-
Essay / Cross-platform mobile application
Cross-platform mobile development is the process by which you create applications that will be compatible with multiple mobile operating systems. These apps are usually an amalgamation of native apps developed for a specific mobile platform and web app. This process involves writing the codes in web programming languages that will adopt native elements of the mobile platform, making the application cross-platform adaptable and providing access to the platform's API. The code for these applications is transmitted in the native languages of each platform. Apparently the most popular hybrid app is used by the infamous LinkedIn. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Although later they moved towards a native platform, exclusively for technical reasons such as availability of good development tools and device usage. -specific characteristics. Need for a cross-platform app: Basically, the complexity of mobile app development was compounded by the difficulty of creating a back-end that works on multiple platforms. Although writing codes for each operating system separately is time-consuming and expensive, it has been considered easier to create native apps for each mobile operating system than a cross-platform hybrid app, although very few of code written for each operating system could be reused. One of the most difficult situations for app developers is whether to develop a native mobile app or go for a cross-platform app. Of course, as a business you have to deal with different types of customers with different types of devices. Therefore, you would need a mobile app that could work seamlessly on almost all platforms (i.e. Android, iOS, Windows, etc.). Recently, the hybrid approach has been considered the most reasonable. So, according to technology experts, by 2020, more than half of all mobile applications will be hybrid cross-platform applications. Different approaches for cross-platform applications: Today, it is easier for programmers to develop cross-platform applications. Newer approaches to cross-platform development include: l Native cross-platform applications - uses IDE (integrated development environment) which manages the process of creating the native application bundle through a unified API on top of the native SDKs. l Hybrid HTML5 app development: Developers write the core of the app as an HTML5 or JavaScript mobile app, then place a native device wrapper around it. l Rapid Mobile Application Development (RMAD): Developers use no-code programming tools. RMAD provides business users with the ability to quickly build and manage internal applications that are “good enough” to solve specific business problems. l Universal Windows Apps - uses one code base for all Windows devices. Allows the same application to run on a Windows PC, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch or XBox. Native Cross-Platform Apps Each major mobile operating system has its own SDK (Software Development Kit) for creating mobile apps. These SDKs also have preferred programming languages that are supported by the operating system vendor. For example,.