Mac OS X For Unix Geeks, 4th Edition

Chapter 10. Compiling Source Code

The Xcode tools that ship with Mac OS X provide a development environment for building applications using Cocoa, Carbon, Java, and even AppleScript. (For details about obtaining these tools, see the Xcode Tools” section in the Preface.) The Xcode tools include utilities that should be familiar to any Unix developer who works with command-line compilers. They also include all sorts of other goodies, including an advanced Integrated Development Environment (IDE), but coverage of those tools is beyond the scope and intent of this book.

Note

To learn more about the Xcode tools, go to http://developer.apple.com/referencelibrary/DeveloperTools/index.html.

A variety of compilers can be used with Mac OS X. The C compiler that comes with Xcode is based on the Free Software Foundation’s (FSF’s) GNU Compiler Collection, or GCC. Apple’s modifications to GCC include an Objective-C compiler, as well as various modifications to deal with the Darwin operating system. The development environment in Mac OS X includes:

AppleScript

This is an English-like language used to script events in applications and in the operating system. AppleScript is installed as part of the Mac OS X operating system and does not require Xcode. To write AppleScripts, use the Script Editor (/Applications/AppleScript).

AppleScript Studio

This is a high-level development environment based on AppleScript that allows you to build GUI applications by hooking AppleScript into the Cocoa framework. If you ...