Do you think that many Cocoa programmers ship apps that make users happy without knowing a bit more about C?
It's hard to say what people know, but it wouldn't surprise me if at least some popular Cocoa apps were written by people that don't really know how a 'union' works in C.
Do you only recommend that as a part of a learning process, or do you think it can also be applied when someone wants to actually develop commercial applications?
Let me put it this way: I think the best thing you can do for your learning process to is to start writing an app and not worry about whether you're ready or not. When you run into something you don't understand, you'll know it. Then it's time to read more and ask questions.
Or maybe I should say that's what works for me, and what works for many of the people I teach. There's nothing wrong with learning the lower-level mechanics first if you want to, I just don't think it's strictly required.
If you want to add some really unique functionality to your killer app, you cannot always rely on pre-built stuff.
True. But that's step two. Building a working application (even if it's basic) is step one.
Do you believe that programming in Cocoa is just a small step beyond being a power user?
No, it's a leap.
My point, though, is that you don't need to understand all the details of how malloc() works to build a simple text editor or image viewer. Do that first and see if it interests you. Reading K&R doesn't do much to help you understand if you'll enjoy Cocoa programming.
by Scott Stevenson — Oct 25
It's hard to say what people know, but it wouldn't surprise me if at least some popular Cocoa apps were written by people that don't really know how a 'union' works in C.
Do you only recommend that as a part of a learning process, or do you think it can also be applied when someone wants to actually develop commercial applications?
Let me put it this way: I think the best thing you can do for your learning process to is to start writing an app and not worry about whether you're ready or not. When you run into something you don't understand, you'll know it. Then it's time to read more and ask questions.
Or maybe I should say that's what works for me, and what works for many of the people I teach. There's nothing wrong with learning the lower-level mechanics first if you want to, I just don't think it's strictly required.
If you want to add some really unique functionality to your killer app, you cannot always rely on pre-built stuff.
True. But that's step two. Building a working application (even if it's basic) is step one.
Do you believe that programming in Cocoa is just a small step beyond being a power user?
No, it's a leap.
My point, though, is that you don't need to understand all the details of how malloc() works to build a simple text editor or image viewer. Do that first and see if it interests you. Reading K&R doesn't do much to help you understand if you'll enjoy Cocoa programming.