Noob Question On Selling iOS Apps

[AndyCode]

I literally found LiveCode about 2 hours ago and I'm pretty interested considering I've spent the past 3 weeks trying to learn Objective-C with ittle progress. LiveCode seems to be something perfect for me since I'm a University Student doing this as a hobby, and I have no previous experience with programming (3 weeks of objective-c, and basic C programming).
However, I am interested in selling Apps on the marketplace.

Do I have to buy the $500 license in order sell the Apps I create?
Can I make profit with all the free content that LiveCode offers?

Thanks in advance.
-Andy

[Simon]

Hi Andy,
Welcome to the forum!

Here is a starter:
http://livecode.com/support/ask-a-question/
The first link I think you want.

Do I have to buy the $500 license in order sell the Apps I create?

For Apple, yes. Apple does not want opensource code in their store. Others no problem

Can I make profit with all the free content that LiveCode offers?

Yes, Opensource and Commercial. Of course this depends on your app... Maybe it stinks???

Simon

[dave_probertGA6e24]

Hi Andy,

Welcome to Livecode

First of all I can say that the first thing to do is get the hang of the Language and it's highlights and also it's drawbacks (yes there are some). To do this I would recommend using the free version (Community) until you feel confident in what you can (and can't) produce with the language and tools. Note there is no 3D graphics support in LC

For App distribution via iTunes (ie. IOS stuff) you will need an Apple developer account (which costs $$'s) whether you are distributing Free or Paid Apps. For IOS you will probably have to use the Commercial version because of Apple restrictions anyway.

The main choice of LC to use at that time comes down to whether you want to make the sources for your App available to the public (ie. post your Stack files somewhere on the internet and make links to them from within your documentation for the published App) or not. If you don't want to make your source open (1st option above) then you will need to purchase Livecode Commercial.

Other factors will include the use of some 'externals' - most of which are either commercial or have some level of password protection (which will not work in the free version of LC). To use these external in your App you will need to have the Commercial version of LC.

The profit you can make from App sales will come down to marketing your App. Without pushing your App so that fresh people know about it all the time you will get very few sales (unless it's a hit for other reasons!). To recoup the cost of the yearly Apple account and LC commercial you should expect to be making and marketing 2 or 3 Apps (at least) per year - then you should at least break even

I hope some of the above can guide you a bit. I'm sure others will provide further and more detailed info too.

Cheers,
Dave

[AndyCode]

Thanks guys.

I might have to stick to learning Objective-C then. I can't afford to buy commercial at this time
I might look back into LC in the future though.

[cavenewt]

Another noob here...

So it's ok to use a commercial external in a standalone app that might go commercial? Are there rules about credits, etc?

[Klaus]

HI cavenewt,

So it's ok to use a commercial external in a standalone app that might go commercial?

this will surely be written in the fineprint of the license for the external(s).

Are there rules about credits, etc?

No common rules, see above


Best

Klaus

[amsterfrank]

Hi AndyCode,

by naming Objective-C and Livecode you're pointing out not only opposites but languages pretty much at max distance from eachother.There's a lot in between. Many ways to try to make a buck with apps without spending too much upfront. Javascript is such a language and there are several devtools which use it (in various ways). Or maybe AS3 or Lua or even Lingo (RIP) is your thing? Or stick with Livecode. Plenty out there, many of which I would not recommend, but that's just me Some you might need externals for, some you don't. Not all have seperate fees. Licenses vary.
Look stuff up on the interwebs and have some Vimeo or Youtubes with it, to get a better idea what could work for you.
So many women so little time..