iOS Total noob to the appleworld... wants to get in ;)

[ryans79]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post here so kindly forgive me if i am posting in the wrong place.

My name is Ryan and I have never used a Mac in my life
but am willing to change!

I am no stranger to programming, I have a little C/Java experience (long time ago) but presently program with PHP/JS with MySql and very familiar with AJAX/XHTML as well as Photoshop.

After reading a lot about the iphone and how its possible to make some $$ if you have some good ideas, i would like to give it a try... but just dont know where to start, even after searching google.
For example i know i need ot get a dev license for 99$ per year and i cant program on windows... so am totally scared if i throw $99 bucks away and time for nothing... not to mention maybe getting a new mac or VMWARE (told ya i've been searching google), doing it via a hackintosh(again google) aslo sounds good but can i then sell any app i make in the app store?

My questions:
How hard do you think it would be to learn to make some apps for the iphone with my above mentioned experience in software creation?

Can i sell apps i make on the app store if i craete it in a hackintosh? or do i totally have to buy a mac?

Do i need to have an iphone? (i dont have one)

Do i haev to code it like a php script or is there some sort of gui to drag and drop buttons and functionality?

Please note i am not looking to be the greatest iphone developer, am just looking to make something as simple as this:
bubbles keep coming up on the screen and you have to touch to burst them... after x seconds, i play a trumpet and show them a video at the same time which shows them which level they have reached.
Thats it, if i can make that i would have the confidence to tackle anything.

(ANY links to reading material would also be most appreciated, but please give me a link to a specific page not the homepage with 25 links...)

Thanks and sorry for my long post, esp since this is my first post

Cheers!
Ryan

 

[macuser1997]

You only need to pay the $99 if you want to test your apps on devices or release, or access the iPhone 3.0 SDK.

You can download the current SDK for free.

 

[BlackWolf]

well, I am in quite a similair situation. little experience in c++/delphi, lots of experience in xhtml/php/mysql. I started developing about a week ago and I am making good progress (I guess)

Apple really provides excellent documentation on cocoa touch on developer.apple.com/iphone/. If you understand the basic concept of programming, so you know how variables, loops, classes, methods, properties etc. work (so you should know PHP5 OOP) than this documentation will still be hard to understand at first, but if you dig in you can learn cocoa touch from it. as a php developer I found cocoa touch to be pretty difficult because it is the perfect opposite of PHP (REALLY strict OOP while PHPs is pretty loose, you have to do your own memory managment, stuff like that) - but it's still possible to learn it from apple's documentation and maybe some tutorial videos you find via google

the important thing is that you get through your first few days, because those were really hard for me. a lot of basic stuff didn't work as I wanted, I had to consult the documentation like every 2 minutes (I still do, btw) and stuff like that.

BUT: If you REALLY want to start coding, get a mac. I can't imagine xcode running well on vmware or stuff like that. You can try, but I guess it won't be much fun.

Also: To just develop your apps you don't need to pay. you can download the SDK for free, develop your apps and test them in the iphone simulator. if your app is good to go and you managed to produce something good, you can still pay the $99 and then publish your app in apple's app store.
I am not sure about this since I am currently not a paying developer, but I think you need an iphone to publish your apps - but other people might give you a more certain answer to that.

PS: like I said, I just started developing myself, but I guess I understand the most basic things now. If you start developing and you get stuck at something you can PM me if you maybe have a question. like I said, the very beginning is the hardest in cocoa touch. once you understood the basic things it becomes a lot easier

 

[ryans79]

Hey!
Thanks for the replies and answering some of my Qs!

Cheers!
R

 

[iphonerain]

Did you start learning dev specifically for the iphone? I've been a programmer for a while but I also stumbled when I first started cocoa touch (not too long ago).

 

[ryans79]

Did you start learning dev specifically for the iphone? I've been a programmer for a while but I also stumbled when I first started cocoa touch (not too long ago).

Hey,

Yep, have a few ideas for a few apps that i think should be an easy starting point as well as my way into the app store.

Any tips/pointers for me?

Cheers!