When you get stuck on that programming nightmare, wouldn’t it be nice to simply turn to your kind next door neighbor that happens to develop wonderful apps like you and has 10+ years of Objective C programming knowledge that retired just a year ago from Apple Inc. Well since we all don’t have that privilege, we have to turn to the web for help and there is no better way to get help on an issue than from multiple peers in the field without leaving your seat.

So let’s check out some helpful sources for Cocoa developers!

#1 – Linked In Groups

Of course this is not just any old Linked In group -  these particular groups are made just to help Cocoa developers out when in a pickle. The plus is, it’s great to network with your peers and talk about other things besides code…if only we had a life beyond code *sigh*.

Links: iPhoneDevelopers & Cocoa and Cocoa Touch Developers & Cocoa Touch Technical Discussion

#2 – CocoaDev

CocoaDev.com is basically a wiki community by and for Mac OSX developers. It’s a good resource to find examples and solutions based on specific Cocoa documentation.

Link: CocoaDev.com

#3 – Stack Overflow

It’s not Cocoa specific, but when you run into an issue which you probably will, you can get your answers to your specific code issues from your fellow developers around the world. I like Stack Overflow because I typically get ACCURATE answers pretty quickly, plus the different views and point of views truly help.

Link: Stackoverflow.com

4 -#MacDev

This is the IRC channel dedicated to Macintosh development, loaded with a couple hundred people willing and ready to solve your programming nightmare issue. On the EFNet IRC network, when you don’t have time or don’t feel like waiting for answers that are usually solved within forums, it’s super helpful to chat in real time with other Cocoa developers.

Link: http://www.devintosh.com/

#5 -Mac OS X Reference Library

This may be a no-brainer, but this is the reference for everything iPhone, Mac, and iPad – anything Apple related period. This is where you will find documentation, tutorials, sample code and more. Hey, even the long time developer needs to reference the basics sometimes and this is the place to do it.

Link: Mac OS X Reference Library

#6 – Apple – or course silly

Again, this may seem like a no-brainer but it absolutely baffles me how often I forget to use this resource . Assuming you are a registered iPhone or Mac developer this is the place where you will find the latest OS downloads, links to documentation, official Apple developer forums , development tools, and much more.

Also remember, when you pay for an Apple developer account you can get Apple tech support that allows you to send your issues directly to the Apple dev team themselves. As a note, please reserve this for your most desperate times as you are charged for each request.

Make sure to enter iPhone DevCenter, Mac Dev Center, and Safari Center.

Link: http://developer.apple.com

# 7 – Mac-Developer-Network

Here you will find the MDN show podcast as well as training and tutorials for Mac, iPhone, and iPad developers. I love this source as I enjoy listening to Steve Scott and John Fox each week share their wisdom, groans, and pure silliness with the rest of the dev community. You  guys should totally tune in.

Link: Mac-Developer-Network

#8 -FaceBook

Yes, FaceBook is helpful beyond reading the not-so-helpful anecdotes of your friends and viewing their drunk weekend photos, you can actually get help from your fellow dev friends. There is one particular group on here that I’ve been checking out (and for some reason haven’t joined – please don’t ask why) for a while appropriately named Cocoaheads, join and participate in all the fun. Also, you can find other Cocoa groups with a simple FaceBook search, who knew.

Link: CocoaHeads FaceBook Group

#9 – Yahoo Groups

You may not use Yahoo for your search these days, but they have a great group here for developers on any programming level – CocoaHeads NYC (no you don’t have to reside in New York city to join). It’s only about 130 members currently , but seriously how many people do you need to answer one question. Plus, it’s seems super active so this can help.

Link: CocoaHeads NYC

BONUS:

This resource will not help you in a bind (sorry guys), but it has a plethora of outbound links that will. Tons of resources, documentation, and great reads fit for the absolute rookie to the Cocoa pro, check it out!

Link: http://www.cocoadevcentral.com/

Do you guys have a favorite helpful resource or community I didn’t mention? Please let us all know – we all can use as much help as we can get.

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