Programming in Objective-C

Book Description

Programming in Objective-C is a concise, carefully written tutorial on the basics of Objective-C and object-oriented programming. The book makes no assumption about prior experience with object-oriented programming languages or with the C language (upon which Objective-C is based). And because of this, both novice and experienced programmers alike can use this book to quickly and effectively learn the fundamentals of Objective-C. Readers can also learn the concepts of object-oriented programming without having to first learn all of the intricacies of the underlying procedural language (C). This approach, combined with many small program examples and exercises at the end of each chapter, makes it ideally suited for either classroom use or self-study. Growth is expected in this language. At the January 2003 MacWorld, it was announced that there are 5 million Mac OS X users and each of their boxes ships with Objective-C built in.

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Customer Reviews:

Great Resource.......2007-09-21

This is a great book I haven't finished it yet, since the semester started, but so far it's been very clear and effective. It introduces the idea of objects early and effectively, which is nice for someone who already knows how to program in C and wants to learn how Objective-C can be supplement what I already know.

Excellent.......2007-08-07

This is a great book for a beginning Objective C programmer. The only con is that it is a little out-dated and slow. Still though for beginning Mac OS X programmers it is indispensable.

One of the Best Instructional Books Ever.......2007-03-16

Kochan is an educator and that comes through VERY clearly. To give you some perspective on where this review comes from - I am a Macintosh Systems Engineer. Before Kochan's book, I had read part of the Second Edition Absolute Beginners Guide to C by Perry, which was great, then tried to read Hillegass's Cocoa book and had to give up. I moved on to my certifications and installing Xserves, learning to shell script in Bash and all that jazz then came back to programming with Kochan's book.

ANYONE INTERESTED IN COCOA PROGRAMMING WHO DOES NOT KNOW OBJECTIVE C SHOULD READ THIS BOOK FIRST. You may be able to get away with not reading it if you are already a programmer familiar with object oriented programming. But for a server admin like myself, this book was a godsend. You may not even need to learn C before reading this, though it couldn't hurt. Certainly I was not an expert in C when I picked this book up.

The examples are great and give you some useful tools with which to build your own programs. Everything you read on Cocoa programming will be MUCH easier if you wade your way througth this masterpiece first. This book is strictly Objective-C. No Cocoa. It's implied that you're probably reading it because you'll want to program for Macs (and I certainly did), but it remains platform agnostic. And it is not a hard read at all! Well, the section on operators and variable types is a bit dry, but when you get back into loops, qualifiers and conditions, you'll start smiling again!

I love programming. I have always thought of it as a combination of geometry (postualtes and theorems) and algebra that allows you to be infinitely creative. Kochan's book makes Objective-C seem like an easy place to start building your applications and tapping the power of your computer! I am grateful for this text!

Fantastic introduction to Objective-C.......2007-02-17

I'm a Naval Architect needing to code in Objective-C and I was scared to death when I first read the documentation available on apple's website on the matter. But this book make it all clear and simple. If you're a bigginer or that you haven't encountered object oriented programming, this is a very good introduction.

A great book for people new to Objective C.......2007-01-16

For a Ruby programer interested in learning Objective-C I found this book to be perfect for a newcomer. In fact I find this to be the best C related book I have read. Highly reccomended.

Learning Cocoa with Objective-C, 2nd Edition

Average customer rating:

Great Start to Learn OS X Programming
OK...
A good book, but not the best book
Indispensible Guide for Moving from C to Object Orientation
Good try, but needs a bit more work

Learning Cocoa with Objective-C, 2nd Edition
James Duncan Davidson , and Inc. Apple Computer
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596003013

