Dashcode understanding

Question

I am new in iOS development and I am totally confused about Dashcode.

1. Why Dashcode is useful?
2. What is difference between Dashcode vs Xcode.
3. What is advantages and disadvantages of Dashcode as a compared to Xcode?
4. Is XML or JSON parsing is possible in Dashcode?
5. What is a Widget? I am so confused with the word widget.

Answer 1

1) Makes widgets, like the ones in Dashboard.

2) Dashcode makes widgets (like show up in Dashboard on the Mac). It's small and uses JavaScript and other web technologies for source code. Xcode makes compiled app binaries for iOS and mac from Objective-C and Cocoa source code.

3) It's not really a choice. If you want to make an app for iOS or Mac you will use Xcode, if you want to make a dashboard widget then you will use Dashcode.

4) Dashcode works with web technologies. I do not have a lot of experience with Dashcode (tried it, not my thing), but it's purpose is to write apps that graph data from servers so I can't imagine it wouldn't support such mainstream web technologies.

Answer 2

Further to @NJones answer. Dashcode will allow you to develop HTML5/CSS/JS applications which can be deployed as widgets under the OSX dashboard or to develop browser client based applications that can be run on Safari/Mobile-Safari and other compliant HTML5/CSS browsers (chrome, firefox) and IE9 (I think).

There are projects such as PhoneGap (yes, http://www.phonegap.com) that provide additional libraries to streamline cross platform development. Depending on the complexity of your application true write-once cross mobile platform deployment can be challenging

Answer 3

No one is able to tell me for years now what is happening to the Dashboard, Dashcode and the entire development of it - is this the End ? It looks like it and i hope this company is faceing there own downfall