Cocoa Programming [Paperback]

Scott Anguish (Author), Erik Buck (Author), Donald Yacktman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0672322307 | ISBN-13: 978-0672322303 | Publication Date: September 20, 2002

Cocoa Programming is a comprehensive work that starts as a fast-paced introduction to the OS architecture and the Cocoa language for programmers new to the environment. The more advanced sections of the book will show the reader how to create Cocoa applications using Objective-C, to modify the views, integrate multimedia, and access networks. The final sections explain how to extend system applications and development tools in order to create your own frameworks.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Cocoa Programming is a comprehensive work that starts as a fast-paced introduction to the OS architecture and the Cocoa language for programmers new to the environment. The more advanced sections of the book will show the reader how to create Cocoa applications using Objective-C, to modify the views, integrate multimedia, and access networks. The final sections explain how to extend system applications and development tools in order to create your own frameworks.

About the Author

Erik M. Buck is president of EMB & Associates, Inc., which specializes in commercial avionics and entertainment software development. He has developed industry-leading applications using the technology that evolved in Cocoa since 1989. Buck is a frequent contributor to technical mailing lists and has written many articles for the premier Cocoa developer resource on the net, www.stepwise.com.

Donald A. Yacktman has been using Cocoa and its predecessor technologies, OpenStep and NextStep, professionally since 1991. He is currently the vice president of Development at illumineX, and independent software vendor of Cocoa-based Mac OS X software and a WebObjects consulting firm. Yacktman is a member of the Stepwise editorial staff and the principal contributor to the MiscKit, a premier source of information and reusable software for the OpenStep and Cocoa communities. Yacktman has been programming professionally since 1981.

Scott Anguish started developing for the Macintosh in 1984. Upon seeing the NeXT development environment in 1992 he was hooked on the possibilities of a unified imaging model and a pure object-oriented system. In 1994, after several years of NeXT development, he created Stepwise, a portal for information related to NeXT technologies. Today, Stepwise serves as a hub for Apple's Mac OS X technology platform, as well as Cocoa and WebObjects development. Anguish uses Cocoa and WebObjects to build better technology for higher education at the Center for Educational Technology in Middlebury College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1272 pages
• Publisher: Sams (September 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672322307
• ISBN-13: 978-0672322303
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Computers & Technology > Apple > Cocoa

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only buy one OS X programming book, this is it., October 3, 2002

By 

Charles G. Bennett "UAV Geek" (Athens, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cocoa Programming (Paperback)

This book is not about teaching you to program it is about eaching you to take full, and I mean full, advantage of Cocoa. If you have a handle on Cocoa programming this one book will pretty much complete your understanding of it.

It covers the additions that Objective-C adds to the C language in about 27 pages. If you already know C, that is all you need to get going. If you don't already know C this book will not teach it to you.

Consider that, counting the index, the book is 1245 pages of small print and has none of the usual fluff that eats up half the book, it is a lot of valuable information; all meat and very little fat.

It has in-depth sample code for about everything you are going to need or want to do with OS X. Just as important, it not only tells you what you can do, but what you should do and explains why.

Most programmers never learn a particular tool or object until they want to use it in a program. This book has example code for just about anything you would want to try and clear explanations of what you must know to use it. Having a working example with source is just the ticket when you are learning a new object.

If you want to program for OS X, drop what you are doing and order this book. If you are already an old hand at programming OS X, I'll bet there are more than a few things in this book that you don't know.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most complete source available!, January 3, 2003

By 

Marc Weil (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cocoa Programming (Paperback)

This book is absolutely amazing. After teaching myself Cocoa with Aaron Hillegass's book "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X", I picked up this book to serve as a reference because of Apple's poor job at keeping up with their own documentation. One word for this book: awesome. The writers did a great job of compiling almost every piece of the Cocoa "umbrella" framework there is. There are even full chapters on topics that no other book or online source I have seen so far had covered. Things such as advanced networking with TCP and UDP and the real details on NSMatrices.

All in all, I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a detailed, organized, and complete Cocoa reference. It might not be as good for someone who was never programmed before since I don't think it has the *best* tutorials when compared to the other Cocoa books on the market, but my goodness is this an indispensable reference that will stay on my bookshelf for the remainder of my Cocoa programming career.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best most comprehensive book on Cocoa, August 28, 2004

By 

Capri (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cocoa Programming (Paperback)

This book is huge and packed with information. It has more information than any three other books on the subject. However, it is an intermediate to advanced book, so if you are just starting out you might prefer a more introductory book.

I particularly like the logical organization of the book and the comprehensive coverage of most topics. (The book predates the latest "Bindings" technology.) Even if you have been a Cocoa programmer for years, you will learn new things from this book. It covers whole subjects that no other book mentions and is packed with useful examples. There is no fluff, and every page is dense with information. It does not have the best tutorials, and it has a formal reference style unlike many of the other Cocoa programming books. I promise that even if you have one or more of the friendlier books, you'll still want this one for when you get down to business.

Finally, I loved the coverage of the Model/View/Controller design pattern in this book. There is a whole chapter that shows concrete examples of design using Model/View/Controller in conjunction with Cocoa and Objective-C idioms. After applying the wisdom provided by this book, I finally understood the value of Model/View/Controller and its near ubiquitous application in Cocoa.