What kind of Phone Developer are you?
One great thing about academia is that its always important to understand your skills, particular situation, objectives and what you are trying to achieve.
So thanks to Joel Citzen and his blog The following guidance will help you get started to being the most effective developer.
What type of developer are you?
New to the Platform
Typically you would have no existing apps and can’t wait to build and ship your app to Windows Phone Store or Windows Store. In this case the suggestion is that as a beginner you grab the free tools and start exploring building for either platform. You can explore:
- Developing apps for Windows Phone
- Windows Store app development
- Build 2012: Windows Phone 8 Sessions
Seasoned in Windows Phone App
You already built Windows Phone Apps and now want to build apps for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. You will find a lot of similarities when you develop your apps for both platforms. To get started explore:
- Developing apps for Windows Phone
- Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 platform comparison
- Maximize code reuse between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8
- How to Leverage your Code across WP8 and Windows 8 (Build 2012)
Seasoned in Windows Store App
You already built Windows Store apps and now want to build apps for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. You will find a lot of similarities when you develop your apps for both platforms. You can get started by exploring these sources:
- Developing apps for Windows Phone
- Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 platform comparison
- Maximize code reuse between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8
- How to Leverage your Code across WP8 and Windows 8 (Build 2012)
Seasoned in another Platform
You’ve built apps for other platforms, and want to ship them or port them to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. Many of the programming concepts will be familiar. Both platforms support C++, and the tools have templates to help you get started. To learn more explore:
- Choosing the right project template for your game for Windows Phone 8
- Differences in game development between the phone and the desktop
- Developing apps for Windows Phone
- Windows Store app development
- Maximize code reuse between Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8
- XAML for Windows Phone
- Windows Phone 8: Using C++ in your Applications (Build 2012)
- Windows Phone 8: Native C/C++ Game Development (Build 2012)
Games Creator from another Platform
You’ve built games for another platforms and want to port them to Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. We’ve invested significantly in native gaming support on Windows Phone 8 and this will make it possible for you to port your existing games to both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. Check these resources:
- Choosing the right project template for your game for Windows Phone 8
- Differences in game development between the phone and the desktop
- Windows Phone 8: Using C++ in your Applications (Build 2012)
- Windows Phone 8: Native C/C++ Game Development (Build 2012)
Maximising Code Reuse.
After choosing your approach, based on what type of developer you fall under, you can now decide what choices to make to maximize code reuse in your apps. As a developer, you want to streamline your development and make maintaining your app efficient. When building an app for Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8, you should look for opportunities to share code, designs, and assets as much as possible so that you maximize the return on your investment.
