VB.net for Android...

[dahood]

Hi, first off all I know that VB.net is Windows and Android is Linux. Anyway I wanted to ask if there is a program for developing apps for Android with the same coding like in VB.net?
I have read some Forums etc. They are talking about C# and other software. But since i started my program in VB.net and now I want to convert it to Android i need something like VB.net for android. It also can be similar but not to much different. Maybe a converter from VB.net to Android devices or something like that. Any suggestion?

[jmcilhinney]

There is no such thing as VB.NET for Android. You can compile C# code for Mono, which is basically an open source equivalent to the .NET Framework that runs on platforms other than Windows. I'm not sure whether there is a VB compiler for Mono as I've never looked but you can check for yourself. There is a version of Mono that will run on Android but any Android user would have to install it first in order for apps built for it to run.

[dahood]

You know what confuses me? this one here http://xamarin.com/download it says Build iOS, Android and Mac apps using C# and .NET. So I thought they mean VB.net but it seems I misunderstood it

[Niya]

Mono does have a VB.Net compiler according to mono-project.com

[jmcilhinney]

I've heard that name before but didn't know much about it. It apparently provides a C# compiler that will build native Android apps. They would have to create a separate compiler for VB.NET.

.NET does not mean VB.NET. It means the .NET platform, of which C# and VB are both parts. That means that you can use types from the .NET Framework class library to build apps in C# and then compile them to native Android format.

If you already understand VB.NET, even just a bit, learning C# is not too hard. The syntax is a bit different and more terse but all the principles are the same and you use all the same .NET types.

[Niya]

Here is an article about Xamarin 2.0 that claims you can develop in both C# and VB.

[jmcilhinney]

Here is an article about Xamarin 2.0 that claims you can develop in both C# and VB.

Interesting. It sounds like, rather than compiling from C# to native Android, it compiles from the CIL. If that's the case then you could theoretically write apps in any language that compiles to CIL.

That said, it looks like you only get the Xamarin IDE, which presumably only supports C#, and not VS support unless you pay for the Enterprise license. Maybe there's commandline tools though.

[dahood]

If you already understand VB.NET, even just a bit, learning C# is not too hard.

I have some experience in C++. I hope this will help me a lil bil when i have to use C#

Here is an article about Xamarin 2.0 that claims you can develop in both C# and VB.

At least there is hope. I hope it doesnt force me to buy the full version coz there where I live we cant buy Softwares etc. and i dnt know where to get it because buying and shipping it from other countries is also not possible

[jmcilhinney]

I hope it doesnt force me to buy the full version coz there where I live we cant buy Softwares etc. and i dnt know where to get it because buying and shipping it from other countries is also not possible

There's a free version but it's very limited.

[BadJasper]

If you are developing web apps in .Net (C# or VB) and you want them to be mobile compatable with all the touch and swipe abilities, you may want to have a look at "Lightswitch over HTML". It's been in Beta for a couple years but, MS finally release the finished product a couple of months ago. The nice thing is that you can use VB or C# so you can use what you are comfortable with. Go ahead and have a look...

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/htmlclient.aspx