Book Description

Learning Cocoa with Objective-C is the "must-have" book for people who want to develop applications for Mac OS X, and is the only book approved and reviewed by Apple engineers. Based on the Jaguar release of Mac OS X 10.2, this edition of Learning Cocoa includes examples that use the Address Book and Universal Access APIs. Also included is a handy quick reference card, charting Cocoa's Foundation and AppKit frameworks, along with an Appendix that includes a listing of resources essential to any Cocoa developer--beginning or advanced. Completely revised and updated, this 2nd edition begins with some simple examples to familiarize you with the basic elements of Cocoa programming as well Apple's Developer Tools, including Project Builder and Interface Builder. After introducing you to Project Builder and Interface Builder, it brings you quickly up to speed on the concepts of object-oriented programming with Objective-C, the language of choice for building Cocoa applications. From there, each chapter presents a different sample program for you to build, with easy to follow, step-by-step instructions to teach you the fundamentals of Cocoa programming. The techniques you will learn in each chapter lay the foundation for more advanced techniques and concepts presented in later chapters. You'll learn how to:

Effectively use Apple's suite of Developer Tools, including Project Builder and Interface Builder
Build single- and multiple-window document-based applications
Manipulate text data using Cocoa's text handling capabilities
Draw with Cocoa
Add scripting functionality to your applications
Localize your application for multiple language support
Polish off your application by adding an icon for use in the Dock, provide Help, and package your program for distribution

Each chapter ends with a series of Examples, challenging you to test your newly-learned skills by tweaking the application you've just built, or to go back to an earlier example and add to it some new functionality. Solutions are provided in the Appendix, but you're encouraged to learn by trying. Extensive programming experience is not required to complete the examples in the book, though experience with the C programming language will be helpful. If you are familiar with an object-oriented programming language such as Java or Smalltalk, you will rapidly come up to speed with the Objective-C language. Otherwise, basic object-oriented and language concepts are covered where needed.

Customer Reviews:

Great Start to Learn OS X Programming.......2005-07-02

This book is a great start to learn the best OS X programming technology. As a professional developer. The title says it "Learning Cocoa with Objective C". Avoid the book "Cocoa in a Nutshell" until you know Cocoa and Objective C and want a good refeerence.

I also plan to read: "Programming in Objective C" and "Cocoa Programming", but only after mastering the material in this book.

OK..........2005-02-25

While this book is very detailed and has a lot of information in it about Cocoa programming, it starts off too quickly. You might be discouraged by the assumptions the author makes about how much C (and programming in general) you know. If you are experienced in computer programming, then you will find this book to be a blast and will learn objective -C in no time at all. However, if you aren't too good with programming, start off with some online tutorials or other books, as you will get lost after reading the first two chapters or so.

A good book, but not the best book.......2004-05-10

A very popular book, and greatly improved in its second edition. Very example and tutorial oriented; somewhat out of date at this point, however. Helps the user learn Interface Builder, ProjectBuilder and Objective-C, too. Possibly a bit shallow to get the reader writing their own Cocoa programs from scratch, but a good introduction. Ultimately, probably not as recommended for a first purchase as Cocoa Programming by Scott Anguish or Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X by Aaron Hillegass.

Indispensible Guide for Moving from C to Object Orientation.......2004-02-23

Being an old Pascal and C programer from the earlier Mac OS (systems 6 and 7) I was finding 1) that Carbon documentation was a mess, and 2) that Cocoa's object orientation was incomprehensible. So, in deciding which environment to work in to upgrade my old scientific apps, I felt stuck between two impossible choices. I wanted the power of quartz and the familiarity of C in a format I could learn. This book provides the indispensible introduction to object orientation that is a prerequisite for Cocoa and ultimately Apple's latest and greatest stuff under the hood. From there, the developer documentation and Garfinkel's or Hillegrass' books can take you the rest of the way. But, this is the place to start if you're conversant in c but not objects.

Good try, but needs a bit more work.......2004-01-16

This book needed one more pass by the proofreaders. There are an annoyingly large number of typographical errors and other mistakes. What surprised me is that after introducing a number of features of Interface Builder, the author tends to manually write code (e.g., outlet declarations) then load the results into Interface Builder to make the various object connections. It would have been better in my view to simply use Interface Builder to perform these tasks (certainly less error prone).

