Can Google j2objc handle and convert JAR binaries?
I want to get started with mobile development (iOS in particular), and while I'm usually good with languages, Objective-C almost scares me. So looking at j2objc (because I already know Java) I think it might fit the bill in terms of what I am looking for.
My question is pretty simple: can the converter properly handle the situation where my source code is referencing, say, Apache Commons code in a binary (bytecode) JAR?
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No, j2objc requires source code (it uses the Eclipse compiler front-end). However, the RoboVM project works from class files.
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J2objc is good for writing business logic only once. If you plan to write an app for Android, iOS and GWT use it. But you always need to write your own code for UI, networking and other platform specific stuff (Camera, Geoloc. Etc.). If you are planning to become a mobile development expert, my advice is to start learning Objective-c right now (I was just like you 2 years ago. I spent time learning Objective-c and this is the only way to become cross-platform mobile geek :-). I started with this book: Programming with Objective-c 2.0 (Stephen G. Cochan). Good luck!
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I am also from a Java background and learned Objective-C myself (and taught it as well).
If you really want to develop mobile apps for iOS, your best bet is to invest in Objective-C learning. J2ObjC is not enough for building iOS apps as it doesn't support UI and isn't stable yet (between alpha and beta quality)
J2ObjC does not provide any sort of platform-independent UI toolkit, nor are there any plans to do so in the future.
Objective-C looks weird at first, especially for people with Java or C / C ++ backgrounds, but once you know about it; you will begin to understand the language.
This is a great course to get you started , and apple provides great resources for learning iOS and Objective-C development.
I highly doubt any language translation tool for example. J2ObjC will be enough to build good iOS apps.
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