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Programming environments for developing an iPhone application

 
Ranch Hand
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Are there any alternatives for developing an iPhone application apart from getting the one from Apple self? The only thing I have to do is develop a mini-app that in reality is only a button that will point to a website. As far as I can see now, I have to buy an IDE with a full API for 300 $. We have Mac's as O.S., so that is a plus. But buying this whole API for just making this little 'button to website' application, seems like shooting with a canon on a mosquito.
 
Ranch Hand
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I've done some more searching on the net, and I am now almost 99.999% sure there is no alternative programming environment. They good thing is though, you only pay the fee, when you deploy your project, you can download and play with the IDE for free. Any more info still welcome off course.
 
pie sneak
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Marc is spot on.

Assuming you have a Mac, development is free. There is only the hundred bucks if you want to upload an app from your computer to the devices directly.

However, if your entire "application" merely opens a website, you don't even need to create an application. iPhone users can actually save links to websites on their main screen alongside other applications.

You can create your own icon to be displayed for such links:
http://www.ipodhacks.com/article.php?sid=2494
 
ranger
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To add to Marc's reply, I really hope you do it that way.

If you were to look at the iPhone development forums, you would see that the iPhone developers have a problem with people writing apps that are just links to a website and add no value as an iPhone app. And to be honest, these days, Apple won't even approve such an app onto the store, they would reject it with the reason that it doesn't have any functionality to it.

Good Luck.

Mark
 
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