Should I Learn Universal Windows Development? Yes! Here’s Why.
There are many platforms to develop for and many frameworks that you can use to target them. Over the course of the next several months, I’ll be authoring courses on how to get started as a beginning coder for many of these platform. The first one up is the Universal Windows App platform.
In my course, “Learn Universal Windows App Development: The Basics” I go over the basics of the ecosystem, the tools you will use, and walk you through how to create a simple game that teaches programming concepts and gives you an app at the end that you can tinker with and modify on your own.
But why Windows?
Having Universal Windows app development skill in your tool chest helps round out your overall skills and gives you the ability to target a huge number of devices. Plus, with the latest edition of Windows 10, those devices will include the Xbox One and HoloLens products.
Here are five things to consider on why learning Universal Windows development could be valuable for you:
Number 1: C#
The C# language is the predominant language used for creating apps for Windows. It is a relatively easy, object-oriented language that is a great language to learn how to program in. C# regularly ranks as one of the top 5 languages rated by the TIOBE index, is used for more than just app development.
Number 2: Xamarin
Xamarin is a cross-platform mobile framework that uses C#, .NET, and Visual Studio to build applications for iOS and Android. These technologies and tools are the core of Universal Windows app development, so learning them once, and leveraging that knowledge with Xamarin can help streamline your app development.
Number 3: Unity
Unity is another cross-platform framework for creating 2D and 3D games…and guess what? It uses C# and Visual Studio. Unity can target almost everything from Xbox, PlayStation, iOS, Android, Windows, Oculus, tvOS, Cardboard, Gear VR, Nintendo, and the list goes on.
Number 4: Longevity and Support
The .NET platform was first initially released at the beginning of 2002, 14 years ago. Over the course of that time, the core technology has evolved and Microsoft has done a good job of supporting their developers as the language has evolved and changed through the boom of web applications, mobile, consoles, IOT, and now with virtual reality. That support means a lot when you think of what unknown platforms we need to support in the future.
Number 5: Windows 10 Ecosystem
With each generation of Windows 10, the number of devices it supports grows and grows. At first, it was limited to certain devices, but now with support for Xbox One, HoloLens, Internet of Things, and with the rollout of Windows 10 hitting over 300 million devices as of mid-year, you can target an amazing number of different types of products with your app.
Want to learn more?
So if you are looking to learn how to code, or pick up a new language or find out more about Universal Windows app development. Check out my course at Lynda.com and Linkedin to find out more.
I’ll have more coming out for more platforms. Next up, is Android!