How to Become an iPhone Developer
Posted on | July 17, 2010 | 1 Comment
Lately a lot of people have been asking me:
How did you get started doing iPhone development?
And:
What are some good iPhone dev resources to get started?
So here are the answers to those questions and other iPhone dev FAQs in a nice tidy blog post that I can point to instead of repeating myself and sending out redundant email. If you are thinking of going down the iPhone dev road and have a question I didn’t answer in this post feel free to leave it in the comments or email me: sue [at] roadschooled.com
How did you get started doing iPhone development?
It was pretty random and unplanned. My phone crapped out about a year ago so I went to the Apple store in Palo Alto and bought a new phone. After playing with it for a few hours I thought it was cool so I decided I was going to teach myself how to make iPhone apps.
What kind of coding background did you have?
Very little that was useful. I knew a little self-taught HTML and CSS from doing websites and that is about it. I knew no Objective C or Cocoa Touch.
Do you have a degree in computer science?
No. I have a BS in Chemistry with a minor in Biology. All of my computer skills are self-taught.
How did you teach yourself to code?
I used a combination of books and online resources. A few of the resources I found helpful:
Great place to start. There is a ton of info on getting started, sample code, and advanced topic info for down the road. Sign up for the developer program for free and download the SDK. If you decide you want to build and publish an app there is a $100 developer fee.
Stanford iPhone App Dev Online Course – CS 193P
Download the lectures from the class on iTunes. It helps if you know a little Obj C before watching this. Provides a good overview of iPhone dev.
Programming in Objective-C 2.0 (2nd Edition)
Good intro to Objective C. (3rd Edition coming out soon.) Objective C isn’t the easiest to learn if this is your first programming language like it was for me. There is a big learning curve. But if I can do it you can do it. Is it worth all the work to teach yourself to code? That is whole another post in itself.
Beginning iPhone 3 Development: Exploring the iPhone SDK
There are some sample projects to work on to get used to Obj C and XCode. I did a couple sample projects and then just picked elements out of the book that were useful for the app I was building. There are a ton of other iPhone dev books available and I have picked through them at the bookstore while looking for elements I need to add to the app I was working on. So my advice on picking an iPhone dev book is do a couple sample projects to get comfortable. Then start building your app and pick out what you need from each book or from many of the online sources.
A good resource not only for getting started but also when you get stuck while building your apps. Good place for finding workarounds to common dev problems.
Google is your friend. There is a ton of open source code available. Once you know a little Objective C and Cocoa Touch you’ll know what keywords you need to search for to find some tasty code snippets for your app.
This isn’t specifically an iPhone dev resource but it is the best news site on hacking and entrepreneurship.
What is it like to be an indie iPhone developer?
Hmmm… It is a lot of work. And a lot of ups and downs. So pretty much I spend my day looking at this working from home or where ever:
Staring deeply into Xcode and desiring more coffee to stay awake:
And then there is the cool part where I get to test my apps out in the field at national parks:
The photos don’t really capture how much work it is for one person – more than I bargained for when I first started. Which is the perfect segue into saying I need to bring this post to an end and finish the app I’m working on. Peace out.
I have more answers if you have more questions. Leave a comment or email: sue [at] roadschooled.com
You can follow the iPhone dev part of my life on Twitter: @igreenearth
Thanks to All the Dads Out There
Posted on | June 20, 2010 | No Comments
Joshua Tree National Park, CA
I’m setting my Joshua Tree National Park iPhone app to free for Father’s Day. Thanks to all the dads out there who helped foster a love of the outdoors in their kids.
Get your free app here –> iJoshuaTree
Tags: california > igreenearth > ijoshuatree > iphone > iphone app > joshua tree national park > national park iphone apps
The Power of FREE in the App Store
Posted on | March 13, 2010 | No Comments
Yesterday I decided to set my iYellowstone app to “FREE for a limited time”. Less than 24 hours later my app went from nowhere to be found to #32 on the Top 100 Free Travel Apps section in the iTunes app store.
