Database Info

could i make this app

hi. so first off i have never made an app or anything. i am a winemaker. we use a lot of equations in the winemaking process. i know the has an app that is pretty much a calculator for winemaking. i was wondering if it would be even possible me to give it a shot to make(since i have never even tried and do not even know where to start). would it be easy for me to try. it does not have to be pretty. any feed back would be great and how to get started would be even great. if someone would be interested in helping me with, i know about 30 other wine make that would pay good money for an app like this. any suggestions. thanks

Making basic applications isn't that hard if you know what you're doing. Especially if it doesn't have to have pretty graphics and a clever interface, that's even easier. That said, programming does take a while to pick up and get to grips with. The best thing to get you started is to have a project to do, and in that sense, you're well set. If you want to experiment for yourself, I'd suggest going to the Android Developers' official website as it has all kinds of tutorials and basic information to get yourself started and write very simple applications.
That said, if you're serious about paying someone to write this for you, I'm interested. How much did you have in mind? If you want to have a look at my past work, I've written a game for the Android Market; you can have a look at it and see the standard I'd provide. It's called Spectrum Puzzles, a fun jigsaw puzzle game with lots of high quality images and an easy-to-understand interface.

For someone with no programming experience whilst I'm sure you could dive straight in, it might prove off-putting or result in slow progress. If you have no experience whatsoever, you need to get to grips with programming, Java, the Objected Oriented approach & Android.
Personally, I'd suggest installing Java & the integrated development environment Eclipse & using these to allow you to work through some programming tutorials in Java, which will give a more gentle introduction to programming & OO via Java, all of which you'll directly need for Android development.
Others might even suggest you take a seemingly longer route & first learn programming using a language other than Java, but hopefully that won't be necessary.
Once you feel more comfortable - which might not take long if you have plenty of spare time & find yourself suited to thinking like a programmer - you could then begin to learn how to apply all of this to the Android environment.
Of course there's no reason why you couldn't compromise & slide from the former to the latter that bit earlier so you can start on your project which will help maintain motivation when your head starts to hurt
[Edit:] If you're willing to make your offer of payment a subject for public discussion I'd certainly be interested, if only in learning what kind of rates are considered acceptable for such projects. I'm not in a position to take up your request myself & it seems you already have someone with sufficient experience who's interested, but I hope to be up for such projects in the future. As an aside, I'm a former C programmer who's just getting into Java & Android now.

iam trying to learn java and i must say its kinda hard

You need to learn the basics of object oriented programming before you even think about teaching yourself JAVA. Once you learn the meaning of object oriented programming then you could pick up a Java book .

ilmar72 said:
You need to learn the basics of object oriented programming before you even think about teaching yourself JAVA. Once you learn the meaning of object oriented programming then you could pick up a Java book .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can be done incrementally. Some aspects of the language can be taught to introduce general programming concepts such as sequence, selection & iteration. OO concepts can then be introduced, followed by their implementation in Java & this can then be built upon.
The biggest risk to this approach is that of establishing a functional programming mindset before getting to the OO meat, however that's no worse than learning programming first through a non OO language. As long as the student understands to some degree how much they don't yet understand, as they proceed, imho this is workable.
The alternative of going straight into OO is going to require a fair bit of theory before getting into coding & while this might work in a classroom with plenty of teaching resources, someone reliant on self study could lose motivation.
I'd be interested in any opinions on this?
FAO the OP: If you like having a physical book to work from, rather than relying on online material solely, I am finding Eckel's Thinking In Java to have been a good choice. Of course you should check out alternatives, multiple reviews etc & look for something to fit your style of learning. I hope you don't give up - programming is a very satisfying skill to develop & use

[Q]game development using Unity or something

Today i was going through different demos of various games on android platform and i got interested in designing a game myself, prolly a simple one like doodlejump or something? but then i thought that i have no developer skills such as coding knowledge java script and all that so my question is, have any one of you used a software which basically doesn't require coding skills and you can design a whole game just using textures? i also haven't started using Unity so just a question if a developer can answer this.
Thanks a lot !