Book Description

Cocoa® is more than just a collection of classes, and is certainly more than a simple framework. Cocoa is a complete API set, class library, framework, and development environment for building applications and tools to run on Mac OS® X. With over 240 classes, Cocoa is divided into two essential frameworks: Foundation and Application Kit. Above all else, Cocoa is a toolkit for creating Mac OS X application interfaces, and it provides access to all of the standard Aqua® interface components such as menus, toolbars, windows, buttons, to name a few. Cocoa in a Nutshell begins with a complete overview of Cocoa's object classes. It provides developers who may be experienced with other application toolkits the grounding they'll need to start developing Cocoa applications. Common programming tasks are described, and many chapters focus on the larger patterns in the frameworks so developers can understand the larger relationships between the classes in Cocoa, which is essential to using the framework effectively. Cocoa in a Nutshell is divided into two parts, with the first part providing a series of overview chapters that describe specific features of the Cocoa frameworks. Information you'll find in Part I includes:

An overview of the Objective-C language
Coverage of the Foundation and Application Kit frameworks
Overviews of Cocoa's drawing and text handling classes
Network services such as hosts, Rendezvous URL services, sockets, and file handling
Distributed notifications and distributed objects for interapplication communication
Extending Cocoa applications with other frameworks, including the AddressBook, DiscRecording, and Messaging frameworks

The second half of the book is a detailed quick reference to Cocoa's Foundation and Application Kit (AppKit) classes. A complement to Apple's documentation, Cocoa in a Nutshell is the only reference to the classes, functions, types, constants, protocols, and methods that make up Cocoa's Foundation and Application Kit frameworks, based on the Jaguar release (Mac OS X 10.2). Peer-reviewed and approved by Apple's engineers to be part of the Apple Developer Connection (ADC) Series, Cocoa in a Nutshell is the book developers will want close at hand as they work. It's the desktop quick reference they can keep by their side to look something up quickly without leaving their work. Cocoa in a Nutshell is the book developers will want close at hand as they work. It's the desktop quick reference they can keep by their side to look something up quickly without leaving their work.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Purchase.......2007-03-24

One of the best books a Cocoa programmer can buy! It references most of the Cocoa API and Objective-C, as well as providing a few good examples. I find it indispensable.

A Good Reference -- Not a Tutorial!!!.......2005-07-24

This book may be recommended by Apple Computer as reading for programmers aspiring to be OS X Cocoa programmers, but these "In a Nutshell..." books from O'Reiley are like the dictionary. They are good references, but not good to learn from.

A much better starting place to learn Cocoa programming -- the best OS X technology for new Mac-OSX only software -- is the book "Learning Cocoa with Objective-C'. This book is also on Apple's recommended reading list for programmers aspiring to master Cocoa.

The ISBN number of "Learning Cocoa..." is: 0-596-00301-3.

I plan to continue my study of Cocoa with "Programming in Objective-C:A Complete Introduction to the Objective-C language". I feel that I need this book even though I know C and C++. Objective-C is quite a bit different. ISBN 0-672-32586-1

Then, I plan to read: "Cocoa Programming" ISBN 0-67232230-7.

That brings me back to the book that I started with. "Cocoa in a Nutshell". Then, I'd be ready for a reference book, and I would also use Apple's web reference, and on-disk reference materials that are on your hard disk when you install Apple's free development tools.

