Hello Mr. @ewpatton
I wanted to ask you about the AI2 plan-implementation to be able to compile apps on the iOS operating system to guarantee that one day the ability to build installable packages (.IPA) will be released to all the final users.
It does not matter to wait the necessary time. All can even perfectly accept that it can be released with minimal options and even with undebugged errors so that over time we can test it step by step and improve the environment.
But, what would be very bad is that at some point it was decided to abandon this project (as happened with the issue of Services i AI2). For my part I can wait for what your team needs to release this final functionality, but it would hurt me and all users if said project was finally abandoned for the MIT, since all those interested in AI2 with iOS would have waited in a totally inadequate way.
Thank you for your attention and I am waiting for your answer.
FSG
It is never abandoned; for now, the IPA build system is not public and only available for Power Users and licensed users for some reasons. This requires a registered Apple device, an Apple Developer account, and more.
Hi,
Until now I know that it is not abandoned the project. But I asked for the next future. What is the strategy at the current time for this project? Today the delay of the initial project is more than 2 years. This is soo much delay for a normal IT project May be now the conditions are not the same as on the origin and the MIT team decide to close the project as others?
In our meeting earlier this month with Apple we explored four different potential directions for iOS compilation for App Inventor. We're continuing to discuss with them the best options. In the meantime, we are building out the ad hoc distribution methodology and I'm pushing for us to make an initial version available in May or June.
This is great news. Thank very much Mr. Patton to you and your collaborators for the efforts that make in improving this great collective project that is AI2. Having milestones gives the users much hope for the project and also predisposes us to help in whatever way we can.
FSG
Hello Mr. Patton,
I would be grateful if you could inform us about the status checkpoints of the tasks of being able to have a free method to can distribute apps in Apple with an IPA build system for iOS additionaly to the AI2 Power Users.
As you have informed in the last January, you had planned to be able to provide us a solution for May or June.
I am entirely waiting for your pleasant news.
BR
Ferran
I think that questions like when the ios version will be available, do not speed up the work on the ios version ... not everything always goes as fast as we would like. I think the best answer would be "Wait, wait and wait again. When the ios version will be available, I'm sure everyone will know about it..."
Yes, and based on my testing we might still be able to make that time frame. We'll be having a meeting on the dev side next Tuesday to discuss next steps on all of our development priorities, and this will be discussed as part of that meeting.
So we have broken down the iOS build infrastructure into three separate stages. The first stage is an internal infrastructure change in the buildserver and will go out as part of the next release (scheduled Aug 26 and currently on ai2-test). Once that release is out and stable then we will start rolling out the second and third stages, which are more tightly coupled and probably will go into a future release together. There are a couple security related issues that we need to deal with before that happens.
