iOS

Since Apple's launch of Swift this past June, many iOS developers have been struggling with the question of if, how, and when to transition from Objective-C to Swift. This article explores some important points to consider before jumping into Swift development.

After 6 years of improving and working on Objective-C, Apple decided to throw another challenge at developers. Once again, iOS developers will need to learn a new programming language: Swift. Swift 1.0 is already a stable and strong development platform, which is sure to evolve in interesting ways over the coming years. It is a perfect moment to start exploring this new language, as it is the future of iOS development.

I often hear iOS developers ask some variant of the same key question: "What's the best way to develop a UI in iOS: through Storyboards, NIBs, or code?" Answers to this question, explicitly or implicitly, tend to assume that there's a mutually exclusive choice to be made, one that is often addressed upfront, before development. I'm of the opinion that there's no single choice to be made. Rather, each option has its strengths and weaknesses—and there's no need to use any one of them in isolation.

If you're an experienced developer, you've probably progressed from being a humble tester to a senior developer, and if you're a freelancer, you've made another leap, perhaps the biggest of them all, when you started working with clients directly. Some clients aren't in the software business; they're in an entirely different industry that needs a piece of software, and they don't have a clear and precise vision of what they want from you. This is a far greater challenge than it appears, and here's what you can do to improve client communication and project documentation.

Building games for the iOS platform can be an enriching experience in terms of both financial and personal growth. Recently, I deployed a Cocos2D-based game to the App Store. In this post, I'll explain the process behind developing games for iOS, from Cocos2D through to publishing.

These days, I’m living in the great city of San Francisco. I’ve got a job that I love, and one that I’ve dreamt of having for a long time. Everything seems easy now, but it wasn’t always like this.

Starting a new remote gig, be it a contract project or a full-time job, can be a little intimidating if you're used to going into an office day after day. But this style of employment is growing in popularity, with some very notable companies lending it their endorsements. I've worked remotely for years now on projects of various scales and durations. With this post, I hope to enumerate some of the best practices that I've picked up for working in a variety of situations. The advice here ranges from specific recommendations for software and hardware to tips for hitting your team's deadlines.