Beginning OSX Development

[andyw]

Can anyone give me a few tips / links / books recomendations for beginning OSX development.

I want to get my head round programming on MAC OSX, particually low level stuff e.g devices connected and stuff.

thanks

 

[static0verdrive]

Sounds like you and I are in the same boat... Maybe once we figure out what we're doing, you can write drivers and I'll write the software! Let's get rich!

Welcome to these forums btw - looks like I beat ya here by a few weeks.

 

[andyw]

Thanks for the welcome.

Just hopes someone pops by and points us in the right direction.

 

[lil]

Depends what you wish to develop but generally you need to install XCode which came on the first disc of your Mac's restore DVDs (the Tiger 10.4 discs) and two books I wholly recommend are:

Kochan - "Programming in Objective C" (Developer's Library/Sams)
Hillegass "Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X" (Addision and Wesley)

Those got me started and found them to be excellent!

It definitely helps if you already know a programming language like C, C++ or PHP.

Vicky

 

[andyw]

Thankyou for the book recomendations.

I am an advanced PHP developer and can program using the OO methodoloy.So i might stand a little chance.

I've just installed XCode and i'm going to have a little play with it to get used to it before i tackle any development.

Whats the difference in coding for universal? do you have to anything special? I'm going to install the universal package in bit.

Does anyone any good sites to get you started with fairly low level stuff?

Thanks

Andy

 

[static0verdrive]

Hey Andy - how did you install Xcode? Did you have to install something else (third-party like Pacifist) or did you format/start-over and select it? I am hoping to avoid having to install something else such as Pacifist to get to it...

 

[macAttack]

isn't it on a seperate part?

 

[andyw]

I downloaded it from the apple site:
http://developer.apple.com/tools/download/

You need to login to download it, I used my Apple Id and password, e.g if you have bought anything off of the online Apple Store you will have one.

It does come on your Tiger DVD if you have Tiger, and i think its on the second CD for Panther.

Your better off downloading as it is a much higher version, and includes some universal binary stuff.

 

[andyw]

What kind of Programming for the Mac do you do Vicky? What kind of Apps do you develop?

 

[lil]

Not anything major—I'm not a software developer really (more into mty creative work like DTP and Graphics/painting..) bbut I have developed a few little apps to help me at work with my stock control etc.

Cocoa made this nice and easy and since I already knew C/C++, picking up Objective C was not too difficult, though it was a little odd at first.

Vicky

 

[lil]

Oh in case it is not clear

Cocoa—APIs specifically developed for Mac OS X and its predecessor NeXTSTEP/OPENSTEP. Fully object orientated and quite wonderful if different.

Carbon—Originally a compatibility layer between Mac OS 9/Classic apps and Mac OS X, event driven and Mac OS derived.

Vicky