Re: Learning Cocoa, but no programing experience, possible?
Re: Learning Cocoa, but no programing experience, possible?
- Subject: Re: Learning Cocoa, but no programing experience, possible?
- From: Scott Ellsworth <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 10:35:37 -0800
I have taught cocoa on occasion, and I have found a few things that
work.
First off, remember that what works for others may not work for you.
I find, and my students have found, Hillegass to be the best book on
the market, but Bill Cheesman's book, and Anguish/Buck/Yacktman run
very close behind. Frankly, the bindings sections in Hillegass are
usually what tip the balance. That said, if you find a different
book better, then use it.
Second, begin as you mean to go on. If you want to do Cocoa, start
out doing Cocoa, and learn the minimum ancillary stuff. Objective C
is the easiest way to do that, as that is what the docs are in, so
unless you are dead set against ObjC, I would start with that.
If you want to do Cocoa in Python, then start there, accepting that
you will _have_ to learn some ObjC along the way.
On Feb 1, 2006, at 5:48 AM, Christian Cruz wrote:
- It is possible to learn Cocoa without going through the painful way
of learning C first?
I would not learn C first. I would learn Objective C as part of
learning Cocoa. I give the same answer to new Java programmers who
ask about learning C, or just learning the language and not the
libraries - start with the language and libraries you want to use,
and learn them as you need to.
- Can anyone recommend me a good book( I prefer books, tutorials are
good for me, but I prefer to start from a Book) to start from the
scratch?
Hillegass, Cheesman, or Anguish/Buck/Yacktman are the ones I have
used. Others may be very good, but these are my tools.
- Should I start with AppleScriptStudio and Applescript first?
No, unless Applescript Studio does what you expect to need for the
foreseeable future. If it does, then use it and forget Cocoa for
now. Of course, Automator might be enough for some tasks too.
If you need a full, general purpose tool, Cocoa is a good choice, and
if you want to do it eventually, then start with it.
- Should I learn something definetely easier like RealBasic?
No. Learn RealBasic if you already know basic, or want more cross
platform options. Learn Java if you need more cross platform
options, or if you have better resources for it. Learn Cocoa/ObjC if
you want the best supported option on MacOS X (at this time).
I know it sounds akward..."this guy wants to learn how to fly a 767
without even gone inside a Cesna", but I really would appreciate any
guidance.
There is no royal road, as another poster has said. If you want to
learn programming and Cocoa, you have a lot of learning ahead of
you. Without baby steps, it is hard to keep motivated. That said,
you should be able to do at least minor things in Cocoa/ObjC in just
a few days to a week - Big Nerd Ranch has people doing useful stuff
on the first day, but there are instructors there that provide guidance.
To stretch the analogy, I am not sure learning to fly a glider or
float plane will advance your 747 goal either. Starting with small
projects and definite tasks, like Cheesman's book does is like
learning the Cessna before learning the 747. Starting with
Applescript when what you want is Cocoa/ObjC is like learning to
drive a railroad locomotive - a different task entirely, but that
shares some commonality.
(NB - Applescript Studio, RealBasic, Java, etc. are all good tools
for their tasks. I just do not believe that they advance the goal of
learning Cocoa/Objective C.)
Scott
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