Filed under: Developer, iPhone
PDF version of iPhone developer's cookbook available
It's a good day to become an iPhone developer: in addition to the screencast we mentioned, someone near and dear to us at TUAW finally got her book out into the wild ... at least the PDF version. Erica Sadun's* "The iPhone Developer's Cookbook" is available as an electronic download from informIT.
If you want to dig in and start developing native iPhone applications with the SDK, this is a great way to start. The paper version is set for release on October 15th, if that's what you're into, but having the code samples in a cut-and-paste-friendly format is far preferable to me. Coupling that with a complete lack of patience, I bought the PDF this morning and am avidly poring over it for new information.
I'm planning a combination tip calculator/grocery list application with several language translation apps and an ebook reader built in ... although I may consider doing a Pinocchio app that lets people know when I'm joking instead.
So, up-and-coming iPhone developers, head on over to informIT for some SDK development goodness.
Editor's Note: Since Erica has moved on from TUAW to her new home at Ars Technica, we no longer have conflict-of-interest concerns about reviewing her books -- but we still love her & wish her all the best.
Update: Code samples are available here!
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
noolvidaremos said 3:25PM on 10-08-2008
soo... is Erica good looking?
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Ed said 3:41PM on 10-08-2008
Hah, not from the picture I saw on another book by her. It was a good book though!
mentalsticks said 5:52PM on 10-08-2008
@Ed: that's rude, you know.
Ed said 3:41PM on 10-08-2008
Well, reviewing books by someone you know, gives you a conflict of interest...
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Mike Eggleston said 3:44PM on 10-08-2008
Have they released when this is going to go into book form?
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Sebastian said 3:56PM on 10-08-2008
Is this a book for real beginners?
How many pages does it have?
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Ian said 3:59PM on 10-08-2008
Aww, Erica left TUAW?
That's too bad! I really liked her content and having a contributer who was such an intimate insider in the iPhone development community was a real boon.
I blame jerks who don't know how to be nice in comments.
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JD said 7:18PM on 10-08-2008
Seconded. I really liked Erica's posts, particularly before the NDA screwed it all up. Sorry to have her gone.
Galley said 4:34PM on 10-08-2008
The dead tree version is only a buck more on Amazon. It's scheduled to be released on January 18, 2009.
http://www.amazon.com/iPhone-Developers-Cookbook-Building-Applications/dp/0321555457/ref=reg_hu-wl_item-added
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Galley said 4:36PM on 10-08-2008
D'oh! Since the NDA was lifted, the publisher has moved up the date to Oct. 15th.
hack said 4:48PM on 10-08-2008
So is this a book on how to write yet another flashlight, todo list, converter application or from an accomplished developer who has created an application with depth?
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Buckingham said 5:28PM on 10-08-2008
Hmm, let's check...
haha, come on be nice.
Kai Cherry said 7:07PM on 10-08-2008
Your ignorance is astounding.
Maybe you should check her resume. While you are at it...let's see yours :)
Moron.
mc.stever said 8:53PM on 10-08-2008
how many iphone apps with depth have you written?
how many iphone sdk books have you written?
give it a rest buddy
Josh said 7:55PM on 10-08-2008
@ hack
AppFlow is one of the few non built in apps I use on a daily basis. It's great for sticking your infrequently used and/or embarrassing apps out of the way. I don't really want to explain to my students why I blew a buck on iBeer when I'm using Evernote to take a picture note. Nor do I want GasHog on my home screen, when I use it every week and a half.
I'm saddened by her departure from this site, and hope it was not because, or even influenced by, the douchebaggery directed at her frequently in the comments.
Brett, please wish her luck and success from the readers who DID enjoy her work.
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Luigi193 said 8:10PM on 10-08-2008
I'm much less furious at Erica then a few months ago, when she seemed so angry and negative. Recently I had really enjoyed her posts!!
Its sad to see her go, and I hope she has a great time with Arse I mean Ars.
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Bob S. said 9:04PM on 10-08-2008
Yes; as a journalist, I remember when the idea of a conflict of interest was taken seriously enough that it didn't just mean not making a quick bit of pocket change off a side project; it meant an ethical line you didn't cross by using your position to promote anything a friend or associate or former coworker did either. And it meant not asking those people to do such for you. Not that TUAW is a journalistic enterprise, of course. But if it were, there'd be two ethical lapses from conflicts of interest here. (I'm assuming TUAW's editors didn't stumble on a cover shot on a torrent site or something, of course. Apologies if they did; that would bring it down to one in that mythical world.)
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Josh said 9:55PM on 10-08-2008
You actually bring up an interesting question on ethics. since this work is so close to the actual scope of the publication (in this case website), I'd say it would be something that should get thrown to the managing editor to decide if it's covered, then given back to him after it's written to check for bias. Given that this is a blog, and al abut personal opinion, the last step would be omitted.
brundlefly76 said 10:28PM on 10-12-2008
When I decided to develop my iPhone app (having never programmed Objective C), I ordered this book, then Amazon let me know it's release date was in limbo.
Today my app is 99% ready for app store submission and the the book comes out on the same day.
Murphys law.
90% of my learning came from the sample code provided by Apple (especially UICatalog), a great article on a blog about how to use sqlite3 in iPhone development, and the online documentation in Xcode
Objective C, Cocoa Touch, and XCode were very easy to learn and work with.
I am actually kind of glad the book didnt come out - I know I got there faster just by jumping in and coding.
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Bakari said 10:28PM on 10-08-2008
I've always enjoyed Erica's writing. Will definitely look her up on Ars.
I also want to check out the iPhone book. Does anyone know if it accessible to beginning developers?
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