Xamarin Studio

Xamarin Studio extends the .NET developer platform with tools and libraries specifically for building apps for Android, iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS, and Windows. MS .NET is a developer platform made up of tools, programming languages, and libraries for building many different types of applications.

Note: Xamarin is now part of .NET

Use .NET and C# to create native apps for the billions of Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows devices around the world. Add to that sharing code with any .NET app, empowering you to be more productive and build apps faster than ever across all platforms.

Itgives .NET developers complete access to iOS, watchOS, and tvOS SDKs. Create user interfaces with a built-in designer or take advantage of integration to bring your design in from Xcode. Leverage APIs like Touch ID, ARKit, CoreML, and many more from C#! Use the full power of the Android SDK to build apps for any Android platform. With C#, you can develop for phone, tablet, watch, and television.

.NET Standard libraries have a uniform API for all .NET platforms, including Xamarin and .NET Core. You can create a .NET Standard library and use it from any runtime supporting the .NET Standard platform. Say hello to sharing code across iOS, Android, Linux, macOS, Windows, and more - anywhere .NET runs!

Xamarin Studio is part of the powerful .NET ecosystem, which millions of developers choose every day for their apps. Save time with an average of 75% code sharing to get up and running faster than ever. Use your favorite libraries, frameworks, and tools to build stunning mobile applications. Then take advantage of powerful libraries from the team to access native APIs and 2D graphics from shared code.

Sourced from thousands of open-source projects with more than 100 stars each on GitHub, recommendations are tailored to promote common practices, keeping you in the flow of coding. And while the default IntelliCode is great, you can take it a step further by enhancing IntelliCode using a custom model trained on your unique, bespoke codebase

Visual Studio is your one-stop-shop for building, deploying, and debugging apps on emulators, simulators, or directly on physical devices. Set breakpoints, view and update local variables, access the watch window, read device debug logs and more powerful debugging features.

The .NET ecosystem is expansive with amazing developers around the globe building world-class libraries to streamline development. Use your favorite NuGet libraries with Xamarin apps including SQLite, Polly, Reactive Extensions, Prism, Refit, and more.

PROS

• Cross-Platform Development: It allows developers to write code in C# and share significant portions of their codebase across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and Windows, which can significantly reduce development time and effort.
• Native Performance: The applications are compiled down to native code, providing performance that is comparable to applications developed using platform-specific languages and tools.
• Access to Native APIs: it provides bindings to the native APIs of each platform, enabling developers to access platform-specific features and functionality directly from their C# code.
• Shared Codebase: With the app, developers can share code not only across different platforms but also between their mobile and desktop applications, further streamlining development efforts.
• Integration with Visual Studio: It integrates seamlessly with Visual Studio, providing a familiar environment for developers who are already using Microsoft's development tools.
• Large Community and Ecosystem: It has a large and active community of developers, along with extensive documentation, tutorials, and third-party libraries, which can be beneficial for developers seeking support and resources.

CONS

• Learning Curve: While the app simplifies cross-platform development to some extent, there is still a learning curve, especially for developers who are not familiar with C# or the framework.
• File Size and Overhead: The applications tend to have larger file sizes compared to applications developed using native tools, due to the inclusion of the Mono runtime and other dependencies.
• Platform-Specific Limitations: Despite providing access to native APIs, there may be limitations or differences in behavior between Xamarin and native development, particularly when dealing with platform-specific features or updates.
• Dependency on Updates: Xamarin Studio's development is tied to updates from Microsoft, and sometimes delays can occur in receiving updates or support for the latest platform features.
• Cost: While the program offers a free Community Edition, some features, such as advanced debugging tools and enterprise-level support, are only available in the paid versions, which may not be feasible for individual developers or small teams.
• Performance Optimization: While the app offers good performance out of the box, optimizing performance for specific scenarios or edge cases may require additional effort compared to native development.

Conclusion

Overall, Xamarin can be a powerful tool for developing cross-platform mobile applications, particularly for teams with existing C# expertise or those looking to leverage a shared codebase across multiple platforms. However, developers should carefully consider its pros and cons before committing to using it for their projects.

Note: Does not include Visual Studio support.