SpeedMark 5 results

Macworld magazine updated its SpeedMark results for SpeedMark 5 (the latest version of SpeedMark).

I am publishing a small part of the results for reference:

• Power Macintosh G5/Dual 2.0GHz: 166
  
• 15-inch PowerBook G4/ 1.67Ghz: 92
  
• Mac Pro Xeon/3 GHZ Quad Core: 274
  
• 15-inch MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo/2.2GHz: 185
  
• 24-inch iMac Core 2 Duo/2.8 GHz: 262
  
• Mac mini Core 2 Duo/2 GHz: 172
  

Of course, the results do not show that my PowerMac can have up to 8Gb of RAM whereas a Mac Mini can have up to 2Gb of RAM.

The important thing to notice is that a MacBook Pro is as powerful as my PowerMac G5 DP @ 2GHz!

Google will offer its Gadgets to Dashboard!

According to MacWorld, Google will offer (on Thursday 29.Nov.2007) its Gadgets to Dashboard!

Google Gadgets are similar to Dashboard Widgets.

Google will publish its API that will allow the programming of its cross-platform Gadgets.

The Hello World! program in Objective-C

//
// File: helloworld.m
//
// Programmer: Mihalis Tsoukalos
// Date: Friday 21 April 2006
//
// Use: gcc -Wall -lobjc helloworld.m -o helloworld
// to compile it.

#include <objc/Object.h>

@interface Mtsouk:Object

{

// This is left empty

// Usually, instance variables are declared here.

// In this example no instance variables

// need to be declared.

}

- (void)hw;

@end

#include <stdio.h>

@implementation Mtsouk

- (void)hw
{
 printf("Hello, World!\n");
}

@end

#include <stdlib.h>

int main(void)
{
 id myMtsouk;
 myMtsouk=[Mtsouk new];

 [myMtsouk hw]; 

 [myMtsouk free];

 return EXIT_SUCCESS;

}

Did you find the above information helpful? You will find a lot more information in my eBook "Programming Dashboard Widgets". The eBook describes how you can create Apple Dashboard Widgets using many programming languages including JavaScript, Perl, Objective-C, and PHP. You can buy it here.

The Objective-C Programming Language

Objective-C was introduced with NeXTSTEP and OPENSTEP. It is mainly used in combination with the Cocoa framework (a collection of libraries) under Mac OS X although you can program in Objective-C without using these libraries if you want to.

Objective-C is an extension to the famous C programming language that adds support for object-oriented features. What Objective-C does is to add Smalltalk-style messaging to the C programming language.

Mac OS X is based on the NeXTSTEP operating system. In 1993, the set of libraries found in NeXTSTEP were renamed OpenStep and then Cocoa.

I very nice book for learning Objective-C is "Programming in Objective-C" by Stephen G. Kochan. I highly recommend this book. You can find more information about it here.

The back cover of the Programming Dashboard Widgets book

The eBook describes how you can create Apple Dashboard Widgets using many programming languages including JavaScript, Perl, Objective-C, and PHP. You can buy it here.

Stanford Cocoa Programming Class!

I was very surprised when I found that the famous Stanford University offers a Cocoa programming class. You can find more information about it here.

The course may help you learn Cocoa by following its assignments and reading its lecture notes! The proposed textbook is Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X, by Aaron Hillegass, second edition. You can find more information about the book here and here.

Disadvantages of Widget plugins

• It is more difficult and time consuming to program a plugin for a functionality that is also supported by JavaScript.
  

• It is more difficult to debug a plugin.
  
• You have to learn Objective-C.
• You also have to learn Cocoa.

Did you find the above information helpful? You will find a lot more information in my eBook "Programming Dashboard Widgets". The eBook describes how you can create Apple Dashboard Widgets using many programming languages including JavaScript, Perl, Objective-C, and PHP. You can buy it here.

Advantages of Widget plugins

• Nobody can change your Widget plugin.
• You can create commercial Widgets.
• Your source code is hidden and more secure.
• You can do things that simply are not possible with JavaScript and the built-in Widget functions by using the Cocoa framework.

Did you find the above information helpful? You will find a lot more information in my eBook "Programming Dashboard Widgets". The eBook describes how you can create Apple Dashboard Widgets using many programming languages including JavaScript, Perl, Objective-C, and PHP. You can buy it here.