Twas a month before Macworld,
and all through my head.
Came visions of Panther,
and books, put to bed.
Yes, folks, it’s been a busy Fall writing/editing season here in MacLand at O’Reilly. Like other publishers, as soon as we knew Panther was on the way, we went into high gear and started plotting the course to update our Mac books and get new ones into the mix.
The first to release on Panther was my own, the Mac OS X Panther Pocket Guide, released only a couple weeks ago. But we didn’t stop with just a simple little book. No, there’s far more in the works, and before year’s end, there will be five new Mac books from O’Reilly waiting for you:
- Published as part of the Apple Developer Connection series, Matt Neuburg’s AppleScript: The Definitive Guide has been in the works, and was tweaked at the last minute to include Panther coverage. This is the first major AppleScript book to be released in years, and in many ways, it demystifies AppleScript like never before. If you’ve been wanting to learn AppleScript, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.
- Mac OS X Unwired, by Tom Negrino and Dori Smith, focuses solely on the wireless side of Mac OS X, covering AirPort wireless networks and Bluetooth.
- Another update to release is Learning Unix for Mac OS X Panther, by Dave Taylor and Brian Jepson. This book is intended for Unix newbies, and is particularly useful for Mac OS 9 converts who are just getting started with Mac OS X and want to learn more about what happens under its Aqua interface.
And finally, two books I can’t wait to see in print:
- Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition, by none other than David Pogue
- Running Mac OS X Panther, by James Duncan Davidson
What would a new release of Mac OS X be like without a new edition of Mac OS X: The Missing Manual? Well, it would be like daytime, but without the Sun. There’s a reason why this book has been the best-selling computer book for the past two years: David explains Mac OS X like nobody else can. You’ll learn more than just the basics with the Missing Manual, and by its end, you’ll be hungry for the next book…
Running Mac OS X Panther takes over where the Missing Manual leaves off. Duncan takes you deep into Mac OS X’s Unix core and shows you how to do things few books barely even scratch the surface of. Here you’ll find extensive coverage on Open Directory, networking and network services, printing with CUPS, working with disks and disk images, and more. The book covers both the GUI and command-line tools, but spends most of its time swimming around the Unix layer.
The first three books are already available, and the last two should be going to the printer shortly, making all of them available by the end of the year, with plenty of time for Macworld San Francisco.
And this is just a taste of what’s to come; there are more updates and new titles releasing in the New Year.
Are there other Mac topics you’d like to see us cover? If so, let me know…
Cocoa developer books
I'm not asking for me. I'm asking for a friend. He only recently got his first Apple, a powerbook 12". Is there any chance of an update to Learning Cocoa with Obj-C in the near future? Something that brings the book up to date with Xcode? If not I can just hold his hand through the differences between ProjBuilder and Xcode. 'Preciate a wink or a nod in either direction.
Cocoa developer books
I was wondering the same thing, I've been looking forward to a new realease...
re: Cocoa developer books
We have been talking about updating Learning Cocoa with Objective-C again (the Jaguar edition came out a wee 13.5 months ago), and certainly hope to.
For now, though, I'd encourage your friend to keep his eye on the Mac DevCenter, or other developer sites like Cocoa DevCentral and the Apple Developer Connection site to keep current.
Cocoa developer books
It'd be nice to have a good Cocoa development book for the true beginners without being lectured and told to go study C before tackling Cocoa. Yes, I know one needs to know the language. But, not everyone has the luxury of giving over 2 years of their life before even daring to approach Cocoa.
book for getting started with xcode
The one book I would really like to see is a book for getting started with xcode. If you are starting to program you need some good worked examples that you can build on. Ever since Hypercard was "steved" There has been a dearth of simple/starting programming environments (and NO real basic and run rev do not even compare to HCs ease of use). Beings I have to learn to use a "proper" programming language I might as well start with Xcode, however, where to start? The documentation is opaque to say the least.
Cocoa developer books
Walk, then run. This isn't a video game where you get what you want in 10 seconds.
book for getting started with xcode
Would coverage of XCode and 'AppleScript Studio' be of help? I used Hypercard stacks/apps more than I developed them, but I remember the language being similar to AppleScript. With AppleScript Studio, you can write fully native Mac OS X applications using AppleScript and Interface Builder.
AppleScript Studio is a bit of a misnomer though. It sounds like it's a separate ApplesScript development tool, but in effect it's some extra pieces for use in XCode and Interface Builder.
Learn C in a week...
The two-volume edition of "C for Dummies" by Dan Gookin is a great place to start your travels...Entertaining to read, easily digestable, and a reliable reference once you have made your way through them. You will have an understanding of C in a matter of weeks, and you can do all of the exercises in XCode/Project Builder with ease...
There are a number of good resources on the web related to setting up "standard tools" in Xcode/PB in order to program simple C apps.
book for getting started with xcode
I know this thread is a couple of months old, but I too would like a simple start to finish xcode book. I'm not new to programming, but I'm new to graphical programming. (I write command line apps and mainframe apps). I did spot this cool sounding class (http://www.macdev.ca/class/class.html) but I'm not going to be heading up to the great north.