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guest58172

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Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« on: September 24, 2016, 10:30:30 am »
Hello, I plan to port a project for MacOsx. I have to buy an old Mac, what do I need at least ? Is a 2009 MacBook OK ?

bee

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2016, 12:56:11 pm »
If there's a possibility that your users would use newer Macs, I suggest you to pick a rather new Macbook Pro. 2009 Mac and before that are no longer get OS X (or macOS) updates nor (official) support from Apple. You should at least get a mid 2010 Macbook Pro, though a mid 2012 Macbook Pro is more recommended.

If you have enough money and rather long term commitment to the project, I suggest you to get a 2014 Macbook Pro.

HTH.
-Bee-

A long time pascal lover.

guest58172

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2016, 01:37:21 pm »
Do you mean that except the lack of updates, there's no problem ?
I even see this as an excellent argument to discuss the price !

Phil

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2016, 02:15:55 pm »
Do you mean that except the lack of updates, there's no problem ?
I even see this as an excellent argument to discuss the price !

Exactly.

I have a late 2008 MacBook and it runs fine. With El Capitan you can still install the latest Xcode, etc. The only drawback, as Bee points out, is the older Macs won't be able to run the new Sierra version of macOS, which was released last week.

bee

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2016, 05:00:52 am »
Do you mean that except the lack of updates, there's no problem ?
I even see this as an excellent argument to discuss the price !

It depends on what a "problem" means to you. Hardware wise —like other old digital devices— the only problem is the battery that runs out of its juice, which can easily be replaced if you need to. Other than that, my 2009 Macbook Pro runs just fine on El Capitan. It's actually a "problem" to me because I got no reason to buy a new Mac. :D

If you don't need or don't have to support the new OS and technologies, a working old Mac would be just fine. Just make sure your Mac has enough RAM to do the job. It's better to maximize the RAM, just in case.
-Bee-

A long time pascal lover.

guest58172

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2016, 08:54:57 am »
Battery is not an issue, I plan to use it on sector only. But I have no room left for a full computer so it's either a MacMini or a MacBook.

One last Q: the developer tools are free ? Because it seems that I'd need to install XCode and libraries.

bee

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2016, 02:02:50 pm »
One last Q: the developer tools are free ? Because it seems that I'd need to install XCode and libraries.

Yes, they are. All Apple's dev tools are free along with huge collection of documentations. From beginner to advance. Just download them all from legitimate sources (either Mac App Store or Apple's Developer web site). I've been learning Swift 3 since last week and it's really an enjoyable experience.

FYI… there are 3 kinds of portable (laptop form factor) Mac: Macbook Pro (MBP), Macbook Air (MBA), and Macbook. The last one is the newest portable Mac. The first one (MBP) is the one you're going to purchase. Make sure you would get the correct Mac.  :)
-Bee-

A long time pascal lover.

Phil

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #7 on: September 25, 2016, 05:13:35 pm »
Hello, I plan to port a project for MacOsx.

If you're new to Mac development with Lazarus, you might find parts of this package helpful in porting or just for understanding how Mac differs from other platforms:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28343282/MacXPlatform/LazXProj.html


Phil

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #8 on: September 25, 2016, 05:15:49 pm »
I've been learning Swift 3 since last week and it's really an enjoyable experience.

In case you haven't seen this article, it's fairly straightforward to call Pascal dynamic libraries from Swift:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28343282/MacXPlatform/PascalDynLibs_3.html#WebMaps

I haven't gotten around to looking at Swift 3 yet though.

bee

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2016, 05:25:46 pm »
In case you haven't seen this article, it's fairly straightforward to call Pascal dynamic libraries from Swift:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28343282/MacXPlatform/PascalDynLibs_3.html#WebMaps
I haven't gotten around to looking at Swift 3 yet though.
Thank you, Phil. But I learn Swift to study and use Swift as a modern language, not to use it with Pascal.  :)
-Bee-

A long time pascal lover.

Phil

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #10 on: September 25, 2016, 05:35:28 pm »
Thank you, Phil. But I learn Swift to study and use Swift as a modern language, not to use it with Pascal.  :)

Right. The reality, though, is that many of us have fairly large Pascal codebases. In many cases, it would be foolish to attempt to rewrite that Pascal code in Swift, or any other language. What I've presented in the library articles is a way to preserve the value of that code by using it with other languages.


bee

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Re: Recommend me a Mac to port a project
« Reply #11 on: September 25, 2016, 07:04:58 pm »
Right. The reality, though, is that many of us have fairly large Pascal codebases. In many cases, it would be foolish to attempt to rewrite that Pascal code in Swift, or any other language. What I've presented in the library articles is a way to preserve the value of that code by using it with other languages.

Well, whether it's foolish or not, it depends on many things and considerations. Sometimes we do need to reinvent the wheel, rewrite the whole things, and move on.

Besides, who said I'm going to do that? I'm still learning Swift and I won't master it over night that I would be confidence enough to rewrite my Pascal codes. Even if I do rewrite my precious Pascal codes into Swift, the decision and risk are on me. It's my problem, not yours.

Thank you for your concern anyway. I appreciate it. :)
-Bee-

A long time pascal lover.

 

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