To Code, Or Not To Code

I recently decided to make software development a bigger part of iTechCrossroads. Developers are a very important part of the Apple community. Because of Apple’s iOS and Mac App Stores many jobs are created and many bright people have been able to do work they enjoy.

I have always been fascinated by computer programming from my earliest years. I remember programming a Tandy Color Computer 3 with GW-BASIC over two decades ago. When I got my first 21st century Mac, the iBook G4, I discovered that Xcode and it tools are free. At some point I started collecting developer books and learned about CocoaHeads.

I have studied Apple development “on and off” for almost six years. I have even taken some college courses in computer science. The thing about being a programmer is it is a lot like how you learn math. If you don’t practice, you begin to forget things. It gets “rusty”.

Some good news is that I won a free pass to 360|MacDev 2012 from the CocoaHeads SLC group I belong to. This Mac developer conference takes place next month in Denver, a place I have never been. You can expect several posts related to this conference.

I am also studying Aaron Hillegass’ new book Objective-C Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide. This book has become a healthy reminder of past lessons learned and introduces some new ideas I had not discovered yet. I am 18 percent of the way through the book and am glad the author starts with a foundation in the C programming language. It is important to have an understanding of the fundamentals on which Objective-C stands.

You can expect to see more development related posts from me in the future, along with the “normal” ones. Don’t worry, I will take a gentle approach in introducing programming topics. I know not everyone wants to become a programmer when they grow up.

Related posts:

1. Mark Dalrymple Of Big Nerd Ranch Coming To Salt Lake City
2. Mark Dalrymple Developer Interview (Part 1 of 2)