Atley Hunter on the Business of App Development - Episode 39

Jeffrey Palermo's guest today is none other than Atley Hunter! Atley has been a developer for more than 20 years and has developed over 1200 publically released apps across many Microsoft platforms. In fact, he has published more apps on the Microsoft side of the industry than anybody else in the world! Atley is a driven creator who balances the practicalities of requirements with his vast knowledge of platforms, techniques, and a personal hunger for knowledge. He has also successfully led many Agile development teams using his long history of team development to improve processes, productivity, and quality.   In this episode, Jeffrey and Atley are discussing the business of app development! Atley describes some of the first apps he's ever developed, some of the most successful and popular apps he's ever created, how he's gone about creating these apps, and gives his tips for other developers in the space. Atley and Jeffrey also discuss why many develops don't make a lot of money in the store, how he has found success with his app creation, best practices for code reuse, what a development environment looks like for a mobile app, tips and advice around creating an effective Xamarin app, and much more.   Topics of Discussion: [:46] About today's episode with guest, Atley Hunter. [2:05] Jeffrey welcomes Atley on the podcast. [3:22] How did Atley's career unfold? When and why did he begin developing apps? [5:58] What were the first few apps that Atley developed? What were they about and what did they do? [10:43] Atley highlights some of his most popular apps for both Windows phones and the Windows 10 store. He also explains why many developers don't make much money in the store. [14:38] Has Atley converted any of his apps to iOS or Android? Or has he stuck with just Windows? [15:46] Atley gives his tips and advice around creating an effective Xamarin app. [18:04] A word from Azure DevOps sponsor: Clear Measure. [18:31] Which flavor of Xamarin should developers reach for? [19:36] What are Atley's favorite libraries? [20:06] General software best practices for code reuse. [23:25] Did Atley write many of his apps in Xamarin? [24:35] Atley describes what a development environment looks like for a mobile app and offers some of his tips for developers. [26:02] Atley's opinion on Azure App Center vs. Azure Pipelines, and how the two come together. [31:09] Atley's take on interacting with users who use his apps and how it helps him! [35:21] Resources Atley recommends listeners follow-up on.   Mentioned in this Episode: Azure DevOps Clear Measure (Sponsor) — Reach out if you have a user group or conference and would like some free copies of .NET DevOps for Azure! Atley Hunter (LinkedIn) AtleyHunter.com The Watchbox App Xamarin Prism Library FlurryAzure App Center Internet of Things (IoT)   Want to Learn More? Visit AzureDevOps.Show for show notes and additional episodes.