Choice #1: Cross-Platform or Platform Specific
Products across the development landscape fall into two categories: cross-platform or platform specific-products.
Cross-platform tools give developers the ability to build projects on any platform, such as Windows, Mac or Linux. In the case of mobile development, cross-platform refers to mobile platforms such as Android, iPhone, Windows, BlackBerry or Samsung.
Platform-specific tools are products that focus on development for a single platform.
Developers tend to prefer products that are cross-platform, providing the ability to create products that work universally while cutting down on development time. However, some platform-specific products provide developers with tools to utilize native features.
What this means for software providers: Developers want a product that allows them to build projects across platforms, or one that utilizes a specific platform's native capabilities. Software providers should highlight product features in the category to properly target their audiences.
What this means for software buyers: Developers should consider which platforms a project will run on before purchasing development software.