why use xcode if monotouch is available?

Question

if mono touch is available than why we should use mac environment(sdk,xcode+Interface Builder)?

what are the disadvantage of monotouch compare to xcode?

Answer 1

I always prefer working in the language that is most philosophically aligned with the platform I am developing for.

That is to say, the frameworks the whole platform is built around were written for and in Objective-C. As such, if you are working in Objective-C yourself for a while you understand why things are built the way they are, and can also anticipate calls that might exist or behaviors.

Just as I would not develop for Windows Phone 7 in anything but Silverlight, I would not program the iPhone in anything but Objective-C in order to get the most out of the platform. New language? That's a benefit as people should learn new languages now and then anyway. And it's not like it saves you that much time to use a language you already know since a large majority of your time will be spent learning the frameworks (which MonoTouch lets you call into).

Answer 2

I feel like this needs an answer from the MT camp, too.

Why eat fish, if you can have meat? Why speak German, if English is understood? Why watch CNN if there is FOX? Why vote vote for the Republicans if there are the Democrats? Why...? And so on.

It is your choice! If you have worked with C# for a long time and want to have quick results on iOS, go MonoTouch. Especially if you have a collection of APIs or methods you can reuse, MT is the way to go. If you want to learn a new language (ObjC), go for it. Even if you use MT in the end, knowing ObjC is somehow crucial because it helps you understand why things work as they do.