Re: Guidance for Cocoa's steep learning curve

FROM : Ricky Sharp
DATE : Thu May 15 04:26:26 2008

On May 14, 2008, at 8:19 PM, Erik Buck wrote:

<very useful language-based analysis snipped>


I would just like to add the following:

(1) It also depends upon prior framework experience as to how easy or 
difficult it will be to dive into Cocoa.  I learned event-driven 
programming very early and had the advantage of either using or 
authoring ten other frameworks prior to using Cocoa.

For me, Cocoa was just another new framework to learn.  I thus had 
experience in ramping up to frameworks and found the transition quite 
easy.

> === If you are primarily an experienced C++ programmer (In my 
> experience you will have the hardest time)



(2) I will have to personally disagree with this.  I found the 
transition from C++ to Obj-C to again be easy.  I also chose to go 
pure Obj-C rather than mix in existing C++ classes.  This was a 
personal choice and by no means would I recommend this path for 
everyone; mixing in C++ is often the right thing to do.

I will agree though that you have to throw certain C++ mindsets out 
the window.  But, as with any new language/framework, there are always 
different philosophies of what one should/shouldn't do.

FYI, my personal path of languages has been: AppleSoft and other forms 
of BASIC; Assembly (mostly 6502); Pascal; C; C with objects*; C++; 
Java; Obj-C.  Along the way, dabbled a tiny bit in Scheme, ADA, 
Smalltalk and Prograf.

* I purchased the follow-on product to Think C which sometimes 
referred to as "C+".  It had a very small set of keywords added to 
provide developers with basic OO support.

___________________________________________________________
Ricky A. Sharp        mailto:<email_removed>
Instant Interactive(tm)  http://www.instantinteractive.com