Chapter 9. SDK programming for web developers
This chapter covers
- Rigorous programming languages
- Object-oriented programming languages
- The MVC architectural pattern
We’ve spent the last six chapters talking about how to program great web pages and applications using familiar languages such as HTML, JavaScript, and PHP; brand-new libraries such as the WebKit, iUI, and Canvas; and helpful tools such as Dashcode, Firebug, and Safari. As we discussed in chapter 2, though, web development isn’t the be-all and end-all of iPhone programming. There are some programs that will just be better suited for native programming on the iPhone. Apple provides a development platform for doing this sort of programming called the SDK (software development kit). The SDK includes a set of tools, frameworks, and templates that we’ll meet fully in the next chapter. It also depends on a particular programming language: Objective-C.
If you’ve never worked with Objective-C, don’t panic. This chapter is intended to build on your experiences with web development (which we assume includes some sort of dynamic programming language, such as PHP, Ruby on Rails, Python, or Perl) so that you’ll be prepared to work with Objective-C when you encounter it in the next chapter.