TweetFollow Us on Twitter

CodeWarrior6 Volume Number: 17 (2001)
Issue Number: 1
Column Tag: Tools of the Trade

CodeWarrior 6

By Tim Monroe

A Look at the Latest Mac Version of Metrowerk's Development Environment

Introduction

CodeWarrior 6.0 (CW6) is the latest version of Metrowerk's popular integrated development environment (IDE) for Macintosh and Windows (and, I believe, the first version to carry the Motorola brand name). In addition to all the standard improvements you'd expect to find in a major release of a professional IDE (bug fixes, greater compliance with existing standards, improved performance, and the like), CodeWarrior 6.0 takes one major step forward: all important parts of the software development environment have been Carbonized, including the IDE itself, PowerPlant (the object-oriented application framework), Constructor, and Profiler. This means that it's possible to do complete application development on "classic" Macintosh operating systems (Mac OS 8.x and 9.x) and on Mac OS X. (CodeWarrior 6.0 also runs on Windows computers, but I did not receive a review copy of the Windows install disk, so I can't comment on how well that new version works.)

Some Test Drives

I first took CodeWarrior 6.0 for a spin on Mac OS 9.0.4. As usual, installation was a snap. The IDE wanted to convert my existing project files for use with the new IDE (version 4.1, for what it's worth). After that, compiling, linking, and debugging proceeded exactly as they did under previous versions of the IDE. The entire CodeWarrior 6.0 suite has received a minor facelift; for instance, the Finder icons are different, and the project window (shown in Figure 1) has undergone some reorganization. (In earlier IDEs, the tabs hung down from the top of the window.)


Figure 1. A project window under Mac OS 9.

Then I decided to get brave. I usually like to develop Windows versions of my applications using the Mac IDE. I didn't have the Windows IDE, but the Mac installation still includes compilers and linkers for x86 development. Once again, my existing Windows projects compiled and linked flawlessly (after allowing the IDE to make the necessary project conversion). CodeWarrior 6.0, however, uses a different method for specifying the remote target for two-machine debugging. Under previous versions, you could specify only a single remote target for all projects, in the IDE Preferences window (Figure 2).


Figure 2. Setting a remote debugging target (CW 5).

Under CW6, you can define any number of remote targets in the IDE Preferences window (Figure 3). Each individual project can then specify which one of those targets to use for any particular debugging session (see Figure 4). This is a very nice enhancement.


Figure 3. Setting remote debugging targets (CW 6).


Figure 4. Specifying a remote target.

Pedal to the Metal

Finally, I decided to get really brave and run the IDE under Mac OS X. I installed the Public Beta version of OS X on an external hard drive, booted up, and then launched the IDE. I must admit to having had a certain trepidation as the IDE launched, but my fears subsided as the project window opened and greeted me with its jaunty Aqua appearance (Figure 5).


Figure 5. A project window under Mac OS X.

Once again, the project compiled, linked, and ran flawlessly. Moreover, remote debugging between the Mac OS X machine and a machine running Mac OS 8.6 worked just fine. What did not work at all was local debugging - that is, trying to step through the code on the Mac OS X machine itself. (I kept getting a network timeout error; go figure!) After trolling the comp.sys.mac.programmer.codewarrior news group, I discovered that I needed to perform the Codewarrior installation while running Mac OS X. Once I did that, local and remote debugging worked as expected.

CodeWarrior 6 running on Mac OS X seems to be a fairly solid and stable product, at least in my preliminary tests. As is to be expected, there are some cosmetic glitches. Figure 6, for instance, shows a dialog box in which some of the text is clipped. All in all, however, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the product performed, especially considering that it's running on a beta version of a brand new operating system.


Figure 6. A dialog box with clipped text.

Conclusion

Should you upgrade to CodeWarrior 6.0 from an earlier version? For most Mac programmers, this is a no-brainer: sure, stay up to date with the latest and greatest tools. This is especially true if you want to get your product working under Mac OS X or you want to do your software development under Mac OS X. You can develop Carbonized applications using CW5, but not under Mac OS X. For the complete Carbon story, and especially for local debugging under OS X, CodeWarrior 6.0 is the way to go.

Some developers, however, might want to hold off making the leap to CW6, even though it's a fairly tiny leap in terms of code changes. If you're deep into a project that uses CW5 or earlier, you may want to finish that project before moving forward. After all, since the compilers have become more compliant to the ANSI standards, some of your existing code might get signaled as non-compliant (especially if it is non-compliant). In my own projects, I didn't encounter any such problems, but of course your mileage may vary. In my mind, the ability to specify remote debugging targets on a per-project basis is worth the price of upgrading all by itself.


Tim Monroe is a software engineer on Apple's QuickTime engineering team. You can contact him at monroe@apple.com. His opinions, of course, are his own and not those of his employer.

