iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide (2nd Edition) (Big Nerd Ranch

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Product Details

Paperback: 590 pages
Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 2 edition (July 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0321773772
ISBN-13: 978-0321773777
Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

By : Joe Conway
Price : $26.24
You Save : $23.75 (48%)

Customer Reviews

The first edition of this book was already superb.
One of the very few programming books that are both easy to read, have interesting, fun and useful exercises, and lead one to understand not only the language and frameworks, but also the underlying reasoning and concepts.
Maybe the best programming book I've ever read. I just bought the second edition, even though I don't really need it anymore: I've finished the first book and know how to solve my problems in objective-c, where to find further information, and what questions to ask. But I wanted it as an eBook, I was curious how much has changed, and I wanted to show my gratitude.
If you're wondering whether to buy it as an ebook or on paper, I'd suggest the paper edition. I think it has better layout, and the index is good enough that you don't really need the search feature an ebook provides.
Note: This book is much more suited for working through from the beginning than just looking stuff up. Do yourself a favor, start at the beginning, and do the quick exercises, even if you've already hacked together your first "Hello World" in Objective-C. There is a lot of very useful background information you'd otherwise miss, that will make your life much easier later on.
NOTE: iOS 5 is due to be released in the fall (or so). Some may think they should wait and then get books about iOS 5, because this one might be obsolete by then. Let me tell you, don't bother waiting. All the information in this book is still going to be helpful (even the stuff on retain and release; it's good to know a little background), and this book will prepare you to deal with the new stuff in iOS 5 on your own.
Do yourself a favor and get this book before you burn your fingers on other ones.
(Sorry for my english; I'm not a native speaker)

I have purchased a many books on iOS programming and can say that this book is the top of the heap. I have both the first and second edition; the expanded coverage in this book places it well above other publications. This book uses the latest development environment Xcode 4 and is allows readers to create complete applications as well as providing explanations of concepts and theory.
Although there are many tutorials available online, these resources provide minimal explanations on how the code actually works. This book provides clear and concise examples and explanations of how the code actually works. It will prepare you to write your own applications.
The authors support their publications by providing forums for readers to ask questions and the authors are actively involved in providing answers. It shows their level of commitment and involvement in helping developers master the content.
I feel I hit the jackpot by reading this book and look forward to other publications by the Big Nerd Ranch.