This is an easy-to-follow guide to help you start writing native applications with .NET and Xamarin Studio. Each topic is presented in a logical order to enable developers to install the IDE and start writing applications from scratch. Detailed explanations of basic and advanced topics for developing in Xamarin Studio are presented, while links to additional materials are also introduced.
This book is intended for .NET developers of any experience level who are interested in building native applications without the hassle of becoming Objective-C or Java experts. Although it will be beneficial to have some development experience, particularly in .NET, Learning Xamarin Studio will help even a novice developer get past the headaches of setting up and customizing their new development environment so they can move on to producing high-quality native applications quickly.
William Smith
William Smith has been writing on software since 1988, when his parents asked him to make a choice between a school-sponsored trip to Europe (which his elder sister was enjoying at the time), or a computer. Although accused of being short-sighted, William chose the computer and he firmly believes he got the better deal. He began writing about software on the Tandy 1000 SL/2 using Turbo C++ and has been hooked on the technology ever since. He began his professional career in the environmental field eight years later with degrees in Environmental Science and Business Administration. While working in this field full-time, he started his first business focused on installing and managing small commercial networks and websites. In this role, he saw a need for specialized network analysis tools, so he learned VB.NET and wrote simple console applications for his own use. From there, he continued writing applications as a hobbyist before returning to the University of Maryland for a second Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. While still completing the Computer Science program, he was offered a position with a software development firm based in Pittsburgh, PA, where he spent the next few years working with .NET and Xamarin developing iOS applications. As a result of this experience, he was asked to be a technical reviewer for iOS Development with Xamarin Cookbook, Dimitris Tavlikos, Packt Publishing. William currently works for GIS Inc. in Birmingham, AL, as a Geospatial Developer specializing in native mobile application development. He also owns Websmiths, LLC (www.websmithsllc.com), a consulting firm concentrating on cross-platform mobile application development using Xamarin Studio. He lives in wild and wonderful West Virginia with his beautiful wife and four sons. He enjoys hunting and fishing with his family, and he still hasn't been to Europe.