Average customer rating:

An excellent intro to Obj-C for those who need the depth
Handy, well written Objective-C Reference!
A great resource for digging deeper into Objective-C
Fantastic Fantastic Fantastic

Objective-C Pocket Reference
Andrew Duncan
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596004230

Book Description

Objective-C is an exciting and dynamic approach to C-based object-oriented programming; it's the approach adopted by Apple as the foundation for programming under Mac OS X, a Unix-based operating system gaining wide acceptance among programmers and other technologists. Objective-C is easy to learn and has a simple elegance that is a welcome breath of fresh air after the abstruse and confusing C++. To help you master the fundamentals of this language, you'll want to keep the Objective-C Pocket Reference close at hand. This small book contains a wealth of valuable information to speed you over the learning curve. In this pocket reference, author Andrew Duncan provides a quick and concise introduction to Objective-C for the experienced programmer. In addition to covering the essentials of Objective-C syntax, Andrew also covers important faces of the language such as memory management, the Objective-C runtime, dynamic loading, distributed objects, and exception handling. O'Reilly's Pocket References have become a favorite among programmers everywhere. By providing important details in a succinct, well-organized format, these handy books deliver just what you need to complete the task at hand. When you've reached a sticking point in your work and need to get to a solution quickly, the new Objective-C Pocket Reference is the book you'll want to have.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent intro to Obj-C for those who need the depth.......2004-05-10

Probably the best book to read to learn Objective-C, if Apple's PDF on the language is not enough for you. Covers Objective-C both from Cocoa and non-Cocoa perspectives. Try Apple's PDF first, and if it's not enough to let you jump into one of the Cocoa programming books (which all mostly assume knowledge of C and Objective-C), then this book is recommended.

Handy, well written Objective-C Reference!.......2003-11-15

Andrew Duncan's Objective-C Pocket Reference is just the book that budding Cocoa programmers should have on their desk. It is well written, well indexed, and succinct enough to read in an evening if desired.

After reading it cover to cover, I think this will be a valuable resource for looking up any Objective-C related questions I have.

Note, you should have an understanding of C before trying to read this book. Also - it will probably make more sense to you if you already have some experience with Cocoa. This is a quick reference - probably not the best way to learn the language. However, the book contains a list at the end which recommends other books and websites which are more thorough.

I'd say it's well worth the cost.

A great resource for digging deeper into Objective-C.......2003-09-30

O'Reilly's OBJECTIVE-C POCKET REFERENCE follows in its line of slim booklets designed for quick reference while at the computer. I found it a very helpful book.

While titled "a pocket reference", the book is not something that should be put on the shelf right away and merely consulted from time to time. For a beginning Objective-C programmer, reading the book straight-through can be very enlightening. The basics of Obj-C are easy to grasp, and an Obj-C beginner can immediately start constructing solid applications without knowing about categories, protocols, or root objects. But O'Reilly's book is the best place to start becoming familiar with these obscure topics that might just help one solve a particularly tricky problem.

I have only a few complaints about the book. One is that it talks about the #import preprocessor directive, but nowhere does it mention the advantages of using #ifndef guards. Another problem is that in some parts it is Cocoa-specific; I would have preferred that it concentrate on the OpenStep standard in general so that other OpenStep implementations might not be left out (but the book does occasionally mention GNUstep, which is great).

O'Reilly proves itself the best publisher for developers again with this book, and any Objective-C programmer should invest in it.

Fantastic Fantastic Fantastic.......2003-01-29

I have three different books for objective C programming, which by the way are very hard to find. This book, which was published just recently, is the best objective c book I have read yet.

Customer Reviews:

The best book for Objective-C programming.......2000-03-25

This book is the best one for novice objective-c programmers.

Objective-C: Object-Oriented Programming Techniques

Average customer rating:

Objective C made simple, learned simply

Objective-C: Object-Oriented Programming Techniques
Lewis J. Pinson , and Richard S. Wiener
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Pub (Sd)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0201508281

Customer Reviews:

Objective C made simple, learned simply.......2000-06-05

A good book is one that can teach novices well. Shop, read, pay no further. This book is it.

Programming Masterminds: Inspiring conversations with creators of major programming languages (Programming)

Average customer rating:

Programming Masterminds: Inspiring conversations with creators of major programming languages (Programming)
Federico Biancuzzi
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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ASIN: 0596515170

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