il manifesto per iPhone: Features and Roadmap

Today, il manifesto per iPhone has been approved on the App Store. This is a big moment, since the wait has been longer than expected and it is definitely a pleasure to be able to install the app I developed on my iPhone for an unlimited time!

So, here goes a list of the main features in the program:

  • access to the latest issue of il manifesto;
  • access to last month’s issues;
  • graphical display of il manifesto cover page in a photo gallery that allows to browse all covers published in the last month;
  • full (scree) size display of cover pages;
  • popup menu based navigation;
  • jump to given section or specific page;
  • Vauro’s comic strip, when available;
  • full HTML rendering of text;
  • reading state: the app will remember what you where reading and take you back there when you open it again.
There are several more features that I would like to implement, but this is subject to how well (or bad) the app is received, both with the customers and with “il manifesto” itself. Here goes a list:
  • offline reading: select an article or entire issue for reading when you have no internet connection;
  • share: send an article content via email, share it on facebook, or link to it from twitter;
  • starred items: articles marked for later reading or to be kept indefinitely on the device.

The future of App Stores

As a iOS developer, I have been asking myself what kind of change the App Store is bringing about.

About the wonders of Stack Overflow

I am in love with Stack Overflow. Like many other programmers the world around, I guess. Indeed, whatever your doubts or troubles about some programming topic, it is highly likely that someone on Stack Overflow has already answered a question similar to yours, or, even more impressive, that someone will quickly give you some hints, or even a full solution with code, if you ever decide to ask your question there.

Moving to github

I am following the trend.

Using Clojure for iOS apps

Clojure is a dynamic programming language, specifically a dialect of Lisp, targeted at the Java Virtual Machine. In other words, you have a compiler that outputs java bytecode. No more need to write Java, if you want.