Unity requires programming skills. There's no such thing as a magical program that can take an idea and turn it into a game at the click of a button. If you want to write a game, then you're going to have to put some effort in to it.
You will need to learn basic programming theory, and a language.
You will need at least SOME graphic skills, unless you know someone who can do this for you.
There HAVE been tools in the past that make games through simple point and click interfaces, but even THEY require an ability to put scripts together, and a reasonable level of understanding of how games work. From your posting history, I wouldn't bother if I were you.

What the best framework for cross-platform?

I tried to use libgdx and found out the its not user friendly at all. very complicated framework with no support at all.
I want to write games, that the highest level is AngryBirgds. (I'll start from something much simple).
what framework would you recommend?
what do you think about Xamarin?
p.s
I'm looking for a free framework that I can publish on Google Play

What you didn't like about libGDX? It has great documentation and a friendly community. After trying a simple game tutorial on their wiki the framework doesn't seem at all complicated.
A great benefit to it is a desktop version for really fast testing or even releasing — Spine 2d skeletal animation tool was made by one of main libGDX developers using libGDX.
Also i tried to release the iOS version of the game with libGDX, which successfully got in AppStore.

11alex11 said:
I tried to use libgdx and found out the its not user friendly at all. very complicated framework with no support at all.
I want to write games, that the highest level is AngryBirgds. (I'll start from something much simple).
what framework would you recommend?
what do you think about Xamarin?
p.s
I'm looking for a free framework that I can publish on Google Play
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I am not familiar with Xamrin but familiar with phoneGap. I worked in mobilepundits which offers PhoneGap mobile app development company. In the company I used this tool for mobile app development. According to this tool is really easy to use which enable you to build mobile apps even you are not friendly with it.

PhoneGap is one of the best framework for cross platform mobile applications development. It is a free tool which can be used easily. In conclusion if your app can work with more than one platform then you must use the PhoneGap.

I don't think PhoneGap and Xamarin are good choice if you want to make games. Both are good frameworks for making Apps, but if you really want to dive deep into game development you need to use a game engine, which solves a lot more tasks specific for game development.
If you want some higher-level and more user friendly framework then you definitely should try Unity.
If you want more control or just like to work on a lower level and at least a little familiar with C++, then I'd suggest you to try Cocos2D-x.
If you have a Mac, plan to support iOS, and not afraid of Objective-C or the new Swift programming language, then take a look at Cocos2D-Swift (aka Cocos2D-iPhone). Despite the name you can use it to create games for both iOS and Android (via Apportable).
There are other good game engines. But I've only worked with those three I've mentioned (and even wrote a book about Cocos2D-Swift and several tutorials on Unity).

Framework for Cross-Platform: Corona and Titanium
My vote for cross platform framework goes to Corona and Titanium. If you are developing a native app then Titanium is the best option. Titanium is best for developing a normal application. Titanium framework offers a wide range of native functionality and works perfectly with platforms like iOS and Android. If you are developing a game related application then go with Corona.

Try Unity3d its has a free version. If you want check my games in my signature, they are both made in Unity for Android and iOS.

If you would like to create a 2D cross-platform game the best engine is cocos2d-x.
In this platform you can use C++ or LUA.
Also there is a great community and it is open source. So, you can add own modules and fixes to repository.
But if you would like to create a 3D game or smth like this, the best framework is Unity.

I definitely recommend you the Cocos2d-x to give it a try.
Cocos2d-x allows you to write games in C++, Lua and Javascript. Moreover you can deploy games for variety of platforms: Windows Phone, Android, iOS, Windows Desktop, Linux, Blackberry, MacOS and Browser!
Yesterday they announced new Cocos brand which simplyfies many things and makes it more friendly
URL: www.cocos.com & www.cocos2d-x.com

119
I've been using Unity and it's working well so far. They have a large dev community. There's also an asset store where you can grab/buy plug-ins or assets to save time.

