in Coursera, which recommend it if you do not master this technique. https://www.coursera.org/course/interactivepython

Having said the above if you are a beginner and do not have some knowledge of OOP may think Gideros is not your thing, but I want to encourage you with this story you try.

The "language M" of Matlab, the Python and Lua are easy to read and understand, I will not go into detail of performance or which is the best among them or other programming languages, because I'm not the right person to grant such information, but I can tell you is that with these languages, programming becomes more natural.

I was looking for about 3 months an SDK to develop applications, but I just had theoretically Python as the primary language and that was a limiting factor for me, since neither C++ or Objective-C have the same style as Python.

Over time, I learned about Lua and like Python, its mechanics was not as complex as C or C++, I also learned that Lua is used successfully for the video games industry. (PlayStation, Warcraft)

Currently I know programming in C++ but this was possible, thanks to the practice that I got while I was programming in Lua through Gideros and some online courses I took.

So here I give the benefits of this SDK from my experience:

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BENEFITS OF GIDEROS
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1) Gideros uses Lua, it's a the programming language quite friendly for create own codes.
2) It allows you to compile without having to send your project through internet with the risk that a third party may be reading your prototypes (I'm no computer expert so do not know encrypted or hacked) =)
3) Gideros is flexible and the only restriction is your imagination and some technical aspects but @atilim or @ar2rsawseen are always to your rescue.
4) The work environment that offers Gideros to view and organize your files, previsualizar your images , having multiple windows open of code, also shows you the bug or reports, it is simply fantastic.
5) You can expand the capabilities of Gideros through third-party plugins or your own (the latter I have not tried yet) according to your needs.
6) If you do not know, it is worth investing in an iMac to develop applications across iOS, because you do not have a mature project, Gideros lets you do it from a PC and then assess the relevance of buying your iMac, like I did.
7) You can start developing your projects with a free license without restriction. This is also related to point 6, on the way, if your project matures, you can upgrade your membership to encrypt your application and protect your intellectual property, but to clarify Gideros Free license does not prevent you market your application.
8) Gideros has a very active and participatory forum, you can actually solve many doubts through it directly or seeking if anyone had the same inquetud than you and if your question has already been acquitted.
9) Gideros has good tutorials from third parties and its own, and there are books that teach you how to enter the right foot in the world of Gideros and Lua.
10) There are many libraries in Lua and it is easily you can add these to your project. Don't need to reinvent the wheel.
11) Gideros has a class system that facilitate the division of the project and reuse much code, if you have some knowledge in OOP you can take full advantage of this aspect.
12) What I really like about Gideros and I find amazing is that you can create your own events, I really love this feature, because with it you can relate different classes. As in item 11 is necessary to have some knowledge in OOP, but believe me worth taking this true potential offered by Gideros.
13) Finally Gideros is a great tool and will facilitate the construction of the house but will not tell you how it should be the same or must be distributed, that depends on each and I say this because I spent 3 months looking for tools to start building an application, Gideros was my great choice (it was adjusted to my needs) but as I repeat the project scope, I had to define this alone.

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LEARNING CURVE
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To determine the learning curve Gideros, well depends on your previous knowledge of programming, the time you spend with this SDK and the features that will keep your application. In my case I started here as a beginner (no knowledge of Lua and some basics OPP), so I'll give some approximate times to familiarize yourself with this tool as you create your application:

1) From one week to two to learn about sprites (position, group, animation, etc.), to review the examples of Gideros and basic aspects of Lua.
2) One week to learn about the mouse and touch events with multiple objects and buttons.
3) A week to learn about frames and integrate libraries, as you go deeper into other aspects of Lua like “for _, v in pairs (table) do… end” and so on.
4) A month and a half to learn and really understand the classes and events.
5) About a month for managing Box2D. Here @ar2rsawseen made a great contribution to the community with his "Box2DEasy" this script significantly reducing the learning curve for the part of physics in Gideros.
6) There are other scripts as the manager scenes, the camera, TNT Engine, and so on. which depend on the nature of your application and whether or not the need. But there are always new things to learn and there is a lot of code in this community Gideros which can reduce the learning curve.

If you've taken the time to read this, I tell you I wish you every success in the application you are going to do and if you decide to use Gideros you will not regret.

In these 10 months between slip and shock I managed to:

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Currently my project has more than 15000 lines of code.
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Such amount of information for one person would be unmanageable if not facilitate Gideros organize your files efficiently. I hope to finish my application as soon as possible to continue with others that I have in mind.

I hope this information, you can leverage for something.
Thanks for your time.


P.S. Sorry if I use the word project and application like synonymously, it is a custom in my country .
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Comments

  • So detailed and thorough, thank you so much for such feedback.
    I specifically installed social sharing plugin on the forum, just so I could share this :)

    Likes: SinisterSoft

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  • Great comment. That would deserve a "customer case study" with nice pictures on the main website :)
    twitter@TheWindApps Artful applications : The Wind Forest. #art #japan #apps
  • Point 6. You don't really need an iMac to sign code for ios, you can run osx on virtual box and sign from that. I have a Mac Pro and run it 100% of the time as Windows, if I need to sign then I just run a VirtualBox running Mountain Lion and sign using that - it's far faster than rebooting on OSX. If you don't already have a Mac then it's also far cheaper. ;)
    Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
    https://deluxepixel.com
  • Hi @SinisterSoft
    I really did not know who could sign from Windows for the iOS platform. Yes I knew that both Macs and PCs can be emulated but as I repeat the above is new to me. Thanks for your comment.

