As I write my first blog post I will give some simple pointers for a "newbie or n00b" considering how to build a mobile app or a mobile web app.
An increasing number of developers are using HTML5 web programming technology which is actually quite advanced. Javascript is actually quite advanced since it provides support for both object-oriented programming and functional programming. I recommend considering CoffeeScript which can make web programming much more easy and fun; Smooth CoffeeScript is an excellent learning resource.
There are a number of wonderful HTML5 programming libraries; my favorites include JQTouch, JQuery Mobile, and JQMobi. For mobile web apps you can use the HTML5 app cache manifest to keep the app running offline and the HTML5 local storage or Web SQL API to store user data.
For a mobile app, the first step is to consider what kind of SDK or set of libraries to use. Some more advanced developers may choose to use a native API; however an increasing number of developers are choosing to use portable libraries due to factors such as ease of use, time to market, etc. For HTML5 technology the most commonly used library is Apache Cordova, also known as PhoneGap. I recommend the PhoneGap/Cordova Crib Sheet for anyone looking for resources to help with programming either for an app store or for mobile web apps.
I had been programming mobile messaging systems for +/- 13 years in C and C++ and due to the changes in the marketplace I have decided to make a complete transition to programming mobile apps. I have learned a little bit of Objective-C by adapting certain PhoneGap plugins for iPhone to suit the needs of my iPhone app. I hope this blog will be helpful to those looking for information to get started programming mobile apps.
Chris
