Ok, after two pervious failed attempts at trying to learn C/C++ and Macintosh Toolbox calls at the same time, I decided to stick to the standard library untill I had a good grasp on C/C++ programming.

So, now that that is taken care of and I've got a good grasp on the Lauguage, ways to store and search for data etc. It's time to move onto a GUI.

I'm planning on making a career out of programming so I'd like some input from professional programmers.

I know a fair ammount about Macintosh Programming, Resources, Toolbox routines etc. And I could probably pick up where I left off with it no problem. But I have Two Questions...

1)What is the Demand for macintosh programmers in the workplace? Would it be better to pick up Windows?
I don't really care about demand for Windows Programmers vs. Demand for Mac Programmers so long as I could find a job.

2)If I decide on Macintosh programming, Should I even bother learning toolbox routines that will probably be obsolete a few years after OS X hits the shelves?

Thanks.

I think you could always find a job in mac programming but there may not be as many. who knows, 3-4 years can make a big difference in the market and if you know OS X you could be well positioned. As far as the mac toolbox, it is largely unchanged, you will just be learning carbon compliant toolbox calls anyway and those should be around for a very long time. The calls use the same syntax, Apple has just rewritten them to be re-entrant so that they can be called in the X environment. I think the Mac is a neat platform under X because you have so many options from a programming standpoint. Have fun with it.

d

[Paul Crawford]

Hi Setic,

I generally agree with d-w-g's comments, and I also cannot stress enough that although it's small compared to the corresponding Windows market, there has always been a solid market for Mac programmers, especially in the USA but also around the world. [To convince yourself, just check out the Jobs (no pun intended) sections of major regional and international newspapers, such as the USA's Los Angeles Times' Career Section which allows you to do a multi-country, multi-website search (choose 'All Locations' just below the specially grouped CA locations at the top of the list, and request to find ALL the keywords 'mac programmer'). Also, you could perform a general keyword search (e.g., for 'mac programmer') at major international online job sites such as Monster.com.]

Up until early August of this year, I was living in the USA for several years, first gaining degrees in Computer Science and then working as a computer programmer. Initially, I had started out as a student on the Macintosh, although by the time I left the USA I was more & more involved with other systems (Windows, Unix and mainframe MVS). In other words, it is entirely possible to be a multi-platform programmer. The fundamental techniques (sorting, searching, file-I/O, class-design, etc.) and standard libraries that you learn on one system will invariably help you on another. Core programming skills (and headaches) are essentially the same on all platforms, and it remains only to master the platform-specific subsystems such as the windowing GUIs, interprocess communications, and dynamic link libraries or "code fragments" (and even those have surprisingly more in common than you might expect).

So by all means, go ahead and learn Windows as a supplement to your existing Mac skills. In fact, since you are familiar with the C/C++ standard libraries and with the Mac OS' APIs & event-driven model, I can personally attest to the fact that you already know almost all of what you'll need for a typical Windows project. Apart from certain specialised models (e.g., the file-security and multi-threading complexities of Windows NT and its recent descendants), Windows programming is very similar to Mac OS programming. (And Mac OS X is ironically bringing the two platforms even closer together in terms of having an underlying robust kernel-based architecture.) If you're still worried about major differences between the APIs, see Apple's own An Introduction to Macintosh Programming for Windows Developers online "porting" guide which discusses common tasks in the two systems.

In terms of Mac OS "Classic" versus Mac OS X - Carbon, see the official Carbon Developer Documentation web page for a link to the "Carbon Porting Guide" PDF document which discusses the relatively minimal API differences between the two systems, and see also Technical Note TN 2003 - Moving Your Code to Mac OS X for a more general overview of Mac OS X. [Actually, according to the aforementioned "Carbon Porting Guide", most of the ToolBox's Human-Interface/GUI APIs are apparently still not re-entrant under Mac OS X (unlike the low-level Mac OS X system services), so there's even less of a practical difference for a typical Carbon project.]

And, hey, one more thing... If you ever move out to the West Coast, you could always apply to the mothership itself at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA. ;-)

Regards,

--Paul

[This message has been edited by Paul Crawford (edited 11-06-2000).]

Thanks a lot guys

[Paul Crawford]

Hi again Setic,

There are a couple of other items that you might find interesting...

An additional source of Mac programming jobs is available at MacTech Magazine's Jobs web page.

In terms of Windows programming from a Mac point of view, there is a book from 1995 that's specifically devoted to fast-track Windows development for Mac programmers -- viz., Stephen Chernicoff's From Mac to Windows; this link is to a free online PDF version [so I’m not sure how much longer it will be there]. It is also currently distributed in PDF format as third-party documentation in Metrowerks' affordable development starter-kits for Mac OS and Windows respectively [Discover Programming for Macintosh ($79) and Discover Programming for Windows ($79)], and it even also used to be included in their flagship development suite for each platform [CodeWarrior for Mac OS, Professional Edition ($499) and CodeWarrior for Windows, Professional Edition ($499)]. It may also be available in development packages from other companies.

Regards, and happy programming,

--Paul

[This message has been edited by Paul Crawford (edited 11-11-2000).]