What about Marmalade?

I am working on such solution => gl.aexol.com/product
1 code = deployment to Android, iOS, Mac, Windows & Linux
It's called AexolGL - you can download for free beta web engine and you would be notified about Mobile + PC version launch.
Regards.

You can use Qt for Android, iOS, and other platforms.

Hey, Libgdx is good, just that startup time is bit high as not very friendly. I worked on it and it helps you understand basic concepts. Can be used with Java and RoboVM integration is easy which helps you make it cross platform.
Xamarin is good, it will help you create app for iOs and android. Never used it though.
Unity is one good game engine which can be used. It is very user friendly. Lot of assets and code can be bought from Unity asset store.
11alex11 said:
I tried to use libgdx and found out the its not user friendly at all. very complicated framework with no support at all.
I want to write games, that the highest level is AngryBirgds. (I'll start from something much simple).
what framework would you recommend?
what do you think about Xamarin?
p.s
I'm looking for a free framework that I can publish on Google Play
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

myth007_03 said:
Hey, Libgdx is good, just that startup time is bit high as not very friendly. I worked on it and it helps you understand basic concepts. Can be used with Java and RoboVM integration is easy which helps you make it cross platform.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been a fan of libgdx for a while.. Perhaps check out one of the first editors for it overlap2d*dot*com (hah, still need to hit 10 posts). Also they have a great blog that describes using the editor to make a physics based platformer.

libGdx and Cocos2D
Hi!
Really I don't know why libGdx is not user friendly. A few weeks ago I made a research about best cross-platform frameworks. I start with Unity3D, It's really friendly, but, it not free for comercial use and it is much powerful for my small tasks. In result I have to favorite: libGdx and Cocos2D. The first one using Java and more like Unity3D/Xamarin/MonoGame. Cocos2D use C++, and you can work in Visual Studio with it. But, for me Hello World application on Cocos was more difficult than in libGdx.
And there is not only my imho, I have been read many the same posts on other forums about libGdx and Cocos2D.
If you have no preference between Java and C++ better start with Java and libGdx.

Hi,
It actually depend about your langage skills and what kind of game you want to develop.
Unity is very goo, and you can develop a game without coding, but you have to pay to use it, and some plugin like iap, gamecenter, ads is also expensive.
Libgdx also very good but may be hard for new developer.
I currently use openfl for 2d games which is totally free. The language is close to the flash and there are many tutorial to learn. Moreover, the plugin for pub ipa, game center are available and free. The commuty is nice , but the langage is probably not adapt for 3d development.

I've just ported my game Space Shooter X from Windows Phone to Android using Xamarin. I've shared my experience in a blog post. Here's the link http://www.borneomobile.com/2015/03...-from-windows-phone-to-android-using-xamarin/

libgdx vs unity
Hi,
I'm new to game development (i started some month ago), but i made some research.
From what i could understand, the right game engine for you vary much on your purposes.
I choose libgdx, due to the considerations i made.
-Unity:
said to be very user friendly, and a lot faster in developing games (it hides a lot of things). If your purpose is to develop new games fast, it can be good.
Cons: it has 2 versions: personal and professional. You have their splash screen or pay. From their site: unity3d com/get-unity
Personal: "Deployment to all platforms included with the Personal Edition splash screen."
Professional: "Unity 5 Professional customers who earned/received more than $100,000 in revenue/funding in the previous fiscal year must purchase iOS Pro and/or Android Pro deployment add-ons to deploy to these platforms. The iOS and Android Pro add-ons enable deployment without the Personal Edition splash screen."
-LibGDX:
it gives you a lot of control to everything, so you can really do what you want. After a period, and following some tutorial, it seems good and not so hard. You can develop for Desktop, android, ios and web.
If your purpose is to understand how a game works, this is good. Also, it is totally free, and its performance are the best.
Cons: It is a little unfriendly at the beginning.

