I'm using VS 2017 Community. Xamarin is installed. I've created a few very tiny apps which sort of run. I'm used to creating C# native Windows apps. I build them and then run them. I do not know if my Xamarin experience is normal or due to something not right.
I'll create an app, like "Phoneword" from docs.microsoft.com/en-us/xamarin/xamarin-forms/get-started/hello-xamarin-forms/quickstart
It compiled. I am running the Android Device Manager (which I assume is required), Android_Accelerated_X86_Oreo.
Is that the "right one"? I don't know. Do I need ADB? I don't know.
So I built my PhoneWord app; the Android window appears but nothing happens. It's blank. I do this a few times and finally the app does come up. Is that normal? I mean, do these apps take a very long time to start up? I put a breakpoint on MainPage.xaml.cs InitializeComponent() and it's reached so that's hopeful. Anyway, after a few times the app does appear and, slow as it is, I can interact with it.
I built (based on developer.okta.com/blog/2018/01/10/build-app-for-ios-android-with-xamarin) HelloApp. That too worked but seems to be running outside of the VS environment.
The apps are very slow to come up. Is this normal? or due to components being out of date, perhaps? My computer has 8gB of memory.
BESIDES ALL THIS, What I am trying to do is port an app I have in WIndows (winforms app) to Android. It will have a few screens, no web portion at all. I am porting it so avoid the years-long rewrite of some central code.
Any pointers, references, recommendations, etc., are totally welcome.
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