Last week was the first of the 4 lectures. I thought it was well done and gave useful insights into building clients for the iPx. It is true that the last session is an introduction to native apps, presumably not so much "stand alone" as making more local iPx resources available to web applications. I'm looking forward to the second session tomorrow.
The reference that Roger made today to http://products.wolframalpha.com/iphone/ is exactly the kind of "native app" described in the course. Certainly it isn't Mathematica in your shirt pocket, but a nice to use interface for "cloud computing" (back the the future!!) Since the j7 UI code is in j (and open for inspection), it should be possible to create a very nice front end for iPx devices. Happily, you can test for them being the client and not have to be so generic as to work across all browsers. Even with the slickest looking screens and control, the default iPx keyboard is a Royal Pain ITA for entering j code... It is less than unhelpful that when I type i. it automatically gets promoted to I. unless additional steps are taken - this is just one of many such complaints. A native app could make a decent keyboard, as in the Wolfram app, and that would make j much easier to use in the iPx. Where the actual computing is done is, IMO, less of a concern. In fact, I like the fact that the engine runs in a server, that's where the data is... I don't have an environment (no Intel Mac, sigh) to run the iPhone simulator and native app SDK, but for the first 3 lectures, I can do the examples and access them through a Linux Apache server. This would be a way for Windows users to work through the course as well. I think I will borrow an Intel machine (I know, I need to buy one sometime ...) to participate in the last session. In answer to your direct question, I am buying the $35 course since it includes source modules (very useful if working along during the lecture) and excerpted chapters from some relevant books, along with edited versions of the live lectures. The editing is mainly removing bloopers and blunders in the presentation, but the essence of a live class will remain. - joey At 07:04 +0100 2010/01/18, david alis wrote: >Hello Joey >I had enrolled hoping to watch the videos but then I remembered that I >couldnt that. (previous arrangements). >I watched the recording of the preliminary video and saw that only >session 4 is about about building native apps. >What do you make of them so far... is it worth buying the recordings? >Regards >David > >On Sat, Jan 9, 2010 at 7:36 AM, Joey K Tuttle <[email protected]> wrote: >> I have enrolled in a class on creating iPhone web applications. These >> are server based apps that look like, and have some of the nice >> features of native iPhone apps. I think the techniques they are >> describing will be useful to build mobile applications in j, >> especially considering the new orientation of j7. >> >> The course is an O'Riley course, it is free to participate in and is >> being held at 11:00 PST for the next 4 Tuesdays. An overview of the >> course and objectives was presented last Tuesday. You can watch that >> overview and learn more about the rest of the classes by going to - >> >> http://creativetechs.com/training/learn-to-build-iphone-web-apps/ >> >> The video there is one that I sat in on live. I think they have good >> ideas and techniques for presenting such online classes. You can also >> purchase the classes on DVD for $35 while the live class is going on, >> or $79 later. >> >> The techniques described for the iPhone (concerning general issues) >> should be applicable to other browser interfaces as well. I think it >> is an opportunity for some of our creative forum members to get a >> running start at doing some "really cool" (wow, "Apple people" really >> over use that phrase...) j based applications. >> >> I can try to answer any questions, feel free to ask. >> > > - joey ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
