Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X

by Aaron Hillegass, Adam Preble

If you do not, our own Objective-C Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide or
Apple's The Objective-C Language offer more gentle introductions. ...

Genres: Programming, Computers, Reference, Technology, Nonfiction, Technical, Software

528 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2001

About the author

Aaron Hillegass was working at NeXT when it was purchased by Apple. He founded Big Nerd Ranch in 2001. He is working on a PhD in Machine Learning at Georgia Tech.

Reviews

[Philip]

Ok lets be clear here. I'm the worlds worst programmer! my brain is not wired to programme, I'm thick as two short planks when it comes to programming. I'm like a dog chasing a cat, I always go back for more punishment!!

Great book, but skips through some of the explainations of how individual lines of code are structured and why. Apples reference docs don't give simple examples of how each call works and I find it confusing as I don't easily see how a call should be used.

Having said that the one great (and frustrating) thing about this book is the challenges at the end of various chapters. Aaron works through development of a small programme across several chapters and then presents you with a challenge at the end of one of the chapters instructing you to construct a similar programme using what you have learnt BUT also using a new call or two.

This is the bit that floors me and I don't allow myself to read any further until I've completed the current challenge.

It may well take me years to finish this book.........oh dear!

[Chibimagic]

This book tried to teach Cocoa, Objective-C, and Xcode at the same time and failed pretty miserably. The book is organized around example programs, not programming concepts, so it's pretty much impossible to go back and skim to find a particular bit of code or concept.

This book teaches you how to read Objective-C, not how to write it. The author encourages you to copy-paste the code a lot or retype it verbatim. Instead of practicing what was just covered, the exercises either have you repeat the example program verbatim or make you figure out things for yourself that haven't been gone over yet. You might as well just read Apple's technical documentation instead.

[Michael]

This is how technical books should be written. If you want to learn Cocoa programming for Mac OS X, I highly recommend this book.

The author does an excellent job of walking the reader through the need-to-know parts of developing Cocoa software on the Mac. His style is very approachable. A breadth of fresh air, a technical book that does NOT read like a cryptic UNIX man page. Hillegass "gets" his audience.

I would not recommend this book to a beginner or non-programmer. A decent understanding of object-oriented programming concepts is a prerequisite. Any seasoned C++ or Java programmer should have no issues with the material.

I would also recommend this book to iPhone developers new to Cocoa. It does an excellent job of filling in the gaps that Apple omits in their iPhone guides and tutorials.

[Laurence Scotford]

A really thorough and highly recommended introduction to programming Cocoa on Mac OS X. What I loved about this book is that almost every technical detail that is discussed is illustrated with simple example applications that can quickly be built and run.

I'd also recommend completing the challenges in the book. Some of them are quite stretching for programmers that are new to Cocoa, but I probably learnt as much again from completing the challenges as I did from following along with examples.

This book is an excellent follow-up to the Big Nerd Ranch guide to Objective C, if you are just starting out as a Mac programmer.

[Frank]

Hillegass is the Petzold of Mac programming. Well written programming book for learning how to code Mac OS apps using Objective-C and Xcode [it helps if you already know C and C++].

A fourth edition was released in 2011 which includes a chapter on iOS, which was new at the time. Probably the biggest omission for today's readers [2020] is that you can now use the Swift language to program Mac apps. Objective-C still works as good as ever, but Swift promises faster development, a more modern syntax, and safer memory management.

[Ergun Coruh]

This is the only book you need to have if you want to learn Mac OS/X, Objective-C Programming. The examples in the book follow XCode 3 but I didn't have much difficulty in adapting them to XCode 4. The flow is engaging, examples are interesting and comprehensive. I found everything I needed for the app I am working on. Thoroughly recommended. 5/5 stars. Note this book covers Mac desktop apps. There is another one from the same author "iPhone Programming The Big Nerd Ranch Guide" that I keep an eye on too, that would be my next book.

[Peter]

My first book on Cocoa and Objective-C programming. Did not cover iOS (then iPhone OS) programming.

