Best way to start IOS programming

[ogletree]

I wanting to get into iOS programming in a big way. My background is IT, Marketing and a little programming. I have more than a basic knowledge of programming. Back in early 90's I took several programming courses in community college (Cobal, Assembly, BASIC, JAVA) Later I took the first C class at University of Houston and got an 'A' then failed data structures because the teacher was very bad and I'm sure being almost blind didn't help. Since then I have done basic stuff in PHP and even cold fusion that I taught myself to fix a shopping cart. I have spent a lot of time looking at the WordPress PHP to fix things for SEO.

From what I can tell I need to learn OOP concepts and Objective C as well as learn all these acronyms I see while reading reviews of books. I don't know if it exists or not but it would be nice to find a book that teaches you all the terminology and concepts that programmers use. I have been around programmers for many years and read a lot of stuff so I know some of them but I'm sure there is a lot I need to learn.

Should I read a basic OOP book first and if so what would be a good book? If not where should I start. I don't want to just make a quick app. I want to be able to eventually have a serious career as a senior iOS developer on a big team.

Also it would help to get some next or parallel steps to start with.

[not2easy]

Warning - I am not a programmer and this is not the answer for all your questions, but I have found the Apple Developer Library to be most helpful in understanding things related to RWD and CSS as applied to iOS devices: [developer.apple.com...]
and there are links there to other related reference sites. You can get the Apple Developer Tools at the App Store, free (last time I looked).

[lucy24]

You can get the Apple Developer Tools at the App Store, free (last time I looked).

If you're on a Mac, start by downloading XCode, currently 7 gigabytes, from developer.apple.com.

You read that right. GIGAbytes.*

And then you proceed to the "Hey, I wish there were an app for {such-and-such}, guess I'll have to design it myself" stage.


* Yes, OK, I re-checked. I was wrong. Six, not seven.

[ogletree]

I have seen xcode mentioned but did not know it was mac only. Is there any way to do that on a PC? I looked at Macs the other day and they cost more than twice what PC's cost not to mention every time I have looked at a mac it made no sense to me.

Also I watched a good video on youtube last night about Object Oriented programming and seems like I already knew that stuff from one of the classes I took a while back.

[lucy24]

I have no idea if there's a non-Mac equivalent to or version of XCode. I just know it's always the first thing Apple Developer tells you to do. (I'm still reeling from the six gigabytes. I just downloaded it a few weeks ago after learning that the version that came with my OS had become uncooperative.)

But let's approach it from the other end. Why do you want to get into iOS programming? What's your current iOS experience, and what gaps do you see that you might be able to fill?

This is essentially the same answer I often give in how-to areas like CSS or Apache: First work out, in English, what you want to do. Then write the code to do that thing.

[ogletree]

I'm looking to change careers. Nobody seems to want to hire a PPC expert anywhere near south Houston. Most places want somebody they can train and pay a tiny amount to. I have been doing PPC for 10 years and have an Adwords certified company. I passed my tests without studying since I know Adwords very well and use every part of it. I used to do SEO and even spoke at PubCon once but I'm just sick of SEO. Nobody wants to do things the right way and nobody has the budget to do things the right way. I refuse to be one of those $500 a month SEO scammers.

I have a little background in programming and after looking at all the paths I could take this seems the most interesting and the best possibility of getting a job. I also plan to make my own apps. I think I can make a nice adwords mangement app.

I have an iphone 6 and 5 and all versions of iPad except the air 2.

I have been to some mobile dev meetups in the past.

Also it seems like more fun than other types of programming.

[not2easy]

On pricing Macs - you can get refurbs from the AppleStore that are good as new (or better) and guaranteed. Or you might consider a Mac Mini that is basically a desktop server and with some dexterity can be upgraded reasonably for more RAM or storage. I got a nice 2009 Mac Mini on eBay that I use for my media center, put SSDs in it and it does a great job. Cost: about $300. The OS update is free at the AppStore so it's running the latest OS. I wouldn't trade it for a new PC that cost twice that. JMHO.

[ogletree]

I saw mac mini's at Best Buy for $479. 2009 mac mini's go for $325 or more. Seems like they hold value real well. The one at Best Buy had 4gb ram and a 1.5ghz I5. Is there any reason I would need anything faster? I don't plan on using it for anything but programming.

Also there are no refurbished mac mini's at the moment at Apple.

[not2easy]

I would not hesitate to buy one on eBay as long as it is an established seller. The 2009 costs more than some newer models because it was the last Mini model with a DVD drive. For most Mac models you can easily add more RAM, I am upgrading my small iMac to to 16GB any day now, it cost under $70 and is simple enough for a DIY install.

Also there are no refurbished mac mini's at the moment at Apple.

It is seasonal, wait a few weeks 'til the Christmas trade-ins are back out there after refurb.

[ogletree]

I just went to best buy website and got the mini. Should have it Wed. I have been watching some videos by Ray Wenderlich about Objective C. I plan to learn the basics of that before I jump into Swift. I plan to make a few simple apps at first then plan to make an app that helps with negative keywords management for adwords.

[not2easy]

I hope the new direction works out well for you, sounds good!