Experienced Lua Devs, what are your feeling on using Lua for developing typical non-gaming apps? Apps that are more like websites, data based, or utilize built-in phone features.
For me, Lua isn’t really the issue. The issues I have revolve around Corona and the widget API. For starters, it could use more widgets. But more importantly the ones that are included can be buggy and require you to jump through many loopholes to get simple effects. For small simple projects you’ll be ok using Corona. For larger ones I’d look elsewhere.
If you look at the Business Apps sub-forum you can find a few lively threads on pros/cons of Corona SDK for non-game-app use : http://forums.coronalabs.com/forum/101-business-apps/
In response to your questions,
You can interact with the internet and develop web enabled apps. That definition is very wide of course so your mileage may vary in terms of what you need to do and what you can do.
Corona SDK supports SQLite databases so you can build database driven apps. As JonPM wrote above, the challenges you will face will be displaying or interacting with your data with the widget library that is part of Corona SDK.
Currently the built in phone features such as the Contacts or Calendars are not supported.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
Just throwing in an opinion…
I’ve just made an attempt to rewrite one of my business apps (http://www.stevejarman.com/travelog/) with Corona as I felt that going forward, it might be a little easier to maintain.
I gave up about half way through the process as the widgets available are just far too difficult to work with and seem pretty unstable and buggy.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend anyone attempt to write business apps with Corona, at least, not for iOS if you’re going for the “real” iOS look and feel. To be honest, I’m not even sure some of the Corona widgets would make it past the App Store submission process for UI guidelines.
For games, Corona appears to be excellent. For business apps, stick with Xcode.
Another opinion along the same lines. Quite visible one too…
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/app-builder/cross-platform-vs-native-development-corona-sdk/2841
I have not used the Corona Widgets, but I have built extensive and highly widget dependent apps with the Widget Candy widget library. Very extensive, very stable, highly responsive developer. Everything else about Corona that is good for games applies to these business apps.
Must admit, Widget Candy actually looks pretty cool. Might consider trying that out.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend anyone attempt to write business apps with Corona, at least, not for iOS if you’re going for the “real” iOS look and feel. To be honest, I’m not even sure some of the Corona widgets would make it past the App Store submission process for UI guidelines.
They make it past the approval process just fine. There are many people here who are using Corona SDK for Biz apps.
Not without swearing and gnashing of teeth, mind you, but we’re doing it. 
I think the key is knowing what Corona can do (and can’t) before you decide to do a specific app. As long as you’re not needing something uncommon, you get rapid development with Corona that you don’t get with anything else.
Working with v1 widgets was easier than it has been with v2 so far, but my Alaska Leads app was switched to v2 widgets a while back and works pretty much as well as when it was using v1. And v2 widgets are getting there. (I wouldn’t have switched from v1 if I’d had a choice, but at this point I’m starting new projects with v2.)
Jay
PS - The “swearing and gnashing of teeth” comment was made in jest. Mostly. 
I think what I was mostly getting at was this:
If you’re already using Corona to make games, then sure you could pretty quickly whip up a non-game type app with the experience you already have. BUT, if you’re coming to Corona purely to use it as a non-game, app development tool, I’m not convinced that it can compete with spending a little extra time and learning native iOS and Android app development.
I do like the look of this Widget Candy though. I guess one of the points of using Corona (and it counters something I previously said) is that you can (arguably) more easily create a very unique looking app. That seems especially true with the skin options in Widget Candy.
I’m going to give it another shot and see how it goes. I just wish the built-in widget library was more extensive and better developed. It always gets a little dicey when you have to start using third-party libraries (Widget Candy) for core functionality (GUI). I’ve already seen a couple of threads questioning whether or not the Widget Candy developers are still active?
Anyway, I’m rambling. Bottom line, I’m really keen to use Corona because I’m a big fan of Lua and multi-platform development. I just don’t want to end up compromising the end result - creating weaker apps - just to save myself development time… if that makes sense.