 

Community Search:
MacTech Search:

Software Updates via MacUpdate

Latest Forum Discussions

See All

Six fantastic ways to spend National Vid...
As if anyone needed an excuse to play games today, I am about to give you one: it is National Video Games Day. A day for us to play games, like we no doubt do every day. Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Instead, feast your eyes on this... | Read more »
Old School RuneScape players turn out in...
The sheer leap in technological advancements in our lifetime has been mind-blowing. We went from Commodore 64s to VR glasses in what feels like a heartbeat, but more importantly, the internet. It can be a dark mess, but it also brought hundreds of... | Read more »
Today's Best Mobile Game Discounts...
Every day, we pick out a curated list of the best mobile discounts on the App Store and post them here. This list won't be comprehensive, but it every game on it is recommended. Feel free to check out the coverage we did on them in the links below... | Read more »
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company's...
Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Nintendo has been locked in an epic battle with Pocketpair, creator of the obvious Pokémon rip-off Palworld. Nintendo often resorts to legal retaliation at the drop of a hat, but it seems this... | Read more »
Apple exclusive mobile games don’t make...
If you are a gamer on phones, no doubt you have been as distressed as I am on one huge sticking point: exclusivity. For years, Xbox and PlayStation have done battle, and before this was the Sega Genesis and the Nintendo NES. On console, it makes... | Read more »
Regionally exclusive events make no sens...
Last week, over on our sister site AppSpy, I babbled excitedly about the Pokémon GO Safari Days event. You can get nine Eevees with an explorer hat per day. Or, can you? Specifically, you, reader. Do you have the time or funds to possibly fly for... | Read more »
As Jon Bellamy defends his choice to can...
Back in March, Jagex announced the appointment of a new CEO, Jon Bellamy. Mr Bellamy then decided to almost immediately paint a huge target on his back by cancelling the Runescapes Pride event. This led to widespread condemnation about his perceived... | Read more »
Marvel Contest of Champions adds two mor...
When I saw the latest two Marvel Contest of Champions characters, I scoffed. Mr Knight and Silver Samurai, thought I, they are running out of good choices. Then I realised no, I was being far too cynical. This is one of the things that games do best... | Read more »
Grass is green, and water is wet: Pokémo...
It must be a day that ends in Y, because Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has kicked off its Zoroark Drop Event. Here you can get a promo version of another card, and look forward to the next Wonder Pick Event and the next Mass Outbreak that will be... | Read more »
Enter the Gungeon review
It took me a minute to get around to reviewing this game for a couple of very good reasons. The first is that Enter the Gungeon's style of roguelike bullet-hell action is teetering on the edge of being straight-up malicious, which made getting... | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Take $150 off every Apple 11-inch M3 iPad Air
Amazon is offering a $150 discount on 11-inch M3 WiFi iPad Airs right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 128GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $449, $150 off – 11″ 256GB M3 WiFi iPad Air: $549, $150 off – 11″ 512GB M3... Read more
Apple iPad minis back on sale for $100 off MS...
Amazon is offering $100 discounts (up to 20% off) on Apple’s newest 2024 WiFi iPad minis, each with free shipping. These are the lowest prices available for new minis among the Apple retailers we... Read more
Apple’s 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros are on sa...
Amazon has 16-inch M4 Max MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $410 off Apple’s MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather than a third-party... Read more
Red Pocket Mobile is offering a $150 rebate o...
Red Pocket Mobile has new Apple iPhone 17’s on sale for $150 off MSRP when you switch and open up a new line of service. Red Pocket Mobile is a nationwide MVNO using all the major wireless carrier... Read more
Switch to Verizon, and get any iPhone 16 for...
With yesterday’s introduction of the new iPhone 17 models, Verizon responded by running “on us” promos across much of the iPhone 16 lineup: iPhone 16 and 16 Plus show as $0/mo for 36 months with bill... Read more
Here is a summary of the new features in Appl...
Apple’s September 2025 event introduced major updates across its most popular product lines, focusing on health, performance, and design breakthroughs. The AirPods Pro 3 now feature best-in-class... Read more
Apple’s Smartphone Lineup Could Use A Touch o...
COMMENTARY – Whatever happened to the old adage, “less is more”? Apple’s smartphone lineup. — which is due for its annual refresh either this month or next (possibly at an Apple Event on September 9... Read more
Take $50 off every 11th-generation A16 WiFi i...
Amazon has Apple’s 11th-generation A16 WiFi iPads in stock on sale for $50 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free: – 11″ 11th-generation 128GB WiFi iPads: $299 $50 off MSRP – 11″ 11th-generation 256GB... Read more
Sunday Sale: 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros for up t...
Don’t pay full price! Amazon has Apple’s 14-inch M4 MacBook Pros (Silver and Black colors) on sale for up to $220 off MSRP right now. Shipping is free. Be sure to select Amazon as the seller, rather... Read more
Mac mini with M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $12...
B&H Photo has Apple’s Mac mini with the M4 Pro CPU back on sale for $1259, $140 off MSRP. B&H offers free 1-2 day shipping to most US addresses: – Mac mini M4 Pro CPU (24GB/512GB): $1259, $... Read more

Jobs Board

All contents are Copyright 1984-2011 by Xplain Corporation. All rights reserved. Theme designed by Icreon.