    Likes: SinisterSoft

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  • ar2rsawseenar2rsawseen Maintainer
    edited January 2014
    @Scouser I got highest mark in Unix course for making OSX work on VirtualBox on PC.
    But you need to take older version of VirtualBox, because when Oracle got their hands on VirtualBox, they built in protection system (probably due to Apple request).

    And simple OSX version also won't work that easy. You need to modify it. These modified versions are usually called Hackintosh

    But I've done it only for educational purposes :)
  • Thanks @ar2rsawseen. Having read up on VirtualBox and Hackintosh it would appear that I would have to do a lot of fiddling around and TBH I can't be bothered with all that just yet. I was thinking if it was really simple then I could sell my Mac Mini.
  • I just spent a day or so playing with virtualbox on my windows 8 laptop and got osx 10.8 running. I was able to update that enough to get xcode 5 going but couldn't get it to recognise my ipad when plugged in nor access shared folders. I tried building a gideros project that I had already built on an old imac, but that failed as well. It could be that I haven't persevered enough but I'm giving up for now!
    Searching the net I came across several posts saying that you coudn't access an ipad from osx in virtualbox on a windows pc as oracle don't support that (infringes Apple's copyright, apparently). They could be wrong of course.
    Looks like a mac mini for me as my old imac can't update far enough to run xcode 5 :(
  • Anyone try VMware Fusion? It's not free, but they offer a 30-day trial.
  • Hi @john26
    It's another nice way to reduce investment. But this depends on each one, and there is than have in mind some aspects like connectivity to internet --I should like live in South Korea or Hong Kong :(( -- and the budget has you.

    Thanks for your comment.
  • In conclusion, hackintosh is not for beginners and it must be used only for educational purposes.

    Thanks for feedback!
  • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
    edited January 2014
    @Scouser Sorry for the delay.

    I use the latest VirtualBox and run Snow Leopard on it for making OSX programs (for some reason when you complie for OSX it only runs on the OS and above that you compile on!!!!). I also have another VirtualBox file that has Mountain Lion on it - I use that for running the latest Xcode and signing for iOS. I virtually never use the real Mac bootup on my MacPro always 100% Windows.

    VirtualBox will also run on non-mac hardware - Like I said, it runs on Windows for me. You have to install it like a hackintosh but once you get past the initial boot it will install from a normal Mac OS install disc image. I picked the drop down 'OSX' option in VirtualBox.
    Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
    https://deluxepixel.com
  • SinisterSoftSinisterSoft Maintainer
    edited January 2014
    @petec Did you install the virtualbox extensions, you have to do this to get the iPad to connect - you then select it from the drop down USB menu in VirtualBox.
    Coder, video game industry veteran (since the '80s, ❤'s assembler), arrested - never convicted hacker (in the '90s), dad of five, he/him (if that even matters!).
    https://deluxepixel.com
  • @SinisterSoft Yes, I installed the extensions but I couldn't find the ipad. I'll have another go sometime, although I uninstalled everything for now to stop me spending so much time on it and not getting on with other things that I really needed to be doing :D
  • john26john26 Maintainer
    All this talk of virtual Macs and Hackintoshes makes my head spin!

    Really, I'd say its worth giving Macincloud a go. I pay $12 a week for basic service. Apparently there is a 3 hour per day time limit but I've never actually run into that. The latency is fine for me. There is obviously a slight delay between clicking on stuff and getting a result but it is really fine. You communicate with your local computer via Dropbox and test everything using Test flight app. Really its essentially as good as having a real device.

    Given that Apple seems determined to obsolete even recent hardware (by insisting on development with Xcode 5 then preventing older Macs running Xcode 5) it might be the way to go...

    What you should not do is buy a second hand Mac. Given Apple's clear intention to force developers onto latest hardware second hand Macs are worthless to developers.
  • Well, my old mac was bought in 2006 so it's done me 7 years which is not too bad, but I agree that Apple are good at making things not work on older stuff. I tend to go for Apple refurbished or latest spec second hand to ease the pain of the cost.

    Virtual mac appealed to me just 'cos I like that sort of thing!
  • john26john26 Maintainer
    @petec IMO there is no point buying second hand given Apple's forced obsolescence strategy. So you might save $100 compared to new but you more than pay for that in terms of the Mac soon being obsolete. (also if its a laptop, chances are battery is near end of life as well) Plus you'll waste so much time on eBay etc (I've tried this!). Just buy a Mac mini from the Apple Store. Or rent, like me.

    I'd be interested to know if there is any technical reason OS X Lion cannot run Xcode 5..? Also what pecentage of Macs are sold to iOS developers...? ;-)

    Goodness me, seems only yesterday that OS X Lion was announced as the greatest OS ever.
  • @john26 Fair enough - we all have our own choices to make. I'm happy enough to buy secondhand if it's the same spec that I will get by buying from Apple and it saves me a bit. I do agree that Apple are annoying with their forced obsolescence but accept that as being how they are. I've no idea why my old mac can't run xcode 5 but I do know that it won't!
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