Xcode - the obvious choice for Apple ecosphere application development
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
Xcode is the primary (and only) IDE that we use for macOS and iOS application development as well as scripts and stand-alone Unix binaries. Xcode is produced and supported by Apple and therefore is the premiere IDE for application development in the Apple ecosphere. We also deploy Xcode in the library and in certain labs for programming courses. Usage audience is developers and students.
Pros
- Immediate implementation and integration with new features
- Code completion
- AI code suggestion
- Comprehensive options for builds
- Workflow customization
- Since it is Apple's tool, problems get fixed quickly
Cons
- Documentation
- Number of settings can be overwhelming
- Embedded help for settings and configuration
- Templates
- Collaboration
- Managing of credentials (although this has recently gotten better)
Return on Investment
- Xcode is free, and is supported at low cost by individual or organizational membership
- There are a lot of free resources available, which is particularly important to students and independent developers
- Since producing apps is not a core business function of the university, it is difficult to provide direct bottom-line tangible benefits, but frequently programming students come in with a basic understanding of Xcode already in place, which saves class time
- Producing standard structured code from a standard IDE makes it easier for sharing code with peer institutions
- Students expect to have university branded "helper" apps available, and Xcode makes it fairly easy to transport code from one contractor to another
- No negative impacts are immediately evident other than familiarization time with the IDE can be high if you try to know what everything does
Usability
Alternatives Considered
Anaconda and Microsoft Visual Studio Code
Other Software Used
BBEdit, Microsoft Visual Studio Code, Anaconda