I've been trying LibGDX and Unity.
If you haven't created a game before, you should start with LibGDX or native, just to understand how things works.
If you created a game before, you could take a look at Unity, it shorten a lot Development time and it's a things you should be aware of if you want to make your game rentable.

Cross-Platform vs Native

Hey,
I'm a developer and I want to start with app development. No games, just productivity stuff. Without experience, I would tend to native apps, because you can use all api's, designs etc. I think cross platform frameworks is just a hype like java for web. HTML and CSS are the best choice for web and nobody is talking about java in web-dev. Now, I have a feeling that you're trying to use this technology in Apps because html5 and css3 a fancy. But this is just my opinion and maybe I'm wrong. As I mentioned, I do not have any experience in app-dev. Therefore, I want to ask you, because you have the experience.
Are cross platform frameworks a great choice to develop apps for iOS, Android and Windows 10 (Mobile)? Is it really time saving and do I have the same or similar possibilities? Or is it better to maintain three different platforms? Maybe the time effort isn't so much higher. I don't know. How high is it? Should I start with a cross platform framework and switch later to native apps, or is it better to start with native apps?
I hope you can share your experience with me. It is also great if you link something that reflects your opinion.
Thanks
neon

"nobody is talking about java in web-dev"
Not true Many pages and server side app are created in java. JEE, JSF etc. Problem is hosting for page. Hosting for PHP is cheaper and more popular. That is why PHP is more popular than Java in web-dev.
Anyway, in mobile platform, in my opion, better way is native apps. Cross platform frameworks are great, but only for some of the types application. Most applications can be made faster and look prettier if they are native. Many things is hard when you use crossplatform, and sometimes development takes longer. Much depends on type of application and requirements. Of course it's only my opinion. Many people think differently.

It depends. First of all it is important to know which API or librarys you want to use. If you have some intensive tasks or calculations you should go with native apps because they are often much faster then hybrid-apps written in JavaScript. If you don't have much intensive tasks and you have a completely new idea and want to make money with it you shoud go with hybrid-apps because it is a huge plus to have an App for Android AND iOS.

Thanks for you responses.
@Asmok78
You are right. PHP is more popular because it is cheaper.
Asmok78 wrote that most applications can be made faster and it depends an the application. spcialx wrote something equal. So, as an example, all my ideas are based on a client server architecture where users can sync there local data with a server to work collaborativ. As an example it could be an app for all three platform (iOS, Android and Windows 10(Mobile)). A user can manage a tasklist and share tasks with other users, or you have a project and one user can assign tasks to other users.
I guess it will be faster to get a first working app with a crossplatform framework. But I also guess, that in the long run it will be better to dev native apps. So why not start directly with native apps?

ne0n said:
[...]
I guess it will be faster to get a first working app with a crossplatform framework. But I also guess, that in the long run it will be better to dev native apps. So why not start directly with native apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your assumption is completely right.
I'm working on a hybrid app right now. While it can be tempting, as soon as you get out of common features and patterns you can run into all sorts of problems and I found some quite hard to debug and solve. In the end I've busted all my deadlines. Performance are just OK for most uses, but still not comparable to native. All in all it depends on what you are trying to do, cross-platform apps might be ok for some use cases, but native apps are well worth the extra effort.

I think you should go native for apps. But not for games.
Sent from Tapatalk. Try LucidPod - lightweight podcast player.

Android NDK is there for performance reasons. If you plan to create something serious, then dedicated development cycles for each platform may be the obvious choice.

with web app, you can create app with nice and easy ui, can communicate with system api via plugin but sometime you need custom there control, and you need experience with native app , if it basic, you can do with only web app.
hybrid app is slower than native, only for small app.

