Back to the prime of life

Chapter 131 It’s hard
After getting a computer, Lu Changge began to try his best to "monopolize" Chi Yongsheng's time.

There are some things here that only he knows. Currently, Lu Changge and Yu Na are exposed to the basic application of OC language. It is not easy to achieve this in just three months.

Chi Yongsheng is also a young man from a small town. He doesn't mind the simple environment of the garage. Moreover, people have a stereotype of technology geeks, that is, apart from paying attention to the technology itself, nothing else can attract his attention.

This is somewhat similar to Hui Chuankun.

As a student who was quite serious in class, Chi Yongsheng also had an impression of Hui Chuankun. After arriving here, he was a little surprised that this guy was still helping Lu Changge with another project.

Hui Chuankun only found out today that Lu Changge had so much private contact with Teacher Chi from the academy.

"...Anyway, now that I've bought the computer, I'll give you an overview. Otherwise, as Changge said, you'll be like walking through a forest of mist.

OK. If we take developing an app based on the Apple system as a goal and release it, then the following steps are basically required:

In terms of pure technology, you need to become more familiar with OC language and C language. The former is a programming language that determines whether you master it well or not, and you should now have an idea of the difference between them.

After that, you need to learn how to use Xcode, which is Apple's official integrated development environment. Writing, debugging, and subsequent publishing are all done on it. You also need to register for an Apple developer account, which we will talk about later.

In addition, there are compiler GCC, debugging tools Instruments...

The above are all preparations for the project, and the work in Xcode can be roughly divided into creating SDK projects, writing SDK code, building, testing and publishing SDK.

It sounds simple, but in fact, you will encounter various problems when entering this stage, such as how to design the layout interface during initial development, how to use view-related development components, including in the debugging stage, if you encounter problems, how to set breakpoints, how to use debugger tools, etc. They are all very professional, and it is difficult for me to explain them clearly in a sentence or two. I can only talk about them when I encounter them.

Last but not least, if you don't understand something, look it up. If you don't understand something, ask. Let's start with the simple things. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It's March now. As long as you invest your time and energy, you will see changes in yourself by the end of this semester. Oh, right,"

Having said this, he paused and looked at Lu Changge.

"What's the problem?" Lu Changge asked.

Chi Yongsheng pulled out a piece of paper. "You have to answer a few questions for me. First, what functions does the app you want achieve? Have you considered the interface design? How many tabs are there on each interface, and what does each tab represent... In short, what kind of app do you want?"

What he drew was a rectangular frame. What should be placed in this frame?
Lu Changge frowned, "I understand. This is what Teacher Chi said, the 'design' problem that programmers always have to face."

"Yes, usage logic is very important. It determines whether the software is easy to use or not."

This is relatively simple for Lu Changge because everything is in his memory.

"Teacher Chi, I have not only considered this issue, but I have also considered it very clearly. I need an instant messaging software based on the smartphone system. It is different from the current mobile QQ on the Symbian system.

While it can achieve basic information communication, it has shortcomings in security and compatibility. The interface design is relatively simple, and the system usage is high despite the limited functions it implements. Some functions, such as QQ Space, are also unavailable.

Chi Yongsheng said: "You put it in a simpler way."

Lu Changge said: "I hope that users don't need to turn on their computers when using any of the functions of this software."

He answered quickly and briefly enough.

Actually, there are some other features that he wants to add, but I don’t know if it’s too early to tell now, such as voice messages.

This feature is very powerful, even if it is not easy to use at first, it is very lethal because it can make calls free.

When it comes to user acquisition, middle-aged and elderly people are more difficult to reach. They don't pay much attention to new technology developments or fancy features, but if you tell them that they can make free calls with this, it's an extremely tempting option. Anyway, when the elders at home try to contact Lu Changge and the voice call doesn't go through, they just call. If the call goes through, they just say, "I'm calling you," and then hang up.

This happens frequently even after a decade or so, even though the phone bills are inexpensive.

For Chinese people, if you ask them to spend money on something that can be done for free, it would be worse than asking them to die.

After hearing what Lu Changge said, Chi Yongsheng said directly, "Your goal is to go to Tencent. To be honest, I don't know whether to say you are ambitious or wishful thinking."

Lu Changge didn't mind. We shouldn't take too much notice of what such a stupid person said.

He calmly replied, "Let's give it a try. Even if it doesn't work out, I can still find a way to sell it. I'm sure some company will be interested in our sword. Even if it doesn't sell, at least we've gained some technology and experience. In the future, there will surely be all kinds of software installed on users' phones. With my experience, there's bound to be one I can succeed in, right?"

Chi Yongsheng stared at Lu Changge for more than ten seconds. This student was really special.

He then picked up a pen and wrote two letters on a piece of paper: C/S. He said, "This isn't a shooting game. This is an architecture for instant messaging technology. I don't understand it. You need to find someone else. Some of the core functions in this software are not that simple. And let me warn you, once instant messaging software reaches scale, it will require a lot of servers, which are more expensive than you think. You may face huge financial pressure very quickly."

Lu Changge has these concepts.

For him, this is actually a problem because investors are tightening their belts due to the 2008 financial crisis.

Fortunately, his own funds can last for a while.

Phew… This is really much harder than setting up a Taobao store. Just thinking about it makes me feel the level of difficulty is different, let alone actually doing it. But overall, he still has confidence.

Because as far as he could remember, WhatsApp was created in 09, back when it was a small company with limited resources. He was starting to prepare now, and while he couldn't guarantee it would succeed, he thought he could still make a splash. What he didn't know was that the first instant messaging app to support the iPhone OS was actually launched in 08, called AIM, and by the end of that year, it had already surpassed one million downloads.

Yu Na listened for a while, and when she saw it was about to end, she asked, "So what do we do now?"

Lu Changge said, "We have a goal, and Teacher Chi has also given us an implementation path. Let's tackle them one by one."

"Okay, then let's start with Xcode. You don't necessarily need to focus on instant messaging software when you're first learning. I'll find something simpler so I can familiarize myself with the development tools first."

"Start now?" Yu Na asked.

Lu Changge asked back: "Do you have anything else to do?"

"No."

"If not, start now."

Chi Yongsheng originally wanted to talk about the tuition fees. He also felt that what his wife said last night made some sense, but he couldn't say it in this situation, so he decided to talk about it later.

At this moment, Hui Chuankun, who had been listening on the side, raised his hand blankly, "Brother Lu, can I come with you?"

"sure."

Anyway, this wasn't a formal company launch; Chi Yongsheng was just teaching them. Sharing knowledge with others was fine.

(End of this chapter)