Learn Objective-C on the Mac

by Scott Knaster and Mark Dalrymple

Book Overview

Take your coding skills to the next level with this extensive guide to Objective-C, the native programming language for developing sophisticated software applications for Mac OS X. Objective-C is a powerful, object-oriented extension of C, making this book the perfect follow-up to Dave Mark's bestselling Learn C on the Mac, Mac OS X Edition. Whether you're an experienced C programmer or you're coming from a different language such as C++ or Java,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1430218150
• ISBN13: 9781430218159
• Release Date: December 2008
• Publisher: Apress
• Length: 360 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.5" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent for learning the language beneath Cocoa

This is a fantastic book for learning Objective-C, the language you need to know if you want to write programs in Cocoa for the Mac or iPhone. Be warned: this is not a book on Cocoa which is a framework built on top of Obj-C. You'll need to know this material to make any sense of the Cocoa or Cocoa Touch frameworks which can be daunting. If you're brand new to programming, you should probably start with "Learn C on the Mac" because Obj-C is the C programming language with some extra functionality. Confused? If you don't have experience in C, go with this progression: "Learn C on the Mac", then "Learn Objective-C on the Mac", then a full Cocoa book such as Aaron Hillegass' excellent "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X". You will learn a little Cocoa in the book, as well as a bit about XCode, the freely available Mac IDE for Cocoa and Objective-C development. Having tried to learn these on my own, I can say this book is a timesaver with tips and tricks for getting things working. If you are coming from a higher-level language such as Python, Perl, or PHP, be prepared for a little pain while you get used to it. Objective-C will be like having a strict boss after working for yourself for years; you'll need to do things such as declare your variable types, manage your objects memory allocation, and declare the return types for your functions/methods. The authors definitely had fun writing the material and don't take themselves too seriously, and it comes across well in the material. They have done an excellent job of keeping the material fun to learn. Note: I recently took the 7-day "Beginning Cocoa" class at the Big Nerd Ranch in Atlanta, and this book was used as the coursework for the first two days.

Best book for learning Objective-C

This is _the_ book for learning and mastering Objective-C. Great writing, very easy to understand, and excellent as both a tutorial and reference. The authors assume you already know a little C syntax (from C, C++, Java, etc), so this is the key text for switchers. Still not figured out memory management retain counts and auto-release pools? Protocols, categories and inheritance a mystery? It's all in this book. Recommended for all iPhone developers.

Best Programming Book I've read in a loooooonnng time

This is one of the best programming books I've ever read. I emphasize the word read, because instead of using this book as a reference, I actually read it from cover to cover - the book is that readable. How many technology books can you say that about? The explanations are very succinct and explain things in ways that beginners and long-time programmers will appreciate and understand. The jokes sprinkled throughout the book are actually funny (unlike most other technology authors who try to be funny). This book is not only a pleasure to read, it has greatly increased my ability to read and write Objective-C. The authors have raised the bar on technical writing and I hope this book gets the attention it deserves. Mark Twain once said that the difference between a word and the right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. It's clear from reading this book that the authors took a great deal of care in choosing the right words, when they wrote it. I don't normally write reviews, but this book is so good, I felt compelled to let others know how good it is.

Very useful and a fun read

I recently started reading this book. I should start by saying I am an experienced Objective-C programmer, but I usually find a useful new tidbit or two in a new book. I have been enjoying this book immensely, because the tone of the book is much more light-hearted than the normal technical tome. Instead of hundreds of lines of passive voice text, droning on and one with massive repetition of the same stuff to pad the page count enough, this book flows right along. It moves from topic to topic with a nice amount of detail, but without padding and fluff. Examples are written with a slightly humorous touch that makes the reading a pleasure and keeps your interest focused on what is being said. Explanations of areas such as memory management are nice and straight forward. New items found in Objective-C 2.0 are covered, and a modern version of Xcode is described. This book presumes (and states upfront) that you are expected to at least know C or similar programing language, so if you don't know how to program already, don't start with this book. This book is about using Objective-C, but also includes looks at some important parts of Cocoa. Both the writers and the publisher make the assumption that you are intelligent enough to know how to use the internet to find resources instead of listing detailed URLs in the text, which I really liked. It lets me focus on the content being presented, not the mechanics of how to do auxiliary things I already know how to do. I am definitely recommending this book to anybody new to Objective-C, as well as suggesting that it is a good quick reference to have handy even for experienced programers.

Clear ~and~ funny

What more would one want in a book like this? It is clear, logical, concise enough, and comes with a chaser of humor (to keep all that clarity, practicality, efficiency and logic from being too dry to swallow). I especially like the sidebars that summarize and define important terms as the book unfolds. If one followed this book, one would easily go from a beginner to a reasonable Objective-C programmer almost effortlessly... or, as the book says, "In this chapter, you wrote your first two Objective-C programs, and it was fun!"