The most exciting thing about all of this is that I can now say that I have an iPhone app that ranks higher than the Sit or Squat: Bathroom Finder app. Even given the option to sit in a public restroom, I’ll go with squat.
Joshua Tree National Park iPhone App
Posted on | January 31, 2010 | No Comments
My first iPhone app is available in the iTunes App Store! A few screen shots of iJoshuaTree:
Check out iJoshuaTree in the app store:
Now all I need to do is 57 more to represent the rest of the National Parks … or 390 more to represent the entire National Park Service system. Add that to my day job, trying to keep up this blog, have a life, etc. It ain’t easy being an indie developer.
Check out my other website (currently under-construction, of course!) for more iPhone apps down the road:
Tags: california > camping > hiking > igreenearth > iphone app > joshua tree national park > maps > national park > wildflowers
Finding Flow in the New Year
Posted on | January 11, 2010 | No Comments
A year ago I celebrated the new year by jumping in a hole in the ice of a frozen lake in Minnesota. The year that followed pretty much mirrored the experience. 2009 was filled with rushes of adrenaline followed by just trying to keep my head above water while swimming to the other side.
I raced around the country, completed my goal of road tripping all the lower 48 states, saved sea turtles while camping on the beach of Padre Island, hiked the Grand Canyon, went flying over the San Juan Islands, and much more that I have not blogged about. While doing all of this the past year I have not lived anywhere for more than two months. Until now.
January 2010 marks my third month of living in Berkeley. The transition from living a nomadic lifestyle to becoming a Californian with no plans of leaving has been difficult to say the least — a bit like struggling to keep my head above water in a frozen lake in Minnesota.
I have finally emerged on the other side – climbed out of the hole in the ice and landed in “sunny” California. And after all of the struggle I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel like a fish out of water and can’t quite find my sea legs.
This year I rang in the new year in Tahoe and managed to capture a couple crappy photos on my iPhone before nearly being trampled by a drunken mob.
In the middle of drunken mob life is totally out of your control. The only way out is to go with the flow and eventually emerge safely on the street.
If the pattern holds and this year mirrors the way I rang in the new year, 2010 will be the year of going with the flow and emerging from the pack. Here’s to letting go and riding the wave in 2010. Surfs up.
Tags: california > minnesota > new years > polar plunge > road trip > tahoe
Life & Times in California
Posted on | December 5, 2009 | No Comments
iPhone Dev @ home in Berkeley CA
I haven’t posted to my blog much lately because I have been spending way too much time sitting in front of my computer teaching myself how to develop iPhone apps. I have a lot to say about the past few months — too much — to the point that I don’t even know where to start.
I have learned a ton in the past few months not only about how to code iPhone apps but also about Silicon Valley, start-ups, and recession economics. And while I was on the road, I met numerous people that were budget traveling because it was cheaper and better for their spirits than paying high rents and getting depressed about not being able to find a job.
I have no plans of hitting the road and moving from California in the foreseeable future. So in the spirit of the recession, I’m going to be sharing on my blog everything I learn about starting up an iPhone dev business and other experiments I have done in the past on location independent sources of income.
And, of course, I’ll still throw in some of my usual travel style posts about what makes California a great place not only to visit but to live, such as:
Exploring the lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore,
hiking with pelicans along the coastal cliffs near Santa Cruz
and imagining a brighter future on a bench along West Cliff in Santa Cruz.
Tags: berkeley > california > iphone > point reyes > recession > santa cruz > starting a business
Speed Road Trip Across America with My Feet
Posted on | October 3, 2009 | 2 Comments
When people ask me if I have any regrets about my travels I don’t really have any. Sure there are things I would have done differently knowing what I know now, but I don’t have regrets. The closest thing I have to a regret is that I wish I would have taken more pictures of my feet.
