What I want to do:
I want to build a windows 8 app using c# and XAML. My app needs to be connected to a remote IIS server on which I am thinking of writing web services in ASP.NET which will be consumed by my windows 8 app. So, I have registered for an Amazon EC2 free-tier account and have setup a Windows Server 2008 instance that comes with IIS and SQL server 08 installed. My app comprises of these general features:
1. App will be a windows 8 client + a Google chrome extension.
2. Users are going to sign-up for the app either from Chrome extension/Win8 app. (Sign-up will be using Google's OpenID)
3. Once signed-up, user can sign-in from the Chrome extension and save some data on the remote server's database.
4. This data will be fetched, and managed in the windows 8 client app by the user in various ways. The user should be able to sign-up / sign-in from the client app also.
5. I also want to build a notification service that will monitor changes in database and send push notifications to the user on the windows 8 app. The notifications should either be as live tile notifications / in-app growl-style notifications.
What I know:
1. I am completely new to Windows 8 app development.
2. I have previously used C#, ADO.NET and WinForms in my college. I know basics of ASP.NET and building simple web-services.
What my problems are:
1. I have to build this app in a month. Is it practically possible? Does learning windows 8 app development and building web-services in ASP.NET involve a steep learning curve considering what I know?
2. Should I really go for Amazon EC2 for hosting my app's server-side components? or MS Azure?
3. Can anyone please suggest me tutorials/reference resources that can help me build the kind of app I mentioned above (client and remote server with web-services)? I have a couple of reference books for windows 8 app development. But I want a reference that could give me right step-by-step directions/approach for building the app.
4. Should I go for ASP.NET Web API or Web services or WCF services?
Would be very thankful if anyone could please suggest something to my above problems. Regards.
Q1. I have to build this app in a month. Is it practically possible? Does learning windows 8 app development and building web-services in ASP.NET involve a steep learning curve considering what I know?
A: Since you have the C# knowledge, it shouldn't be too bad of a learning curve. You will probably struggle more with the XAML than anything else. Overally it is very easy to build windows 8 apps if you have a C#/.net background. Depending on the functionality you want to include, a month is not unrealistic for a basic application.
Q2. Should I really go for Amazon EC2 for hosting my app's server-side components? or MS Azure?
A: The differences are minor. Each of them offer very similar functionality. Since Azure was built for the Microsoft stack they may have some better tools to get things done, but in the end, your experiences will probably be similar either way you go. I've used both and usually price is the determining factor for me over the minor differences in functionality.
Q3. Can anyone please suggest me tutorials/reference resources that can help me build the kind of app I mentioned above (client and remote server with web-services)? I have a couple of reference books for windows 8 app development. But I want a reference that could give me right step-by-step directions/approach for building the app.
A: You are not going to find step by step instructions for building your specific app. Many of the examples you find on the web are contrived and simple, because they are the easiest to document and create tutorials for. With that being said, there are loads of sites that have documentation on the basics. Start with an article like this on MSDN and take it from there. Plan on building it interactively and think about decisions you make to determine if they may paint you into a corner down the road.
Q4. Should I go for ASP.NET Web API or Web services or WCF services?
A: WCF.