
Learn iOS development by building apps - johnfig
http://iosacademy.io
======
morbius
There is so much misinformation here. I hate to rag on a Show HN, but stuff
like this

    
    
      > Setup your computer to code like a pro. The freshest 
      > developers have the best configured computers
    

just rubs me the wrong way. Being a computer scientist or programmer isn't
"fresh." It's a time-consuming intellectual pursuit that involves complex
mathematics and problem-solving abilities. It involves finding elegant
solutions to difficult problems by applying proofs, theorems, and algorithms
to stupid quirks that arise from the stupidly flawed design of computers and
software.

It is NOT, and has NEVER been about cash-grabs or money-making. Let me
reiterate this one more time:

0\. You don't need a good computer to be a good programmer, just a good mind

1\. You don't need Git to be a good programmer, just a good mind

2\. You don't need Agile, Team-driven or other corporate development BS to be
a good programmer, just a good mind

3\. You don't need to use object-oriented programming to be a good programmer,
just a good mind (I prefer functional paradigms, but that's just me)

4\. You don't need to make your program look like other programs, just a good
mind (and a good sense of UI design knowledge doesn't hurt either)

If you apply the type of cash-grab thinking that's promulgated here to your
development methodology, you will miss out on the tiny details that are oh-so-
important to good code and good engineering design. This website misses the
same points as Code.org and other misleading sites, that somehow "coding"
should be a goal. As if calling methods will somehow teach you something...
pfeh. What we SHOULD be teaching programmers is elegance and simplicity.

I think someone else on here has said this already, but you also fail to
mention why you're qualified to teach your course. What are your credentials?
How do we know that you follow established programming principles and design?

Needs a lot more work to be a reliable source. Again, I hate to say it on a
Show HN, but I sincerely think that you can do better a second time around.

~~~
johnfig
Morbius,

I appreciate the feedback. I am currently launching this as a beta which is
why it is free to begin with. I have amended the line that you didn't like and
the feedback loop is extremely important as this will be a highly iterative
process.

This is just the beginning and more features will be built every day, but I
would rather get feedback sooner rather than later on how I can make it a
better process for students in the future.

Thank you,

John

------
coralreef
"The freshest developers have the best configured computers"

Eh, not sure why but this line made me question your credibility.

~~~
EC1
It made you question his credibility, but don't know why? Why?

It's true though. Every developer I know has meticulously crafted their PC for
the easiest use. Nobody I know runs stock anything.

~~~
morbius
I think it's because the author of the site places that as an extremely high
priority, when configuring your OS is actually something that depends
completely on the individual's tastes and preferences.

~~~
fit2rule
Use of word 'best', which is a trigger word?

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sharp11
Don't require a signup just to find out how you approach teaching. Also, nice
landing page but you don't explain why you're qualified to teach.

------
fra
Unclear to me that the instructor is at all qualified to write an iOS app, let
alone teach others how to do it.

------
kawsper
> Test Driven Development

Is this common on iOS?

I talked with someone, and he said his experience were that specs was rarely
done by iOS developers. He said it wasn't a tooling issue, but more a
community issue.

~~~
gurkendoktor
I don't think it's a community thing. I would absolutely use tests if I was
writing any interesting, algorithmic code. Compilers, data structures,
pathfinding, whatever. But most iOS apps are one half glue code that interacts
with a JSON backend, and one half GUI code. Neither half is fun to test. And
from my experience with coders who insist on tests, they never catch the
interesting bugs anyway - session expiry in the wrong screen, animations that
break if you interact with them too fast, using APIs that are not available on
$(previous iOS), etc.

~~~
johnfig
Unit Tests are becoming more popular in iOS as the Rails community strengthens
and influences other developers, but I agree there are some aspects in which
integration tests using something like KIF can be far more valuable in making
sure that the code is working as intended.

~~~
cgh
Unit testing is not exclusive to Rails nor are its origins with the Rails
community. JUnit (Java) was written in the '90s by Kent Beck of Smalltalk fame
and still figures prominently in the Java community today.

------
sciguy77
> iOS developers earn over $120,000 a year, and the market is growing.

Wait, what? Do you mean "can earn" or "on average earn?" The wording implies
that after taking the course you will be earning $120,000/year, which doesn't
seem terribly likely.

Sorry to be nit-picky, these wording issues are very easy to fix. Overall a
neat looking project, consider showing more about what apps are built and how
on the front page. Best of luck.

~~~
robbyking
And iOS programming bootcamp graduates are infamous for landing jobs doing
basic project maintenance for half that salary. Not that there's anything
wrote with that, it's just the vast majority of employers seeking iOS devs
@$120k/yr want candidates with successful apps on the appstore.

------
aspHax0
Damnit I'm too late. It looks really cool, and I've dabbled with Android -
this looked like the perfect tool to get started on iOS with.

When do you plan on expanding to more users?

------
sferoze
How advanced do you go? Can you tailor the course for people who have limited
experience programming in iOS and want to learn more?

~~~
johnfig
Absolutely! We start at the very beginning with showing you how to setup your
computer through (iosinstall.com) and then go on to build 2 applications
including a calculator. After that we will be building real world popular
applications in an easy to follow video tutorial format! I was in your shoes 2
years ago and the best way to start is to jump in headfirst and just go for
it, and this is a great starting point.

Best,

John

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ryanolsonx
Looks cool. Though, when I tried to sign up I was told that the beta was
closed.... hm.

~~~
johnfig
Hey Ryan,

Our beta launch was going to be for 100 users and I did not expect it to get
on the first page of HN and be closed out so quickly. Feel free to PM me at
john@iosacademy.io and I can help you sign up.

Best,

John

------
coltr
Cool. You may have some tough competition with Treehouse.

