Beginning Mac Programming

It’s time for another stop on the Books That I Have Known tour. This time I’d like to highlight a recently released Pragmatic title, Beginning Mac Programming, by Tim Isted.

I am a fan of introductory texts, mainly because I’m often a newcomer to a particular subject myself. There’s a huge need for introductions: it’s important to hone and advance your skills, but it can be daunting to find a place to begin if you’re just starting out. And beginner books are not easy to write: the author has to really consider what it was like to learn the topic, and find a balance between giving the reader what they need and inundating them in useful but overwhelming details.

Everyone’s a beginner sometime. There can be a certain degree of embarrassment about it: you sort of feel like you’re on your own, and it’s hard to ask questions of people who clearly know what they’re doing and don’t seem like they want to be bothered. I had a karate teacher (yes, I know, I’m a dork) who used to say when he visited other schools he would always wear a white belt, although he’d been teaching various martial arts for years. I like to think that his purpose was not to fool people into underestimating him so he could kick them in the head. The point is that no matter how skilled you are, it’s important to remember what it’s like to be new, to be a beginner.

Read more: Editor's Field Journal

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