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Learn C on the Macintosh is the classic programming primer for Mac OS X developers. An original best-seller, Dave Mark has kept the book completely updated and available for nearly twenty years.
This latest edition addresses the exploding market for both the Mac OS X and the iPhone development, where C is the fundamental language that new programmers need to learn.
Dave Mark is a long-time Mac developer and author and has written a number of books on Macintosh development, including Learn C on the Macintosh, The Macintosh Programming Primer series, and Ultimate Mac Programming. Dave is the Editor-in-Chief of MacTech Magazine and has been writing for MacTech since its birth.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great beginning programming book for C and Mac programming,
By
This review is from: Learn C on the Mac (Learn Series) (Paperback)
This is a great book for learning C and for software development on the Mac. The pace is very manageable for a person new to programming, the examples are clear, the downloaded code samples compile and run without error.
This books is different than almost any other that I have read in that it provides additional reference material and sources to let the reader explore more about C, programming, XCode, Mac development and follow one's own curiosity. All in all, this is the best beginning programming book that I have ever read. I felt empowered and capable after reading it instead of bewildered and wondering how all of the pieces fit together, which has been the case with some other C books. My only ding on the book (and the reason that I've only given it 4 stars) is that there are not a lot of coding exercises. This may not be entirely necessary if you work through the examples in the book (and there are very many good ones) but it would be an improvement to have some more meaty exercises as I think that this is a method to have readers internalize what they have learned.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Place to Start Programming!,
By
This review is from: Learn C on the Mac (Learn Series) (Paperback)
Dave Mark has done an excellent job of presenting the material in this book! Most introductions to C programming are either dry and boring or ridiculously silly (in a failed attempt to be fun). Dave managed to find a balance, teaching the concepts in a tone that can best be described as conversational. The easier sections of the book really do feel like fun, while still maintaining the integrity demanded by the subject; the more difficult sections are rather comforting and instill the confidence that the reader will be able to master the hard concepts.
Another reason why the presentation is so successful is that Dave does not overwhelm the reader with too much information. He tells you only what you need to know in order to get your programs to work, but also provides sources to find the information you don't need but may want. Of course, being written specifically for Mac computers is a major selling point, and rightfully so! In addition to learning the C programming language, the reader will become familiar with the Xcode development environment, the arena where Mac and iPhone/iPod development takes place. The place where Learn C on the Mac stands out above the rest (in my opinion) is that it leaves the reader confident that he/she not only knows what the concepts are, but also understands how to use them. There are many books and websites out there that are great at teaching the theory, but lack and explanation of the practice. What good is it to know what a pointer is if you don't know how it would fit into a program? I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to begin programming on the Mac!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Short and sweet!,
By AeroEngrB787 (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Learn C on the Mac (Learn Series) (Paperback)
I had read that using "Learn Objective-C on the Mac" required some experience with C, so I read this first. I had used C ever so briefly in an intro to programming class in engineering school back in the mid 90's.
If you have any programming experience, it may be just a tad too basic. I've been programming heavily in recent years in VB.Net, C#, Matlab, and Fortran. For me, learn C provided the syntax variations I needed, but added nothing new to my understanding of programming concepts. I would've liked more in depth programming examples that made use of lesser known concepts, but I can't complain too much as I understood it was a beginner book going in. I actually breezed through all 300+ pages in 5 days. "Learn C on the Mac" would be an excellent book for any beginning programmer. It is clear, concise, and to the point. It also may be good for any Windows developer moving to Mac as it does provide some basic information about XCode.
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