Wasn't a beginner book. It assumed some competence on Mac OS usage and culture. Difficult to get through; wasn't a good match to my need at the time (iPhone OS programming).

However, later, as I learned the platform, I came back to this book periodically, to see how it treated some topics. An OK book.

[Sean]

The de-facto standard text for learning Cocoa. It was good and to the point. The subject matter is challenging however so I would only recommend this book to someone who has at least basic experience with the C language and an object oriented language. These are really the prerequisites to picking up this book.

[P]

This book would be great for a beginner in Objective-C and Cocoa, but it won't take you very far. Most of my experience was just re-typing code from the book, which is very helpful when you are not at all familiar with Objective-C or Cocoa.

However, if you are an intermediate or advanced Cocoa programmer this probably won't help very much.

[Alpha]

4.5/5 - A terrific introduction to Cocoa and Objective-C. One of the few programming books which successfully caters to experienced programmers that are new to a specific field. Hillegass dives right into the subject matter, and the book does an especially good job with pacing the examples with infodumps.

[Jeff Menter]

This is really a great book on Cocoa Programming and Xcode. It can be picked up by anyone with just a little programming experience. Coupled with Stephen Kochan's excellent "Programming in Objective C" and you're ready to start making your own Mac OS X applications!

[Mark]

If you want to get into programming on the Mac or the iPhone, this is the first book you should read. Considered by many as the "Cocoa Bible", it leads the reader into the world of Cocoa, Objective-C, and Xcode at a steady, manageable pace.

[Jay]

Not nearly as good as the last Objective C book I worked through. Hillegass isn't thorough enough. Yeah, I understand the virtue in setting challenges for reader/students. But a lot of time is wasted and I'm often in a state of resigned confusion.

Jay

[Pz]

so much clearer than any tutorial on the web. has a tutorial like format but does a good job of explaining the major concepts in developing for mac/iphone (obj c, cocoa, interface builder)

i don't see it as a good reference but its a great book for learning

[Jason Hullinger]

Aaron Hillegass is an excellent tech author who can explain concepts in such a way that it's easy to follow along, while keeping you engaged. If you are learning to program on Mac OS X and are either a ninja Objective-C coder or a novice, this book is a must have.

[Jack Repenning]

The go-to book for Cocoa and Objective C. An extraordinarily rare technical book: works as class, refresher, or reference; highly accessible yet very thorough. Also the best introduction to Objective-C (which is required to work in Cocoa).

[Robert Postill]

I liked this book, it was clear, practical and relevant. However Objective-C and the Mac OS X toolkit is sadly too ugly for me to persist with. I got through the first five chapters or so but stopped once I knew I couldn't take the environment.

[TK Keanini]

Great book.

[Colin]

I like apple computers and this book is a good way to learn cocoa(apple computer programing language)

-Colin L.

[Joey]

Anyone who wants to develop OSX apps in Cocoa should read this.

[Karl]

Meh...covers the material.

[Mitchell Mckenna]

My friend Chris Cunningham from Apple recommended this book as an intro to programming for the Mac Operating System and the iphone. There's no filler, so the book's concise and to the point.

[Rob]

This book was a good resource for me but it reaffirmed my position that I wasn't put on this planet to be a programmer.

[Demian Turner]

An excellent and essential introduction to Cocoa for developers

[Joe P]

Still the book I recommend to folks who want to learn Obj-C and Cocoa programming for MacOS X and iPhone.

[William]

A good introduction to Cocoa and Objective C, especially if you make the effort to go through all the exercises!

[Douglas]

The bible of Cocoa programming.

[Gian Luca]

Buona visione dall'alto di Cocoa e Objective C.
In alcune parti (in particolare Core Data) mi aspettavo qualche approfondimento in più...

[Jeffrey Bakker]

Got the 2nd edition. Was good, but gets dated fast. Snow Leopard has different tricks to get your applications to understand Applescript.

[Laurent]

I read the first edition, and IMHO just because he has been programming for Cocoa since NextStep does not make him a good or interesting author.