How does using XNA differ from using Xamarin if you are programming in C# in both?
Is it the syntax of command lines that is different? i.e. order of writing commands
Is it possible to get a rough idea of this without knowing any programming,
I ask this because I have a Mac and most tutorials for beginners are in XNA, would it be possible to follow XNA tutorials and write in Xamarin ?
Yes, but you use MonoGame instead of Xna. They are more or less identical from a user perspective.
Whats MonoGames relation to Xna ?
More specifically I'd like to buy this book:
Which is Xna based
and use my Xamarin to program the same application tutorial in the book.
Does this make sense?
Where does MonoGame come into this?
Monogame is a cross platform, open source project that's based on XNA.
Microsoft stopped development on XNA a few years ago, and Monogame is essentially a replacement (with an almost identical API).
MonoGame is an open source drop-in replacement for Xna with cross platform support. It seems Microsoft is now recommending it for new projects.
I have no idea about the book. The code should be 90-100% identical. There will most likely be some discrepancies between the development tools however, such as hotkeys and menu items having different names and/or residing under different menus or whatever. Whether or not that is a problem is up to you.
what does based on Xna mean?
Can I use MonoGame to write code on a mac?
Yes you can use MonoGame to write games for the Mac; it's multiplatform.
'Based on' in this case means that Monogame evolved from XNA. It replicates the API from XNA 4.0.
Have a look here :
Xna is two things. (this is not entirely accurate, but the general idea should apply)
1. A library/framework for .NET with functionality usable from your own code. Graphics, input, sound, network etc.
2. A plugin to Visual Studio which makes it easier to work with said library/framework. Includes project templates among other things.
MonoGame is primarily a replacement for #1. It implements just about all of said functionality with the same interface. MonoGame also offers partial replacement for #2, but that part may not be as complete as for #1.
You should be able to use MonoGame to create games on a mac, that can be played on Windows, OSX, IOS, Android, Linux and more.
Thanks DvDmanDT,
I understand what a library of code is, but what does a ''framework'' for .NET mean?
What is .NET, (the wikipedia page is a little unclear for me)
How does using XNA differ from using Xamarin if you are programming in C# in both?
Is it the syntax of command lines that is different? i.e. order of writing commands
Is it possible to get a rough idea of this without knowing any programming,
I ask this because I have a Mac and most tutorials for beginners are in XNA, would it be possible to follow XNA tutorials and write in Xamarin ?
Monogame is advantageuous because you can easily port to most platforms.
