After writing my last post, i thought it would be nice to do a short post about the tools i use(d) for developing iOS apps. Here goes :

• Pen + Paper : the greatest pair of tools that has stood the test of time. i use paper with no lines and can tear off the pad.

• X-Code : for all my coding needs. not by choice. i tried using xcode with textmate but i didn’t enjoy the experience. if only xcode and textmate could have children. it’s a beast and there is a lot of power underneath it all. but i’ve seen visual studio over the years consistently impress and lead as an IDE.

• Interface Builder : i do use this for making the ui but only in terms of layout…and even then not really. it was terrible when it first came out, but it’s getting better. i did hand code all my ui code back in the day and still like having that flexibility.

• Instruments : the app is kinda cool. it really needs processing power and it struggles when doing core audio stuff, but it can really help performance and memory issues.

• TextMate : i love this app; a coders very good friend. i use it for notes and design and code review….but not for coding!

• Terminal : i still use svn, although i have finally moved to git as well. that said, i still use terminal for svn and to do builds for libraries and try stuff out. i will always like to know more command line stuff.

• Flash : i know this app well and i like its object wrapping process of building objects. i mostly use this to do mock-ups, wireframe, diagrams and some production graphics.

• Acorn : this is a great graphics app. i do all my graphics work in it and would love to improve my skills in using it.

• Grab : if i need to do quick snaps shots of some part of the screen, i use this. its simple and really quick. If i want to grab whole parts of something, i use Acorns excellent layer screen grab.

• Snapz Pro X : i use this to do screen capture movies. it seems the best in terms of choice of rendering for both video and audio.

• RapidWeaver : this app is my friend. it makes making and maintaining a website really easy. if you haven’t seen it check it out, it’s worth it for its simple design.