The Codist

Every time I get a new copy of Xcode, I have to write yet another snarky commentary. I upgraded to 4.3 and now I again find the first thing I try to do is broken. O joy.

Labels. Labels? You broke Labels in the Storyboard editor? How is that even possible?

Copy a paragraph of text and created a label. Paste it in. You get a single line label some 2000 pixels long. Why, I don't know: how that could possibly ever be useful? So I change the number of lines setting to a few. Nothing happens. So I go to the size panel and change it to something that fits in the view. Then I drag the bottom handle to make it taller. Oops I need another line, it doesn't fit. Click the number of lines setting again.

[Insert random swear words here] My single line of 2000 pixels has returned, neatly centered in my tall label. Go back to the size and change it again. Discover you have too many lines now. Do it all over again. [Insert cryptographically secure random swear words here]

Jeez louise, 100 Billion dollars in cash and they can't afford a QA person? Or maybe the intern goes home and they scarf up whatever code they left on their Mac and ship it to 750,000 developers?

Sure, Apple is a big company and developer tools are a cost center, but be real, there are no alternatives to Xcode so yes it's a big deal to all the developers out there who create content that makes people want to buy their profitable devices.

Maybe Apple should charge for Xcode; maybe then it will get real attention and be treated like its important.

Of course I could file a Radar report and attach a project. Then get an email saying could you please create a project and attach it so we can verify? Then create another project and attach that, then get another email saying, we couldn't find the attachment so you could attach it again? Perhaps they could send me an airline ticket and I could demonstrate it in person. But then again they might lose me and I'd hate that lost feeling.

I guess I will have to put up with Xcode's newest adventure, but I must label (yes a pun) this one as not quite all there. Maybe Mr. Cook could find a few coins in his couch to spare on the Developer Tools team. I'm sure they could find something useful to do with it. Tools have never gotten the support at Apple that product groups have had over the years but given how much money is being made I would hope they could invest a little more and deliver tools that kick ass as much as the products do.