(Part 3) Top products from r/iOSProgramming

You can dive right into Objective C, I was only vaguely familiar with C and I've published a few apps without any problems. However, if you're intent on learning C pick up 'The C Programming Language' (K&R), not only the best C programming book, but one of the best programming books ever written.

Objective C books, I recommend one of the two or both books,
'Programming in Objective C 3rd edition' or
'Objective C: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide'

Both of these books are excellent resources for learning and I keep them close by whenever I have a question.

In terms of learning iOS development. I recommend going into iTunes U and downloading the latest Stanford University iPhone development course. I believe Winter 10 is the newest, follow along those classes and the class website, treat it like a real class, do the homework and all the assignments. There is no text book for the class, but this other book by Big Nerd Ranch, 'iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Way' is totally awesome.

After these classes and books you should have a great foundation for iOS development. Once you feel comfortable with everything and have an app or two under your belt, download Madison Technical College's Advanced iPhone Development course videos from iTunes U and Apple's own WWDC Session Videos.

Each MTC video is about 3 hours, watch them in chunks. The professor, Brad Larson is one of the best iPhone developers out there and in my opinion is one the best contributors to the community, (see his posts on stack overflow).

Lastly, check out www.raywenderlich.com. My personal favorite iPhone development website. It's updated every Monday, Wednesday, Friday with great technical tutorials that are funny and educational.

Best of luck to you and welcome to iOS development :-D.

Hi there!
I can't say much about the iOS part, as I'm a .NET guy, but I've implemented an isometric 2D engine as part of my thesis, so I'll give you my 2cents on this.
I couldn't find an easy solution for it, so I went deep into the topic to understand the rendering and mapping logic of the isometric 'world'.

I used this book as my primary reference:
http://www.amazon.com/Isometric-Programming-DirectX-Development-Software/dp/0761530894
...and it covers everything you need perfectly. Starting from the rendering logic to mouse/screen/game world mapping, different isometric types, everything.

The book is for DirectX and win32, but it was easy to understand the logic and port it to .NET/WPF. It shouldn't be too hard to port it to anything else I think.

Good luck!

I would get a good reference book on objective-c like: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Programming-Objective-C-Automatic-Reference-Developers/dp/0321811909/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367517200&sr=1-5&keywords=ios+programming

Maybe try some Cocos-2d game development (features on Ray's site)?
Also, maybe try creating some utility apps such as the standard shopping / things to do list app to get a good foundation in table views and storing data.

stackoverflow.com is a good FAQ type site with lots of questions on which you may find useful while you are developing.

icodeblog has some good info on, although it's not updated as much as it used to be - http://www.icodeblog.com/category/tutorials/

I've just come across this site (parse) which seems to have some good tutorials with downloadable code https://www.parse.com/tutorials which you might want to look at.

Also tuts+ http://mobile.tutsplus.com/category/tutorials/iphone/

maniacdev http://maniacdev.com/category/ios-developer-tutorial

may be of some use? http://docs.xamarin.com/guides/ios

edumobile http://www.edumobile.org/iphone/

ioscreator http://ioscreator.com

The one you linked might be fairly decent (I haven't read it yet, since it is brand new, but Matt Neuburg has done books in the past which are well done).

You might also consider the Swift Programming:
The Big Nerd Ranch Guide https://www.bignerdranch.com/we-write/swift-programming/ For beginners this is one of the most highly recommended books out there.

And if your looking for something to follow it up with I would recommend The Swift Developers by Erica Sadun https://www.amazon.com/Developers-Cookbook-Content-Program-Library/dp/0134395263 This is a great book once you've got the basics down and really want to refine your Swift skills.

If you already know a couple of languages with C/C++ being one of them, diving into Swift should be pretty straightforward. This is a good Swift intro tutorial:

https://www.raywenderlich.com/115253/swift-2-tutorial-a-quick-start

also
 

The Swift Programming Language by Apple is a must read and an excellent place to start.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-swift-programming-language/id881256329?mt=11

 

Learning iOS is its own thing. There is a lot of good material out there. These are the two books that helped me the most:


2D iOS & tvOS Games by Tutorials. This book and its predecessor are outstanding. I spent a lot of time on stackoverflow and google that could have been saved just starting here.

https://www.raywenderlich.com/store/2d-ios-tvos-games-by-tutorials


Programming iOS 8: Dive Deep Into Views, View Controllers, and Frameworks by Matt Neuburg. iOS 9 is out now, but this is still an excellent book.

http://www.amazon.com/Programming-iOS-Views-Controllers-Frameworks/dp/1491908734/ref=la_B00TW6AB8E_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457813711&sr=1-1

I would say you'll see much better performance improvements from RAM than a faster processor. Even if you just take the difference between the upgrades: an i5 to i7 could maybe be a 10–20% performance gain, whereas 8gb to 16gb of RAM is a 200% increase. Plus I think RAM is much more important for most real-world situations than processor speed. Processor speed would be most noticed during compiling.

Side note, for the love of god do not get a (non-Pro) Macbook. You will regret it. They're incredibly slow, and they only have one port.


You're essentially comparing two different generations of computer. The MBPs 2015 and earlier have a wider variety of ports, better keyboards, but no USB C, a display that's not as good, and a slower SSD. MBPs 2016 and later have only USB C ports (meaning you need dongles for any real-world usage), worse keyboards that are prone to expensive failures, a beautiful and bright display, and a super fast SSD.


To answer your questions about MBPs:

1. No, essentially nothing is upgradable (internally). Don't count on being able to upgrade the internal SSD—it's soldered to the logic board.
   
