Frequently Asked Questions |

Ansca is a venture backed mobile software company led by an award-winning team of former Adobe mobile engineers, who were responsible for the leadership and technical breakthroughs that made Adobe Flash Lite. Adobe Flash Lite is now installed in nearly a billion devices.

What is the Corona SDK?

Corona is Ansca’s product for creating highly optimized, multimedia and graphically rich native iPhone applications.

What's the latest version of the Corona SDK?

Corona 1.1 is the latest version and is now available for purchase.

Where can I purchase the Corona SDK?

You can purchase the Corona SDK 1.1 for the introductory price of $99 for a 1 year subscription. Click here to buy your copy today.

Do you have a trial version of the Corona SDK?

Yes, we do. There is a 30-day trial of the Corona SDK. Download the 30-day trial.

Where is Ansca located?

Ansca is located in Palo Alto, California.

What are the system requirements?

Any Intel or PowerPC based Mac running OS 10.5.6 or later. 1Gig of RAM 50MB of Hard Drive Space. Device Builds require an Intel Macintosh.

What mobile devices are supported?

Currently the iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch are the supported devices.
Future versions will support the new iPad.

How will updates/upgrades work?

As with any software company, there will be new features added to the SDK over time as well as bug fixes and documentation changes. A one year subscription gives you access to any and all updates until the time your subscription expires.

Can I distribute my app on the iPhone App Store?

The Corona SDK features device builds, for both local on-device testing and App Store submission.

What do I need for iPhone builds?

You will need to sign up for the iPhone Developer Program. Once you join, you will need to download the iPhone SDK, as well as create and install Apple signing certificates. See the Device Build Guide (included with the latest SDK) for a detailed walk-through of this process. You will also need an Intel Macintosh.

Why do I need I need the Phone SDK?

The iPhone SDK has the tools required by Apple for the signing and distribution of your application.

What language does Corona use?

Corona uses Lua. Lua is a very powerful and flexible language, and we decided to use Lua for many reasons. At the top of the list is Lua's robustness; also, Lua has an extremely small footprint, and is very adaptable for mobile devices. In addition, Lua is fairly common in game development.

Why not use ActionScript or JavaScript, or something based on ECMAScript?

The short answer is that the programming language of Corona fits within the constraints of a mobile device. ActionScript and JavaScript have been around for years, and they are mostly tailored for PCs with unlimited memory, large displays and copious amounts of hard drive space. In addition, when we set out to build Corona, we wanted to break away from the traditional thinking of interactivity using a keyboard and a mouse, and move towards a model based on gestures and touch. Corona gives you that flexibility in a very constrained memory model.

I already know ActionScript/JavaScript. How easy is it to learn Corona?

If you already know ActionScript and JavaScript, you essentially know how to program in Corona. The Corona programming language and framework is just as easy, and often easier to learn and understand. With your programming experience on AS/JS you should be right at home with the Corona SDK and start coding immediately.

I have several Flash and Flash Lite games I would like to port. How easy is it to port?

It should be quite straightforward to port your content. Some of our earliest adopters ported their Flash Lite games over to Corona in matter of days. One of our engineers wrote a FlashLite to Corona guide and a new version of the document should be out soon.