Big Nerd Ranch front page

Testimonials

As we prepared to port an application to Mac OS X, the risk involved became obvious. If we were not able to complete the transition in a timely manner, a significant amount of time and money would be lost. To mitigate the risk, we decided to invest in the very best Cocoa training we could find.

Because of Aaron Hillegass's willingness to tailor the course, and the Big Nerd Ranch's reputation for experience and effectiveness, we decided that they offered the best possible training for our team. We ran the entire group through a week-long class tailored to our situation and a second week of mentoring.

At the end of the training session our engineers had a clear understanding of Cocoa and Mac OS X, and by the end of the mentoring, large chunks of our application were running on Mac OS X. And Aaron was able to answer questions about topics outside the course like how to best integrate existing C++ code into a Cocoa application.

If you have an application that must be moved to Mac OS X, I strongly recommend Big Nerd Ranch's Extreme Mentoring Program.

Big Nerd Ranch's Programming Mac OS X with Cocoa class is an outstanding intensive survey of Cocoa tools and techniques, expertly organized and presented by Aaron Hillegass. The class offers both a clear overview of Cocoa fundamentals, and hands-on experience with a wide range of developer techniques and topics. Aaron Hillegass packs an amazing amount of material into the class.

Since returning from the class, I've been able to apply the class's concepts and techniques to numerous programming projects. And I've made extensive use of the class reference materials on the job.

When we made the decision to port our vertical apps to Mac OS X, we were excited but nervous. The incredible power of Cocoa lay before us, but none of us had the knowledge to begin this exciting task. Then we found our Rosetta stone in Aaron Hillegass's Cocoa Programming for Mac OS X. Wow! The explanations were clear as the book walked us through cleverly-crafted exercises. We'd made a short list of things we had to learn, and the book covered every one of them.

"Aha! So that's how you do that!" we cheered. There wasn't anything in the book we didn't need, and nothing missing from what we wanted. From everyone at Cogent Design, thank you, Aaron.

At Toon Boom, we believe that Cocoa is the future of application development for the Mac. We decided that this technology was important enough that all our programmers should have a deep understanding of it. To help us reach this level of proficiency, we had the Big Nerd Ranch teach a class at our office in Montreal.

A class like this could have been a terrible waste of our engineers' time and our company's money, but everyone who attended agrees that it was a tremendously effective. Aaron was knowledgeable, articulate, and patient. He tailored the class to our needs, and put special emphasis on several topics that are crucial to our success. His experience made all the difference.

There is simply no quicker or more cost-effective way to make a team effective with the Cocoa tools and libraries.

ImageLinks Inc., a spinoff from Harris Corporation, develops image processing applications for Linux and Solaris, and we have never before had an interest in the Macintosh. However, as the Chief Technical Officer, it is my job to have a vision of the future and how it will affect our company. I would be foolish to ignore Cocoa and Mac OS X; they are going to make us radically more effective at shipping full-featured applications to our users.

After deciding that I needed to learn to Cocoa, I went to the Big Nerd Ranch for training. Aaron Hillegass was the ultimate combination of experienced, patient, and articulate. Because the transportation, food, and lodging were taken care of, I was free to concentrate on mastering the technology. I can not imagine a more effective format for technical training.

In software production, time is money. The Big Nerd Ranch is worth every cent and every minute you're there. We learned how to write native Cocoa applications, were given top notch materials (which I still refer to), and had knowledgeable explanations of the tools and techniques.

The real payoff is after class: when the class day is done, you can work your OWN apps, and Aaron (and your classmates) will help you. You quickly learn by doing.

Aaron Hillegass is not a 'talking head'. With 10 years of experience as a NeXTSTEP, OpenStep, and Cocoa engineer, he can give you clear and confident answers to your questions. He is an eloquent speaker and a heck of a nice guy.