[Windows Mobile Development and Hacking General] Apical:
Thank You, and keep it comin!

This thread has been tremendously helpful. I am just starting out on the Developer journey and it can be quite overwhelming. I could spend quite a bit of time sorting out bookmarks alone. In fact I don't think I have ever structured folders in my bookmarks so elaborately in the past. There is just so many avenues to explore and so many of them are necessary to arrive at the destination. I really feel like I am going in circles but its worthwhile for me to do just that right now before I venture to far down one particular direction. I just don't want to hop on the freeway in the wrong direction and then find out its 20 miles till the next exit. Right now I just want to find the Ultimate developers package everything I need to develop software for the latest and greatest Windows Mobile devices. So far I cant help but coming right back to the mothership MICROSOFT. I see all of the available solutions and the temptation to start learning something FREE or inexpensive or easier is there but I want the best no matter how hard it is to get or learn. Even then It can be difficult to commit to the learning process. I have a clean slate and I just want to be an efficient developing machine with unlimited potential. So tell me please if I am right or wrong. I have mostly come to the conclusion That Visual Studios 8 Pro is the development software of choice for me (Would you disagree if it were completely free?) Honestly is there something better? Then there all the addins, plugins, SDKs, emulators, and what not to include with it that generally don't seem to cost any extra. I am finding that C++ seems to be the ideal program ( If you don't know spit anyways). It seems a lot of peoples opinions are that it can be more difficult to learn and a little less productive yet can produce smaller faster programs with less managed software. This will allow me to produce programs for more devices that are less likely to become obsolete or difficult to update. I have read that using Win32 can be easier than .net3.5 and also wonder if it makes sense to use 3.5 when many devices don't even come with it pre-loaded including my ATT FUZE or Raphael as its called here. This means that portability and distribution can be limited for a while ( even to my own phone until I upgrade it ) I guess my point is that maybe cutting edge should be left to the pros who are helping to sharpen it and make it more useful and win32 would be useful for some time. Or should I at least start with .net2.0 so that moving along wont be so confusing. I also heard that .net cf can be slower. I hope someone can give me a quick flaming to help me go in the correct direction. Nothing I have said is fact just a newbie perception. I hardly understand what some of this stuff is eventually gonna do for my programs. Some day I will have to give back and make the ultimate newbie developer page I hope I remember then what I am struggling with now. Is there one out there already? If Joe been there done that sees this could he please rip me a new one so I can get on with it! Thanks again I love XDA and BTW this is my First post here (I think)

P.S. Sorry for being so assertive, I really do want to hear all of your thoughts on this. I am just getting tired of researching instead of learning if that makes sense. In fact one question I have is whether or not anyone knows if C# has more support for the .net cf and if so does that justify learning it over C++.