Why choose Xamarin?
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Why choose Xamarin?
1–10 of 68 posts
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#2How does Xamarin compare to a more open (and free) solution like MonoCross?
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#3I realize that the difference of $700 could be made up in improved development performance but I really, really wish they'd allow VS support for the indie license. It's not a case of saving more it's a risk/reward thing for me. I can see the possible value but, without being able to pick it up quickly in an environment I know I can't justify either spending an extra $700 or picking up another IDE/workspace along with the curve of mobile dev and setups for the different devices. Though I understand the cost, it provides tremendous value and you can't just give that away for free.
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#4I realize that the difference of $700 could be made up in improved development performance but I really, really wish they'd allow VS support for the indie license. It's not a case of saving more it's a risk/reward thing for me. I can see the possible value but, without being able to pick it up quickly in an environment I know I can't justify either spending an extra $700 or picking up another IDE/workspace along with…
Have you ever tried Xamarin Studio? It's not as good as Visual Studio but it's a very decent IDE. I'm currently using it instead Visual Studio.
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#5How does Xamarin compare to a more open (and free) solution like MonoCross?
It's the better choice for a number of reasons when the scale of the application(s) increases a lot. It's a premium product that comes loaded with features you need when you're building something at a scale larger than independently developing a single application.
But I think the main differences you'll find, irrespective of scale, are a powerful designer/storyboard tool, Visual Studio integration, and the kind of support you'd expect to find from a paid product.
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#6How does Xamarin compare to a more open (and free) solution like MonoCross?
Unless I'm mistaken, MonoCross isn't a replacement for Xamarin (formerly Monotouch and Monodroid). It's a layer on top that abstracts the platforms differences. You'd still need a Xamarin.iOS and/or Xamarin.Android license to use it.
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#7Why not choose C++/Qt/QML?
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#8How does Xamarin compare to a more open (and free) solution like MonoCross?
You can't really compare them. MonoCross is a crossplat MVC framework that you use on top of Xamarin's Monotouch/droid/etc. to increase your shared code. Xamarin allows you to write about the same code for multiple platforms, but it doesn't make it easier to share the same exact code. E.g http://components.xamarin.com/view/xamarin.mobile
The code looks similar across platforms, but it's not exactly, the same - you can't make one change and have it carry across to all platforms. Monocross brings you closer to a write-once for all platforms experience.
A better comparison is Monocross v.s. MvvmCross
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#9I realize that the difference of $700 could be made up in improved development performance but I really, really wish they'd allow VS support for the indie license. It's not a case of saving more it's a risk/reward thing for me. I can see the possible value but, without being able to pick it up quickly in an environment I know I can't justify either spending an extra $700 or picking up another IDE/workspace along with…
It's clear to me that Xamarin is trying to get everyone to pay right now. The free license won't even allow you to build the Xamarin.Forms demo, and Forms is one of the most significant new features they added. Cross platform apps with a common UI and codebase, no more separate views for each platform, and data binding! I think they're scaring off small developers by requiring the several hundred dollar investment to use Xamarin, even if it is a great product.
Where I work, we chose Xamarin over PhoneGap/Cordova.
Re: Why choose Xamarin?
#10I realize that the difference of $700 could be made up in improved development performance but I really, really wish they'd allow VS support for the indie license. It's not a case of saving more it's a risk/reward thing for me. I can see the possible value but, without being able to pick it up quickly in an environment I know I can't justify either spending an extra $700 or picking up another IDE/workspace along with…
It's clear to me that Xamarin is trying to get everyone to pay right now. The free license won't even allow you to build the Xamarin.Forms demo, and Forms is one of the most significant new features they added. Cross platform apps with a common UI and codebase, no more separate views for each platform, and data binding! I think they're scaring off small developers by requiring the several hundred dollar investment to…
Totally agree. Prices could be lower and they would have a bigger market share in mobile development.