I looked at the Java Micro Edition, and did some simple programming using a mobile phone emulator. Then I looked at X-Code, but that seemed to require a MacIntosh for development. Is Objective-C the way to go? Also, what is the best 'getting-started' book to use?

Views: 90

Replies to This Discussion

how are you
If you're wanting to write for the App Store, XCode is pretty much it. All of the iPhone libraries are either Objective-C (user interface) with some C level under pinnings.

As far as books go, to be honest I don't believe anything really talks about the current 3.1 OS, so I'm a bit hesitant to recommend anything today. The Apple docs on the dev site aren't too bad.

rob.
Mara said:
how are you
Let's just say I've been better.
I have this error: ".objc_class_name_MCPConnection", referenced from:
If you look at some of the developer agreements, at least one of them specified that the software must be developed on a Mac.

The Mac Mini is the cheapest to buy new, but any Intel-based Mac will do. I recommend against any of the single-core Macs myself.

I've read Zdziarski's "iPhone Forensics" book and it was really good. (Perhaps outdated now.) And its an O'Reilly book. So his other books might also be good.

I've looked through a "cookbook" in the bookstore. It seemed really straight-forward, except that it kept mentioning things that were not in the public API's (Apple's agreements require using only public API's in apps for the App Store.)

Aaron Hillegass and the Big Nerd Ranch have been doing Cocoa training and books for many years. His Cocoa and Mac OS X books are very good. (Objective-C is rolled up in there too.)

Once you have your developer account with Apple, you can access some videos on iPhone programming.

There are some alternative iPhone App generators out there, but they are usually specific to games and such. Apparently Adobe has a Flash-to-iPhone app generator as well. (Turns a flash show into a stand-alone app.)

It is possible to do Objective-C coding with any computer that can run the gcc compiler. I've seen a friend using it to write Objective-C on a Linux box (intending to transfer to a Mac sometime later.) However, that does not include the Cocoa frameworks that ship with the Apple OS's.

XCode does have some very good features for programming on iPhone or Mac. In particular, the code-completion feature makes entering the very-long method names very easy. (Not only do you know there is no typo in the name, but the argument list is completed as well.)
Thanks! I'll start looking at getting a mac and diving into this.
Hi Kevin,
I noticed that, like me, you are getting into iPhone development.

I joined the iPhone Development group and pretty new to iPhone development. I am looking to network with other developers, share my experiences and learn from others. I have been an applications developer for a large corporations in Jax, FL for more than 25 years. I got involved with iPhone development as a fall back due to many layoffs at my company. Fortunately I am still employed and enjoying working with Apple's XCODE SDK.

I just released my first iPhone App, Party Twacker, on December 11, 2009. If you ever get stumped on and iPhone dev issues, feel free to send me a message.

Take Care,
Kevin Collins
I checked out the party Twacker - cool! Sadly, I am not into the bar or even the drinking scene anymore, but if I was I'm sure I'd use it. You can see some of my stuff here:
http://user.gru.net/nemesis/iphoneAppPages/
You have been busy! Six apps already in iTunes. That's impressive. I am not trying to get personal but how has your marketing been going? I am in the process of publishing a Lite Version of my app to try get more interested buyers. With the App Store not having a return policy, people are more reluctant to purchase apps. I am checking out your apps now and they look really cool. Best of Luck with your Apps.
Kevin

Kevin Neelands said:
I checked out the party Twacker - cool! Sadly, I am not into the bar or even the drinking scene anymore, but if I was I'm sure I'd use it. You can see some of my stuff here:
http://user.gru.net/nemesis/iphoneAppPages/
How's marketing going? I'm earning enough to treat myself to delivery pizza once a week. I *think* good reviews help the marketing process, so if you enjoy and of my apps please write one! The picture-kaleidoscope is a rather good fit with party twacker - take a photo of a cute girl, create a a kaleidoscope image of her, and she'll be tickled pink!

RSS

Happy 10th year, JCertif!

Notes

Welcome to Codetown!

Codetown is a social network. It's got blogs, forums, groups, personal pages and more! You might think of Codetown as a funky camper van with lots of compartments for your stuff and a great multimedia system, too! Best of all, Codetown has room for all of your friends.

When you create a profile for yourself you get a personal page automatically. That's where you can be creative and do your own thing. People who want to get to know you will click on your name or picture and…
Continue

Created by Michael Levin Dec 18, 2008 at 6:56pm. Last updated by Michael Levin May 4, 2018.

Looking for Jobs or Staff?

Check out the Codetown Jobs group.

 

Enjoy the site? Support Codetown with your donation.



InfoQ Reading List

LinkedIn Leverages GitHub Actions, CodeQL, and Semgrep for Code Scanning

LinkedIn has rebuilt its static application security testing (SAST) pipeline using GitHub Actions and custom workflows, enabling consistent, enforceable code scanning across thousands of repositories. The redesign improves security coverage, developer workflow, and observability while supporting the company’s shift-left strategy.

By Leela Kumili

Datadog Integrates Google Agent Development Kit into LLM Observability Tools

Datadog recently announced that its LLM Observability platform now provides automatic instrumentation for applications built with Google's Agent Development Kit (ADK), offering deeper visibility into the behavior, performance, cost, and safety of AI-driven agentic systems.

By Craig Risi

Presentation: Expanding Swift from Apps to Services

Cory Benfield discusses the evolution of Swift from an app language to a critical tool for secure, high-scale services. He explains how Swift’s lack of a garbage collector eliminates tail latency and shares how its "zero-cost abstractions" rival C performance. He shares Apple’s roadmap for incremental adoption and demonstrates groundbreaking new interoperability for C++ and Java ecosystems.

By Cory Benfield

MUI Releases Base UI 1 with 35 Accessible Components

Base UI 1.0 has officially launched! This unstyled React component library, backed by MUI, offers 35 accessible components with a commitment to long-term maintenance. With refined APIs and enhanced performance, it empowers developers to create custom designs effortlessly while ensuring robust accessibility out of the box.

By Daniel Curtis

Conductor Quantum Introduces Coda, a Natural Language Interface for Quantum Computing

Conductor Quantum has announced Coda, a natural language interface for running quantum programs on real quantum hardware. The system is positioned as a software layer that translates high-level user intent into executable quantum circuits.

By Robert Krzaczyński

© 2026   Created by Michael Levin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service