Timeline for Is there a technical reason why you can't develop iOS apps on a Linux computer?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
14 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2022 at 8:41 | comment | added | airtonix | just more proof that Apple hates developers and considers them a necessary evil to simulate market traction in their app store. | |
| Oct 30, 2021 at 20:48 | comment | added | 1mike12 | Q: Is there a technical reason why? A: For legal reasons you can't ... so no | |
| Nov 24, 2014 at 6:59 | comment | added | slebetman | @BryanOakley: In most countries, you cannot legally run OSX on a machine not manufactured by Apple. In order to run OSX, you have to accept the license terms and the license terms specifically prohibit installing OSX on non-Apple machines. Note that installing OSX requires a modified/hacked version of OSX because Apple uses a BIOS that's incompatible with "normal" PCs. And modifying OSX breaks other bits of copyright laws depending on your country. | |
| Sep 23, 2014 at 0:19 | comment | added | Selali Adobor | @PieterB I think this answer is fine, but like I said in my own answer, it should at least mention that you can develop iOS apps on a Linux computer. Using a build host isn't exclusive to iOS apps (and is a very useful habit to have at your disposal). Apple is just requiring that using one for iOS binaries. I'd actually say that a more relevant restriction is that on JIT/dynamic code generation, since it prevents the use of some cross-platform development methods that would otherwise be available. | |
| Sep 22, 2014 at 16:10 | comment | added | Bryan Oakley | If you run OSX on a linux machine, it's no longer a linux machine. I don't see the value in the first sentence ("Mac OS X can only contractually be run on Apple Hardware.") | |
| Sep 22, 2014 at 14:46 | comment | added | Pieter B | I can't understand why this is the accepted answer. Developing iOs apps on other operating systems is totally possible, the only thing you need a mac for is the signing part, but that's not part of development. | |
| Sep 21, 2014 at 19:51 | comment | added | Jörg W Mittag | @NadirSampaoli: In Germany, Microsoft sells Windows licenses very cheap to PC builders, so that they can bundle Windows with their PCs without increasing the cost too much compared to a PC without OS or with bundled Linux. The intent is that these licenses are pre-installed on the PCs. However, the PC builders realized that they could sell those licenses separately, with a huge profit compared to what they paid for them, but still much cheaper than Microsoft. Microsoft sued on the grounds that those licenses could only be used with the PCs from those builders, but lost. | |
| Sep 21, 2014 at 13:50 | comment | added | Nadir Sampaoli | @JörgWMittag How did Microsoft tried to do that? I'm not aware Microsoft makes hardware in the first place at all. | |
| Aug 11, 2011 at 3:58 | vote | accept | dan | ||
| Aug 5, 2011 at 22:27 | comment | added | Jon Purdy | Violating the terms of the contract basically just strips you of support privileges. Apple wants to provide good customer service, and the simplest way to do that is to limit the space in which things can go wrong in the first place. If you're running their OS on non-Apple hardware, you're on your own. | |
| Aug 5, 2011 at 21:21 | history | edited | user28988 | CC BY-SA 3.0 | contractual vs legal, yay nickpicks. |
| Aug 5, 2011 at 21:21 | comment | added | user28988 | I'll change it to "contractually" for more precision. | |
| Aug 5, 2011 at 21:06 | comment | added | Jörg W Mittag | "Mac OS X can only legally be run on Apple Hardware" -- I would be very surprised if that were true in any sane legal system. I know for a fact that it isn't true in Germany, because Microsoft tried to pull the same stunt, people ignored it, Microsoft sued, and lost. | |
| Aug 5, 2011 at 20:58 | history | answered | user28988 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |