The Long Wait: Can Microsoft Finally Unify Desktop and Mobile Apps?

Microsoft has almost made it to the finish line with .NET 5, their ambitious platform unification project. For the first time since 2016 — when Microsoft introduced .NET Core and created a parallel track for cross-platform development — all .NET applications will be back together under one roof.

Having one .NET is a huge step forward, but it doesn’t necessarily mean a developer’s life will be easy. There are plenty of overlapping technologies under the .NET 5 umbrella. Some old web stalwarts are finally gone — in particular, both ASP.NET MVC and ASP.NET Web Forms are officially dead. But there are still three different, fully supported .NET models for building desktop Windows applications, which Microsoft is slowly trying to unite. Even a hot new technology like Blazor exists in two flavors (a server-side version that uses real-time communication with SignalR, and the more popular client-side version that uses WebAssembly to run C# in the browser).

The problem is particularly bad if you’re searching for the Holy Grail of rich client development: cross-platform UI. Google has Flutter. But what does Microsoft offer developers who want to design an application once, then compile it to run natively on different devices, with no web browser required?

For years the answer was “not much.” But now there’s a new project that might patch the gap, called .NET MAUI. The only catch is that it won’t be ready for .NET 5.

Let’s take a closer look.

The state of the app in .NET 5

Today, if you’re a business developer planning an application with .NET 5, you have a small set of choices. You can choose to build:

• A server-side web application with ASP.NET Razor
• A browser-based application with Blazor
• A Windows desktop application using Windows Forms, WPF, or UWP
• A mobile (iOS and Android) application using Xamarin

There are bridges between some of these options, but for the most part they are non-overlapping magisteria — in other words, you pick an island, and you stay there.

Developing for different platforms in .NET 5

If you choose to create a Razor or Blazor application (the first two options), you have unlimited reach, but you’re trapped in a web browser. There are a couple of early experiments that take Blazor out of the browser and make it look like a traditional desktop application (like Electron does) or link it to Xamarin’s mobile controls for a native UI experience. But as every developer eventually learns — often painfully — experiments aren’t a proper foundation for professional apps.

If you choose the third option (WPF, WinForms, or UWP), your app is limited to the Windows operating system. That’s fine if you need Windows-specific features (you know who you are), but you’ll have zero reach to other platforms.

The fourth option (Xamarin) is more complicated. Xamarin was created outside the company, then bought by Microsoft in 2016. It offers a toolkit called Xamarin.Forms that lets you create apps that run on iOS, Android, and UWP using a single codebase. You program with a high-level abstraction of widgets and features that maps down to native controls and device-specific functionality. But you can see the seams — juggling the franken-project structure is awkward, Visual Studio design support is spotty, and there’s no support for macOS.

(Here’s a quick side note before we move on: There is one more option that works today but isn’t a part of .NET. The open-source Uno Platform lets you write cross-platform apps built in C# and XAML, leveraging Xamarin and WebAssembly. It’s an excellent product. But without Microsoft’s official support it’s likely limited to being a niche project, much like Mono was before Microsoft acquired Xamarin.)

#microsoft #dotnet #csharp #programming #xamarin

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How To Succeed In Mobile App Wireframe Design?

In the world of overrated terms “web development”, a mobile app wireframe design is one of the most underrated terms. The design of wireframes is considered when people look for the bigger picture.

While designing the UI-UX, people forget the simple norm of general to specific shifting. As the complexity increases and so does the approach become more difficult, this is where the designing of the wireframes comes in handy.

Before diving into the “How to”, let’s first see why we need them in the first place.

What are mobile app wireframes?

Wireframes are the skeletal layouts of an application or a website that is being designed. The specificity comes into play, the elements and the features have to be placed at specific locations. Take a building, in the process of making it, first the foundation is laid and then pieces are fitted together from the skeleton structure on a piece of paper, wireframes do the same for the website or application structure such as a smart home application.

The designing of wireframes is commonly known as wireframing. For the construction of a building, the framework or the skeletal structure is important while designing a web application or mobile application, wireframing is important to make it user-friendly. This entirely and solely works to make the journey smooth and destination easy to reach.

As for the building, the layers of cementing and painting is done later to increase the visual appeal, the visual contents and appealing stuff are added after wireframing. The simpler it sounds after the definition, the complex it gets when it is being done.

It is a very goal-oriented procedure, one has to keep in mind is the goal of the product or the destination of the service. The main focus should be on UX. The arrangement of the elements and their interaction with each other and with the user is the utmost important task in mobile app wireframing.

What not to do while designing the mobile app wireframe?

• Do not even think of skipping the process.
• Do not beautify (visually appealing designs added first) and then get into the wireframing business).
• Do not do it just for the sake of doing it.