That may seem like a weird wish but of all the photos I have I get the most compliments on the ones of my feet. So by popular demand here is a speed road trip across America with my feet in pictures:
Kayaking 1 of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes
Olympic National Park in Washington
Kayaking with alligators at Everglades National Park in Florida
Walking along the beach in Naples, Florida
Watching the sunset at the beach in Naples, Florida
Arches National Park in Utah
Camping on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas
I have worn this pair of Keen sandals in 47 states. I love my well worn Keen sandals and couldn't let them go to heaven at Padre Island National Seashore in Texas.
I got my kicks on Route 66 at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona
Taking a break and enjoying the view while hiking the Grand Canyon in Arizona
Foolishly wearing sandals among the cactus at Joshua Tree National Park in California
Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California
Mount Tampais overlooking San Francisco Bay Area in California
Hood River in Oregon
Who hikes 4 miles up Mount Si in Washington wearing Tevas? Sue, that's who.
Kelp beds at Deception Pass State Park in Washington
Looking for whales at Lime Kiln Point State Park - San Juan Island in Washington
Muir Beach in Marin County, California
Out of my tent and off on the next adventure in California.
I wonder where my feet will take me next.
Tags: arizona > california > camping > feet > florida > keen > minnesota > oregon > tevas > texas > utah > washington
Show & Tell: The Big Orange Dot
Posted on | September 22, 2009 | No Comments
Nothing screams tourist like walking around all day with a big orange dot on your chest.
[Note to Self: Remove big orange proof of admission dots immediately upon exiting the museum.]
Location: The Dalles, OR
Feeling Minnesota on the Autumnal Equinox
Posted on | September 22, 2009 | No Comments
Autumn is my favorite season. Or more accurately, autumn was my favorite season growing up in Minnesota. Since then I have lived places that don’t really have seasons other than the rainy and dry season like Florida and California. As much as I love Northern California, today I pine to go hiking in Northern Minnesota in all its autumnal glory. Since I am 2000 miles away I’ll have to settle on a virtual autumnal equinox hike by looking at the photos of a late autumn road trip to St. Croix State Park from yesteryear.
Pictures are nice but I would rather be there. I’m taking the red-eye to Minnesota on Friday to catch a little bit of autumn with family and friends. See ya soon, Minnesota!
10 Year Solo Road Trip Anniversary: 9/9/99 – 09/09/09
Posted on | September 9, 2009 | 3 Comments
Ten years ago today I woke up in a tent by myself for the first time. I turned on the radio to hear the weather forecast and all the DJs were talking about was how all the computers were going to crash because it was 9/9/99. And when the weather was finally broadcast possible flurries and frost were in the forecast.
I would like to write how my first solo road trip in northern Minnesota 10 years ago was one of the best experiences of my life. But in actuality it kind of sucked. It was cold and drizzling, I got up to go to the bathroom in the drizzle twice during the night, and the next morning I woke up feeling exhausted since I hardly slept.
I’m not sure why I continued solo road tripping after that first night. I could have said I wasn’t cut out for it and opted to stay home and watch TV the next time I had some time off and no one wanted to go camping. But I chalked up the unpleasantness to inexperience and tried again.
The second time I went solo camping I was woke up in the middle of the night by raccoons fighting outside my tent. Imagine waking up to sounds like this and this right next to your head. Crank the volume up to the max to get the full effect.
Ah, the joys of camping. Despite those first few rough nights, curiosity and a love of outdoor adventure eventually won out and led me around the entire country solo camping. And while there were plenty more unpleasant nights (some good ones too), the journey as a whole was one of the best experiences of my life.
Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing now if I had given up on solo road tripping because of those first few rough nights ten years ago. Maybe I would be blogging about my favorite TV shows. Regardless, I would definitely be a much different person than I am today.
Today I woke up in a chair at the library at Stanford where I fell asleep teaching myself how to write code for iPhone apps. This whole iPhone developer / entrepreneur adventure is starting out just about as glamorously as my first solo camping adventures. But I’m sticking with it.
I wonder where I’ll wake up ten years from now.
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