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What language to learn

If i were to study a programming language to make applications that could be compiled and used on both Mac and microsoft platforms, what language would be best. And could you lead me in the right direction of some helpful books to get me started. I am really interested in either objective-C or C#

thanks krisgold

Alex Curylo

Well, neither of the ones you've picked are good choices for a crossplatform engine, because both are mostly useful with associated runtime libraries that are unsupported on the other's platform. They're fine for doing platform specific user interfaces in, but for actual common code C and C++ are the two languages that you're going to find virtually all crossplatform libraries and frameworks written in. Here's a good list from Amazon for learning them:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse/-/19KPQQABE4QPN/qid=1095120334/sr=5-1/ref=sr_5_1/102-6984231-6395341

What makes more sense though, is find a crossplatform library that you want to use, and then learn whatever language goes best with that. Here's some options:

http://www.trolltech.com/
http://wxwidgets.org/
http://ksoft.net/cp_home.htm
http://sourceforge.net/projects/whisper2/
http://www.matthiasm.com/fltk.html

If you're going to look beyond the C family, then many people find RealBasic a productive choice:

http://www.realbasic.com/

krisgold

ASKER

Thank you for the reference books you have listed, but they seem to be geared torwards some experience already invested. I on the other hand have some experience but would like to learn from the ground up. And how does REALbasic go beyond C. I am currentley using the REALbasic software but I am being instrcted via a tutorial book ("Beginning Mac Programming" by Kevin Spencer and Jeff Thompson).

thanks krisgold

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Alex Curylo

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