One has to keep in mind that skipping this entirely can lead to the failure of the entire process of web and mobile app development at the end.

Again taking the example of the construction of a building, the foundation must be laid first based on the skeletal framework that has been prepared, then only you can jump to beautify your building, as a designer one has to understand and follow the steps where designing the mobile app wireframe comes first and then the visually appealing content is added next not the other way round.

For the most part, people do not understand the importance and come up with some trashy design of wireframes and the main foundation becomes faulty, hence the entire designing at later stages becomes faulty. If one wants to skip the reworking part, mobile app wireframing must never be ignored.

#android app #ios app #minimum viable product (mvp) #mobile app development #app designing #mobile app wireframe designing #mobile app wireframing #mobile application wireframing #mobile wireframing #web app wireframing #wireframe designing

List Of The Top Pittsburgh Mobile App Development Companies

https://clutch.co/app-developers/pittsburgh
Let’s look at the list of top list of the top Pittsburgh mobile app development companies which are known for providing top-notch services globally. They are great developers who provide quality services for all your needs.

#mobile app developers #mobile app development services #mobile app development #mobile app developers #mobile apps #mobile app development solutions

Top 10 Mobile App Development Companies in India

https://yourstory.com/mystory/top-10-mobile-app-development-companies-in-india-djq13xfgd8

Here’s a rundown of Top 10 mobile app development companies in India, carefully evaluated on the various performance indicators based on proven track record and diversified portfolio, quality of end-product, experience, core technical expertise, project management strategy, adherence to timelines and budget, app prototyping and UI/UX design.

#mobile app development #mobile app development company #mobile app development services #mobile app developers #mobile app development solutions #mobile apps

Top Mobile App Development Company India, USA | WebClues Infotech

The mobile app development industry is growing at a rapid speed since the launch of smartphones in the last decade. Businesses are building a valuable brand by launching businesses online and custom mobile app development plays a major role in the same.

Want to develop a custom mobile app for your business?

WebClues Infotech with its vast experience of completing 1500+ development projects satisfactorily is the right agency that can fulfill your mobile app development needs. The trust shown by the business in WebClues Infotech has led them to develop a satisfied client base of 600+ among which most of them are repetitive customers.

Want to know How WebClues Infotech can help you with your Custom Mobile App Development Needs?

For more information click here https://www.webcluesinfotech.com/mobile-app-development-company/

View Portfolio:https://www.webcluesinfotech.com/portfolio/

Contact: https://www.webcluesinfotech.com/contact-us/

#mobile app development company #mobile app development services #mobile app development #hire mobile app developer #hire mobile app developer designer #mobile app

How long does it take to develop/build an app?

With more of us using smartphones, the popularity of mobile applications has exploded. In the digital era, the number of people looking for products and services online is growing rapidly. Smartphone owners look for mobile applications that give them quick access to companies’ products and services. As a result, mobile apps provide customers with a lot of benefits in just one device.

Likewise, companies use mobile apps to increase customer loyalty and improve their services. Mobile Developers are in high demand as companies use apps not only to create brand awareness but also to gather information. For that reason, mobile apps are used as tools to collect valuable data from customers to help companies improve their offer.

There are many types of mobile applications, each with its own advantages. For example, native apps perform better, while web apps don’t need to be customized for the platform or operating system (OS). Likewise, hybrid apps provide users with comfortable user experience. However, you may be wondering how long it takes to develop an app.

To give you an idea of how long the app development process takes, here’s a short guide.

App Idea & Research

_Average time spent: two to five weeks _

This is the initial stage and a crucial step in setting the project in the right direction. In this stage, you brainstorm ideas and select the best one. Apart from that, you’ll need to do some research to see if your idea is viable. Remember that coming up with an idea is easy; the hard part is to make it a reality.

All your ideas may seem viable, but you still have to run some tests to keep it as real as possible. For that reason, when Web Developers are building a web app, they analyze the available ideas to see which one is the best match for the targeted audience.

Targeting the right audience is crucial when you are developing an app. It saves time when shaping the app in the right direction as you have a clear set of objectives. Likewise, analyzing how the app affects the market is essential. During the research process, App Developers must gather information about potential competitors and threats. This helps the app owners develop strategies to tackle difficulties that come up after the launch.

The research process can take several weeks, but it determines how successful your app can be. For that reason, you must take your time to know all the weaknesses and strengths of the competitors, possible app strategies, and targeted audience.

The outcomes of this stage are app prototypes and the minimum feasible product.

#android app #frontend #ios app #minimum viable product (mvp) #mobile app development #web development #android app development #app development #app development for ios and android #app development process #ios and android app development #ios app development #stages in app development