Objective-C References

Objective-C is easy to learn, especially if you already know C. Objective-C is a superset of C that adds a thin layer of object-oriented features. Those features allow us to define classes with instance and class methods that look a lot like methods in Ruby, but these methods are fast because they are written in C. And unlike Java and C++, we don’t need a shelf-full of books to use as a reference.

Books

Here are the three most important books for an Objective-C programmer to own.

• If you are comfortable with C, then just invest ten dollars in Andrew Duncan’s Objective-C Pocket Reference. You can read it in an afternoon, and it contains all the Objective-C you’ll need to know to use Nu.

• If you want some help with C as well, then I recommend Stephen Kochan’s Programming in Objective-C. Experienced C programmers may find it a bit verbose, but it is comprehensive and accurate.

• The definitive Objective-C compiler is gcc, and William von Hagen’s Definitive Guide to GCC is an excellent resource for answering in-depth questions about compiling Objective-C programs.

Online

• Apple’s Introduction to the Objective-C Programming Language.

• Graham Lee’s comp.lang.objective-C FAQ.