2. Yup. Those and SSD speed, and MBPs have very fast SSDs built into them, especially 2016 or later models.
   
3. Yup. Just know that you'll need a docking station, or a bunch of dongles, if you want to connect monitors and other peripherals to a 2016 or later MBP. They switched to all USB-C in that year, which means you can't just plug an HDMI display or a USB keyboard into them. I use this dodocool dongle, which works fairly well, allowing me to connect a 1080p display via HDMI, power over USB C, keyboard on USB A.
   
4. Nope. No upgrades here. And I would recommend not going for a "fusion drive", which is what they call a HD with a small amount of SSD storage built in. I have heard nothing good about them. Go all-SSD if you can.

Swift:

• The Swift programming Language https://swift.org/documentation/TheSwiftProgrammingLanguage(Swift3.1).epub
  
• Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide https://www.bignerdranch.com/books/swift-programming/
  
• iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide https://www.bignerdranch.com/books/ios-programming/
  
• Advanced Swift https://www.objc.io/books/advanced-swift/
  
• Functional Swift https://www.objc.io/books/functional-swift/
  
  
  Objective-C
  
  
• Objective-C Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide https://www.bignerdranch.com/books/objective-c-programming/
  
• Learning Objective-C 2.0 https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Objective-C-2-0-Hands-Developers/dp/0321711386
  
• Effective Objective-C 2.0 Effective Objective-C 2.0: 52 Specific Ways to Improve ... - Amazon.com
  
• Programming in Objective-C https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Objective-C-6th-Developers-Library/dp/0321967607
  
• Programming with Objective-C https://developer.apple.com/library/prerelease/content/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/ProgrammingWithObjectiveC/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40011210

I spent a lot of time learning specific architectures and patterns that were in common usage when I first started, but the specific patterns in vogue are constantly changing. I'd recommend reading all 3 of these books at some point earlier in your career, I think a lot of the popular software design practices are based on the foundation of ideas in here and if you read them you will start to naturally make the right choices when it comes to organizing your code.

https://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-journey-mastery-Anniversary/dp/0135957052/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0/142-3028760-3243861?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0135957052&pd_rd_r=8877e123-b48f-4ce7-9e92-fec38cbeb54f&pd_rd_w=CdI3a&pd_rd_wg=arKVG&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=9JQWC8NFNAY0GN7FAN9D&psc=1&refRID=9JQWC8NFNAY0GN7FAN9D

https://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Construction/dp/0735619670/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_2/142-3028760-3243861?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0735619670&pd_rd_r=8877e123-b48f-4ce7-9e92-fec38cbeb54f&pd_rd_w=CdI3a&pd_rd_wg=arKVG&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=9JQWC8NFNAY0GN7FAN9D&psc=1&refRID=9JQWC8NFNAY0GN7FAN9D

https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship/dp/0132350882/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_1/142-3028760-3243861?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0132350882&pd_rd_r=8877e123-b48f-4ce7-9e92-fec38cbeb54f&pd_rd_w=CdI3a&pd_rd_wg=arKVG&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=9JQWC8NFNAY0GN7FAN9D&psc=1&refRID=9JQWC8NFNAY0GN7FAN9D

The iOS 7 variant would probably be more helpful: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Application-Development-Hours-Teach-Yourself/dp/0672337061/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

A guide for iOS 7 is still applicable to 8, so shop around for iOS 7 books. Although, I'd make the case that there are more than enough free resources online to learn.

You should read Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers. It's a fantastic book and will help you avoid the classic mistakes.

When I was starting this book helped me the most.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0596527225

It's a really good read.

A lot of people have had success with the book I write for the company I work for:

iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide (6th edition)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0134682335/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XL35Ab39GGVNW

We also have a Swift book:

Swift Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide (2nd Edition)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/013461061X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NM35AbQ45T962

If you have questions about either, let me know.

I've only begun learning iOS and Objective-C, with very little previous coding experience (some work with Visual Basic in high school...Har har). I'm using The Big Nerd Ranch Guide to iPhone Programming and Programming in Objective-C 2.0. Both come pretty highly recommended, and are even suggested for beginners, though both seem geared towards those with some previous coding experience. Either way I haven't had too much trouble yet, so I imagine someone with expertise in another language shouldn't have issues with these books.

I actually learned from this book
http://www.amazon.com/Yourself-iPhone-Application-Development-Edition/dp/0672332205

Its really straight forward and walks you through the basic concepts with tutorials and example projects for each "hour". By the end you'll have enough knowledge to have an app on the store (and a hunger to learn more!)

Chris Adamson's book is the place to look, but I think it needs an update. You can find him at https://twitter.com/invalidname

Mastering iOS Frameworks is coming out soon and will be in Cocoa, http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-iOS-Frameworks-Developers-Library/dp/0134052498/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1425439024&sr=1-1&keywords=mastering+ios+frameworks

Do you already know a programming language? If so then O'Reilly's pocket reference for an overview then either the Apple docs or BNR for depth.

I didn't look through your code.

Just some general advice: Don't force design patterns into your app. Design patterns are solutions to common problems. You should just be familiar with them to recognize when you're trying to solve a common problem.

You should read this:
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427141980&sr=8-1&keywords=design+patterns

By the way, a new book on Cocos2d was just released. My copy arrives today. Remind me, and I'll post observations after I've had a chance to work with it.

Third-party documentation is a win in cocos2d's column, but I hate to let that be the deciding factor, because it often boils down to "I'm using this because everybody else is using it."

Book recommendation: Debugging: The 9 Indispensable Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems


Swift anecdote: I had a crash that only affected 32bit devices, because the code used Int, but ran out of bits in rare cases. The original code assumed that it was a int64. Changing the type from Int to Int64 fixed the problem. It was difficult to debug since the original bug report mentioned no device type, nor specific numbers that was causing problems. Gathering much more data helped identifying the problem.

Tell us more about your setup.