Parse.com provides a backend service to developers. If your mobile or desktop app requires a backend on the internet, then Parse is one of the options you can choose.

I first came across the service a few months ago and noted that they provide SDKs that let your apps running on various devices connect up to the backend it provides. They provide SDKs for devices running iOS, Android, Windows (Phone) 8, OS X and Javascript.

Today, I want to take a closer look to see what you get, how much it costs and if it potentially replace your own provisioned services and code that you use to interface with your own servers.

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Updated for Xcode 13

Developing apps for the Mac or the various iOS devices requires knowledge of Xcode. Xcode is a complete developer toolset that provides all the software necessary to start coding.

The download is free and can be grabbed via the Mac App Store or via developer.apple.com. There is a lot going on in the Xcode interface, but it isn’t too tricky to start once you know where the basics are.

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There may be some of you interested in finding a cheap Mac so that you can begin developing iOS apps. Apple requires that you use a Mac to develop iOS apps. For those of you who already have a Mac, that’s great news as you can go ahead and download a free copy of xcode from the Mac App store, or direct from the Apple Developer website.

For those who do not have access to a Mac and are looking for a cheap option, [Read more…]

To successfully complete the CS106A Programming Methodology class at Stanford on iTunes U, you’ll need to install some software called Eclipse. Eclipse is a development environment that is freely available to download and use on both the Mac and a PC.

For those of you studying CS106A, you’ll need to download and install a special version of the development environment which can be found on the Stanford website. As well as installing Eclipse, you will also need to install the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). The Mac typically comes with JRE installed already although a quick check for software updates will ensure you are running the latest version.

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