code

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on code:

Tynker Junior teaches kids to code before they can read

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Tynker Junior
Your little ones can start using Tynker from as young as 4.
Photo: Tynker

The ability to code is becoming an increasingly important skill, and the sooner you start learning, the better. That’s why you should introduce your little ones to Tynker Junior, the app that teaches them the fundamentals of coding from as young as four.

Inspired by the award-winning Tynker programming language, which has been used by over 60 million kids worldwide, the new iPad app uses puzzles and games to make learning fun and easy.

How top secret iPhone code ended up on the web

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iPhone boot up
"The biggest leak in history."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A low-level Apple employee leaked the secret iPhone code that ended up on GitHub.

iBoot, a part of iOS that ensures the device is booting a trusted operating system, surfaced online last week in what was described by one security expert as “the biggest leak in history.”

Here’s how and why the code got out.

Apple might finally let you delete unwanted iOS apps

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iPhone SE next gen
Get ready to delete your unwanted Apple apps.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Get ready to say goodbye to that folder on your iPhone holding all the stock iOS apps you never use.

Code found in iTunes suggests Apple finally plans to give iPhone and iPad users the tools to delete unwanted iOS apps that come pre-installed on devices like the Compass, Tips, Stocks, Voice Memos, and more.

Apple’s website becomes NSFW without this one line of code

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Apple's website, with and without the line of code added.
Photo: Ryan Ackermann/Twitter CC

Apple avoided a potentially embarrassing incident by altering OS X marketing materials on its website to make the word “click” in the slogan “There’s more to love with every click” look … well, less like a certain term for the male sexual apparatus that begins with a “D.”

You Won’t Believe What This Free App Can Teach You In Less Than an Hour

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Coding, son!
Coding, son!

While all of us aren’t destined to get our heads buried deep in lines of programming languages, chances are that most of us, and especially our children, will benefit from knowing the basics of how the most ubiquitous devices in our world operate.

Despite the current backlash against the “coding for all rhetoric,” teaching kids the basics of programming can’t be a bad thing. Heck, teaching ourselves to code may be a fantastic lead in to a rewarding hobby, a new career path, or both.

That’s the idea behind the “Hour Of Code,” a national initiative set to run December 9 – 15, 2013 that’s designed to take kids through the basics of programming in their schools. This new app from Codeacademy is specifically tailored to the process, so even if your kids (or you!) don’t have a school that’s participating in the Hour of Code, they can still get the benefit.

Why Apple’s Do Not Disturb Feature Won’t Work Properly Until January 7

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Do Not Disturb on. Even when you don't want it to be.
Do Not Disturb on. Even when you don't want it to be.

As I’m sure you’re already aware by now, the Do Not Disturb feature Apple debuted with iOS 6 stopped working as it should on Tuesday as the world turned over into 2013. While it has no problem activating itself when it’s told to, it doesn’t understand when it should shut off, meaning users must do it manually or they’ll miss their notifications.

Apple’s promised that the feature will automatically fix itself on January 7, but why did it stop working in the first place? And why will it suddenly start working as it should on Monday? Well, it seems Apple has trouble when it comes to date and time handling.

Apple Tech Support Acknowledges Issue With Mountain Lion Download Codes, Fix Coming Later Today

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It's free, but you'll have to wait for it if you're in the up-to-date program.
Free to eligible customers, but you'll have to wait for it.

Several readers have contacted Cult of Mac to report that Apple is issuing them used redemption codes for OS X Mountain Lion through the free up-to-date program. The Cupertino company’s customer support line has acknowledged the issue, and promises a fix is coming later today.

Get Terminal To Tell You When It’s Done [OS X Tips]

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Speak Terminal

Terminal has tons of great applications on the Mac. By accessing the Unix underpinnings of Mac OS X, Terminal allows power users and newbies alike to do things with their Mac that may not be enabled out of the box.

Code monkeys and script jockeys frequently use Terminal to run longer processes than typical, like compiling code (the process of making all those little lines of code into an app that will run on your Mac) or running scripts. When they finish, they finish. There’s no built in way to know that they’re done.

Cargo-Bot Is The World’s First Game To Be Made Entirely On An iPad

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Meet Cargo-Bot, the first game to ever be made on the Apple tablet it was created for.
Meet Cargo-Bot, the first game to ever be made on the Apple tablet it was created for.

App studio Two Lives Left has launched its first App Store game for the iPad, called Cargo-Bot. What makes this release different from the thousands of other iPad games that came before it? Well, Cargo-Bot is the world’s first game to be coded entirely on an iPad itself.

Using a coding app for the iPad they created prior to Cargo-Bot, the guys from Two Lives Left designed and coded their new game on the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen.

Cult of Mac’s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

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hgg-2011-cover-3

It’s that time of year again. Not the holidays — I’m mean yeah, sure it is, but that’s pretty obvious. No, it’s the time of year when we drive ourselves (and others) a little crazy running around trying to find gifts at the last minute. Especially those pesky stocking stuffers — the little gifts that fill in the gap between “it’s Christmas? Geez, I completely forgot” and “honey, I bought you a Lexus.”

iPhone 5 & iPad 3 Strings Pop Up In Latest iOS 5.1 Beta Code

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iPhone-5-iPad-3-strings

Following the release of Apple’s iOS 5.1 beta yesterday, developers have been trawling through its code in an attempt to uncover references to upcoming products that Apple didn’t intend for you to see. We’ve already seen references to a next-generation Apple TV and a fourth iPad 2 — believed to be destined for Sprint — and now the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 product identifiers have been discovered.

One Day Left To Dive Into iOS App Development With Deals @ Cult of Mac [Deals]

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diove

Have you ever had an amazing idea for an iOS app but then been devastated by the realization that you don’t know how to code and build an app? Yeah, me too… been there, done that. Which is why we’re stoked to bring you a deal on how to build a killer iPhone or iPad app with the Dive into iOS instructional course from Udemy. If you don’t want to wind up like poor George Costanza, then this deal is something you need to check out over at Deals.CultofMac.com.

Now is your chance to make it happen…

Here’s the steal (yes, when course material like this is only $79 it’s better than a deal):

After just a couple of hours of online instruction you will be well on your way to building your dream iPhone and/or iPad app. Yes, your DREAM app; an app that could turn your ghetto ride into a Ferrari (literally); an app that could give you some serious points with the ladies (or fellas…we don’t discriminate); an app that could turn your diehard hobby into a new thrilling career; an app that could change the world.