Asmok78 said:
"nobody is talking about java in web-dev"
Not true Many pages and server side app are created in java. JEE, JSF etc. Problem is hosting for page. Hosting for PHP is cheaper and more popular. That is why PHP is more popular than Java in web-dev.
Anyway, in mobile platform, in my opion, better way is native apps. Cross platform frameworks are great, but only for some of the types application. Most applications can be made faster and look prettier if they are native. Many things is hard when you use crossplatform, and sometimes development takes longer. Much depends on type of application and requirements. Of course it's only my opinion. Many people think differently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I'm a java web guy. Tomcat, Struts 2 and JSP for me (though I'm slowly switching to Spring instead of Struts). The sheer power of Java, the stuff you can do, vs PHP (disclaimer: I coded PHP for 10 years professionally and now hate it, especially with the advent of Wordpress and Drupal) is absolutely staggering. Add to that a tonne of amazing libraries one can just plug straight in and you get a really useful bit of kit. Sorry, off-topic.
So yeah native is best. I work on a timesheeting/expenses solution for big mobile telcos in the UK and we looked at some cross-platform solutions at first, with Xamarin getting a decent run out but in the end we concluded it just wouldn't do the job, and went native. The issue really was that you'd end up with an app that wasn't quite right on either platform, and had to really write some nasty hacky stuff to make anything that took advantage of the advantages or preferred style of a particular platform. It just wasn't worth the effort in the end.

With Unity3d you can build for like 20 platforms.

Cross-Platform vs Native | Development Tools
1. Native apps are usually developed to work on a single mobile platform by using the native programming language mainly used for user interactions.
2. Cross platform requires different platforms for development are used for PhoneGap, Titanium, and Xamarin by using HTML and JavaScript mainly used for iOS, windows, and Android.

"no one is discussing java in web-dev"
Not genuine Many pages and server side application are made in java. JEE, JSF and so on. Issue is facilitating for page. Facilitating for PHP is less expensive and more mainstream. That is the reason PHP is more well known than Java in web-dev.
Anyway, in portable stage, in my opion, better way is local applications. Cross stage systems are incredible, yet just for a portion of the sorts application. Most applications can be made quicker and look prettier on the off chance that they are local. Numerous things is hard when you utilize crossplatform, and infrequently improvement takes longer. Much relies on upon kind of utilization and necessities. Obviously it's lone my sentiment. Numerous individuals think in an unexpected way.

whats the end goal/how big is your buget?
for example: business apps, they're not that heavy on interactions/animations - you may be better off with cross platform as it will generally cost less to create it that way
if heavy on interactions/animations: native would be a better choice and may cost more because it may be developed for multiple platforms, which in turn would make it more expensive.

Hi,
If you ask me I will go with the cross platform if I'm building the app from scratch as it's easier to make any changes and most importantly saves a lot of time.

Pine: A new cross platform framework for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac

Hi all!
I am excited to share a project I have been personally working on for a few years now. I call it Pine, and it is a new cross platform framework for developing apps for Android, iOS, Windows and Mac. It is a modification and extension of the LibGDX game framework, so apps are written in Java, hardware rendered, and extremely fast and smooth. Pine will be released open-source under the Apache 2.0 licence, and it only needs a few more months work before it can be released.
I would be extremely grateful if people could please support this project, more details about how it works and some of the things it can do, including demo apps for Android and Windows, are available on my kickstarter campaign.
I can't post URL's due to being a new user, but if you google "Pine Cross Platform Framework" you will find it.
I have tried posting this around on a few forums but people report it as a scam. Please, if you feel like it may be a scam, just check out the demos. My Android app at least is only available on the official Play Store. Also, there are certain things in the demos that prove the apps are built using this new framework. For example my 'Perspective Group', which allows rendering all 2D elements in 3D. This can be seen on the 'Videos' page - with a video playing while it spins in 3D, and the 'Fun Layout Example' page - which demonstrates an interactive 3D carousel. These things can't be done natively, and I don't think any other cross platform frameworks can do it either.
Thanks guys, and I hope you like it!
All the best,
Graham