On Jul 19, 2012, at 11:37 AM, Joe Armstrong < email@hidden> wrote: 337 System Guides 26 Tool Guides 1 Sample code Now I wonder which of these 337 guides is "The Xcode User guide" - there is so much information that I'm drowning in it.
Well sure — you're searching through the entire developer documentation for *two* major operating systems, everything from GUI frameworks to command-line tools to system calls. This kind of stuff used to take up dozens of linear feet in bookshelves back when it was in print form, as I remember from the old days, and it's only getting bigger as computers do more and more.
Now if you'd typed "Xcode User Guide" you would have seen fewer results, and the top one in the "Tools Guides" section is the "Xcode 4 User Guide".
Are their no books or libraries that offer a limed subset of the total functionality that is suitable for a beginner?
When I started Cocoa (12 years ago) I took a one-week class that got me up to speed really quickly. I think there are training groups like Big Nerd Ranch that offer classes like these. There should by now be good introductory books too — I saw an O'Reilly one a few days ago at a bookstore, and they're usually a trustworthy brand.
I don't think Apple's docs are good for getting people started. They're good for reference, and for people getting started with _a specific framework_, but not for newbies in general.
All I want is to define a few TCP or UDP ports and send the coded messages to play tones ie if I send a packet like {play,instrument,note,duration,volume} (coded as integers) to a well known port I'd hear some sound - should be easy (provided I can understand the core audio api :-) and network programming.
Sounds like MIDI, or the conceptually-similar formats that "tracker" software uses. I'm not on top of all the audio apps but I'm certain there are already tools that do this, so you don't need to write your own from scratch. There are some well-established cross-platform audio hacking environments like Pd and Max/MSP, for example.
—Jens |