Widget Candy guys just released an update a month ago, they are still very active. And I think “a little extra time” to learn native iOS AND Android app development might be understating the commitment a bit…
Still, I do agree that dependence on 3rd party libs can be dicey. We’ve hacked up the Widget Candy code quite a bit to serve our needs, though, so now it’s not really 3rd party :)
Well that’s good to know (i.e. that they’re updating it). I think I’ll buy a copy of Widget Candy. If nothing else, it will be fun to play around with it and experiment a little. I’m totally in love with the Corona style of development - working in Sublime, Alt-Tabbing over and seeing immediate changes, etc. I’m determined to at least make SOMETHING with Corona
For me, Lua isn’t really the issue. The issues I have revolve around Corona and the widget API. For starters, it could use more widgets. But more importantly the ones that are included can be buggy and require you to jump through many loopholes to get simple effects. For small simple projects you’ll be ok using Corona. For larger ones I’d look elsewhere.
If you look at the Business Apps sub-forum you can find a few lively threads on pros/cons of Corona SDK for non-game-app use : http://forums.coronalabs.com/forum/101-business-apps/
In response to your questions,
You can interact with the internet and develop web enabled apps. That definition is very wide of course so your mileage may vary in terms of what you need to do and what you can do.
Corona SDK supports SQLite databases so you can build database driven apps. As JonPM wrote above, the challenges you will face will be displaying or interacting with your data with the widget library that is part of Corona SDK.
Currently the built in phone features such as the Contacts or Calendars are not supported.
Hope this helps. Cheers.
Just throwing in an opinion…
I’ve just made an attempt to rewrite one of my business apps (http://www.stevejarman.com/travelog/) with Corona as I felt that going forward, it might be a little easier to maintain.
I gave up about half way through the process as the widgets available are just far too difficult to work with and seem pretty unstable and buggy.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend anyone attempt to write business apps with Corona, at least, not for iOS if you’re going for the “real” iOS look and feel. To be honest, I’m not even sure some of the Corona widgets would make it past the App Store submission process for UI guidelines.
For games, Corona appears to be excellent. For business apps, stick with Xcode.
Another opinion along the same lines. Quite visible one too…
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/app-builder/cross-platform-vs-native-development-corona-sdk/2841
I have not used the Corona Widgets, but I have built extensive and highly widget dependent apps with the Widget Candy widget library. Very extensive, very stable, highly responsive developer. Everything else about Corona that is good for games applies to these business apps.
Must admit, Widget Candy actually looks pretty cool. Might consider trying that out.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend anyone attempt to write business apps with Corona, at least, not for iOS if you’re going for the “real” iOS look and feel. To be honest, I’m not even sure some of the Corona widgets would make it past the App Store submission process for UI guidelines.
They make it past the approval process just fine. There are many people here who are using Corona SDK for Biz apps.
Not without swearing and gnashing of teeth, mind you, but we’re doing it.
I think the key is knowing what Corona can do (and can’t) before you decide to do a specific app. As long as you’re not needing something uncommon, you get rapid development with Corona that you don’t get with anything else.
Working with v1 widgets was easier than it has been with v2 so far, but my Alaska Leads app was switched to v2 widgets a while back and works pretty much as well as when it was using v1. And v2 widgets are getting there. (I wouldn’t have switched from v1 if I’d had a choice, but at this point I’m starting new projects with v2.)
Jay
PS - The “swearing and gnashing of teeth” comment was made in jest. Mostly.
I think what I was mostly getting at was this:
If you’re already using Corona to make games, then sure you could pretty quickly whip up a non-game type app with the experience you already have. BUT, if you’re coming to Corona purely to use it as a non-game, app development tool, I’m not convinced that it can compete with spending a little extra time and learning native iOS and Android app development.
I do like the look of this Widget Candy though. I guess one of the points of using Corona (and it counters something I previously said) is that you can (arguably) more easily create a very unique looking app. That seems especially true with the skin options in Widget Candy.
I’m going to give it another shot and see how it goes. I just wish the built-in widget library was more extensive and better developed. It always gets a little dicey when you have to start using third-party libraries (Widget Candy) for core functionality (GUI). I’ve already seen a couple of threads questioning whether or not the Widget Candy developers are still active?
Anyway, I’m rambling. Bottom line, I’m really keen to use Corona because I’m a big fan of Lua and multi-platform development. I just don’t want to end up compromising the end result - creating weaker apps - just to save myself development time… if that makes sense.
Widget Candy guys just released an update a month ago, they are still very active. And I think “a little extra time” to learn native iOS AND Android app development might be understating the commitment a bit…
Still, I do agree that dependence on 3rd party libs can be dicey. We’ve hacked up the Widget Candy code quite a bit to serve our needs, though, so now it’s not really 3rd party :)