Why does XCode have to change so drastically between versions?

Because that's progress. The big changes are between major versions. There were 2.5 years between 2.x and 3.x and more than that between 3.x and 4.x. You're on an unfortunate cusp with 4 having just been released. Books and docs will catch up. Just use 3.x for now if it's a major hindrance. It's still out on the dev site for download.

-Lee

 

With Xcode 4.2 and iOS 5 due for release in Sept or Oct, I expect a lot of third party documentation (which usually focuses on iOS programming rather than Mac Programming, grrr) will see updates in the couple of months, so just hang in there

 

It gets better . . .

I've gone through the same frustrations as OP, and it's made me a better person.

In Xcode 2, you could create Xcode classes (and their files) from IB. But in Xcode 3 they switched it - it took several months to figure out that you created the class files in Xcode, THEN went to IB, created the interface, and hooked everything up. The Xcode 2 tutorials were very frustrating to use when Xcode 3 first came out.

I had less of a bump with Xocde 4 as the philosophy was the same as Xcode 3, only the layout was changed (significantly improved).

The part where this makes you a better person is that using the old tutorials on the new tools forces you to think about WHY they're doing what they're doing.

 

I know this feeling all too well. School has been holding me back for years. October 23 can't come soon enough!

 

How versus Why

To expand on my earlier comment, the differences between versions can be a source of frustration as it changes HOW things are done. But it can be a spur to force you to figure out WHY things are done.

What are the theoretical underpinnings of the system you're looking at (in this case Xcode)? The theory is that there are relationships between graphical elements and code elements. How does Xcode express those relationships? How do you manipulate Xcode and IB to create or modify those relationships?