Purpose of Programming

In this blog post I will be writing about programming and what it’s used in.

People use programming for a number of things, they could include computer programmes such as PowerPoint or Photoshop. Also it can be used within games such as iOS, Playstation and Xbox. It can also be used in Sat Navs or basically anything that can be programmed.

There are millions of different types of code in one game which control every aspect of the game from character movement to environment background.

There are 2 types of code, one is called Complied and the other is Interpreted.

 Compiled:

There are many different types of languages when inputting a code an examples of those could be C++, C# and Objective C. When you input a code it gets transferred into the compiler which it gets turned into another computer language. After this it gets transferred into an Executable machine code which talks to the computer this is why you would see an “.EXE” in the files.

Interpreted:

When you input a code into an interpreter it uses the language HTML or Javascript. Also when in the interpreter it converts the code into something viewable this could be a web browser. Once this has happened it then results in viewing the code as a web page. 

iOS App Development.

In this blog post I will be writing a guide on how to create an iOS app development.

To create an app you can use either a PC or a MAC, but it would be easier for someone who wants to create an app to use a MAC product.  To test your app idea you would need an iOS device, preferably something that uses touch screen capabilities for example iPod, iPhone or an iPad.

In this next part I will be explaining what kind of software you would need in order to create an iOS app. One software device you would need is called Xcode; this piece of software allows you to use a wide range of tools which is developed by Apple.  Also it allows you input the code for your app and design the interface, menu systems and buttons for your app. It allows you to run your app on an emulator instead of going out and buying every type of iOS device, you would run it on an emulator to see if your app crashes at certain points.  

Source: https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#referencelibrary/GettingStarted/RoadMapiOS/chapters/GetToolsandInstall.html

There a few costs when creating an app, the most obvious one is if you don’t own a MAC then you have the trouble to purchase one and then download the programs, which seems like a lot of trouble to go to in order to create an app that will only cost around 99p, which is hard to make profit from.

When creating an app there can be some restrictions that you may face, these are created by apple and some of those could be:

•          If Your Application includes or will include any other content, you must either own all such content or have permission from the content owner to use it in Your Application.

•          Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgment may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.

•          Applications must not contain any malware, malicious or harmful code, program, or other internal component (e.g. computer viruses, trojan horses, “backdoors”) which could damage, destroy, or adversely affect other software, firmware, hardware, data, systems, services, or networks.

Source: http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/files/iphone-sdk-agreement.pdf

When you start to develop an iOS game there are a few things you would need to do first, they are:

•          To own either a MAC or PC but having a MAC would be easier.
•          To own an iOS device e.g. iPhone, iPod or iPad. (Preferably something with a touch screen)
•          To download the programme called “Xcode” this will allow you to create your app.
•          Ensure you have sufficient money in order to start this project.
•          You must follow the Apple guidelines which are above. 

PC

In this blog post I will be writing about current PC’s, so for this blog post I will be writing about the Apple Macbook Pro, some of the key features that I will be writing about will be the platform design, interface, price and power supply.

•          Platform Design – The design of the Apple Macbook Pro is different from other laptops because it was designed not to play games but to develop graphics, was designed for business purposes and social affairs. The Macbook hasn’t got different parts as it’s all just one part whereas a normal laptop has different panels.

•          Interface – The interface design of the Macbook Pro is very different when compared to a standard laptop as on a normal laptop tou would have a start button in the bottom left corner and then that’s how you would access your files, but the Macbook Pro has a dock which stretches across the bottom of the screen, this is where you would find you files and the Macbook Pro uses the internet search engine called Safari which is different from a laptop which uses Internet Explorer, Google Chrome or FireFox.

•          Price – The prices for just one Apple Macbook Pro can range quite high, it really depends whether you want a brand new Macbook or a pre-owned one. Prices for a pre-owned Macbook may range between £750 -£900 but if you want a brand new one then you would have to pay from £1000 and up to £1500 depending if you want one with retinal display then you would have to pay between £1500 - £3000 but that’s if you have that kind of money.

•          Power Supply – The power supply for the Macbook Pro is similar to a normal laptop because it has 2 cables, one that connects from a plug socket to a power brick and then that cable connects from the power brick to the Macbook Pro. 
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Retro Device

In this blog post I will be writing about a retro games console, something that is around 15 years old, example consoles could be something like the original Playstation, Sega Saturn or even the Nintendo 64. But for this post I am choosing to write about the original Playstation. Some of the features that I will be writing about will be platform design, control device,

·         Platform Design – Considering the Playstation is around 18 years old the design of the console is very basic, as you can see from the picture to the right its design is pretty much a box, compared to consoles in the present day you can see how far technology has really come. Consoles now have the option for HDMI game-play and USB ports whereas the standard Playstation never had any of those, it only really had the basic requirements which were only 2 controller ports, 2 memory card slots, power button, a button to open the disc tray, restart button and then the slots at the back of the console for power cable and SCART lead.

·         Control Device – As I said before the original Playstation was very basic and the controller wasn’t any different, if you look at the picture  to the right even the controller colour is quite basic. You only had directional buttons on the left side of the controller but analog stick came into it in the next version. You had 2 sets of trigger buttons at the top of the controller   which were L1 % L2 for the left side and R1 % R2  for the right side, the start and select button in the middle but the select button was never really used, and then the 4 main buttons which were in the forms of shapes (triangle, square, circle and the X button)

Once Playstation introduced a controller with dual analog sticks this helped player massively as with analog sticks they could rotate 360 degrees easier and also could increase or decrease their speed of their character by moving the analog sticks slightly forward, backwards or side to side.

Touchscreen Device

In this next blog post I will be writing about a touch screen device, example of those could be a tablet, touch screen phone or a laptop which is touch screen. But for this blog post I will be writing about the iPad Mini and explaining some of the features that is has, example of those could be the interface, the price, power supply and usability.

•          Interface – The interface design of the iPad Mini is similar to nearly all handheld devices created by Apple, such as the normal iPad, the iPhones and the iPods. All of these handhelds are touch screen where you can store as many apps as possible.

•          Price – When this product came out from Apple it varies from how much memory you want on your iPad Mini for example if you wanted to purchase one which has 16gb of memory which can range from around £230 - £250 and then if you wanted to purchase a 32gb iPad Mini then it would cost around the £300 mark.

 

•          Power Supply – The power supply for the iPad Mini is different from previous Apple handhelds because handhelds such as the iPhone and iPod all have the same adapter whereas the new iPad Mini has a slight change. Instead of a flat end it is now rounded.

•          Usability – Unlike the normal iPad the Mini version is different because it’s smaller so it’s portable which is quite handy if you don’t particularly like lugging around a full size iPad, the iPad Mini is small and compact which means you can put it in a handbag or even a rucksack.