This has been asked before, I know, but the answers are a bit dated.
I think I've read somewhere that the Snow Leopard EULA has changed and that you now are allowed to install the OS on a Virtual Machine of some sort.
I know I should buy a Mac and I might do so, but I want to try Objective-C in practice before I do that.
I want to develop an application for iPhone, but if the IDE is as nasty as they say I might skip it altogether. I just want to have a look at it first.
So, is it possible do install what you need to develop iPhone apps on a Windows based machine as host?
Yes. You can run OSX in a VM. I use MonoTouch and Visual Studio to write my applications in C# with a shared directory between the two. Write code in VS, build and debug on OSX within the simulator. It would also work with Objective-C if that's the path you take. If you're not a Mac Guy I would recommend MonoTouch though, it makes development MUCH faster.
Yes , it is possible to run OSX snow leopard on your PC.
I recommend that only for evaluation purposes (if you dont have access to mac development machines, friends/family/etc.).
Your shopping list would include:
- a legit copy of snow leopard.
- your choice of virtual machine (in my opinion , virtualbox is great, altough it doesnt support widescreen at the moment).
- some guide for combining the above (google is your friend).
- you will eventually need some drivers for your pc peripherals (sound card , usb etc).
I would start the research from step 3..
Once you're done , you will see that you need a very fast pc to develop, as Waiting for the apps to compile could be frustrating at times.
I tried to install OSX on my pc just for evaluation purposes , getting to know the SDK and the OS before I buy a machine. Actually waiting for the new series of MacBook Airs to buy one..