I know, there has been some mentioning about this before. Yet, I think
one thing we never have seen, is any good suggestion as to a fix.
The App Central provided by GW, has different categories where you are
supposed to place your app. My guess is that these categories were made
up in a time when things were less complicated. Long as the apps listed
on the central were plainly dealing with one particular issue, it was
maybe more obvious where to put it. As time has gone by, though, the
picture is more diverse. Personally, when I was to upload my apps, I was
a bit bewildered where to put them.
For one thing, I did not find any good specification as to what each
category is supposed to include. Would have been great, if there was
some kind of advice on the central, telling the different categories,
and outlining some basic rules for how to categorize my product.
Furthermore, I and others, have long felt that the categories could do
with a shiny update. Let me just mention some update, that I immediately
feel could be of interest. Maybe others have suggestions for further
improvements. And perhaps it will ease the job for GW, if they get good
ideas for better categorization.
Up through the years, we have seen a couple of apps hit the market, that
basically may be of some "jokey" or "curiosity" interest. Things like
the Commercial app, or the Notepad app (that simply aplaudes you for
opening the Notepad window). Name me a fool, but I really don't find
these apps to increase my productivity, they do not enhance any of my
software, and you will hardly name them amongst the utilities. No, guys,
I am not trying to argue the validity of any app at all, simply just
trying to illustrate, there is really no good category available on App
Central, where this kind of gadgets would fit in. How about a category
that was named something like:
"Funny Gadgets",
or simply just,
"Gadgets".
Another example of apps that could do with their own category, is the
many apps we have seen hit the market, that one way or the other, deals
with different kinds of religious activity. Why not have a category named:
"Religious",
and the user would know where to look for that kind of apps, the
developer would know where to list it, and App Central would get a tiny
bit more tidy. :)
Several of the apps now available from App Central, deals strictly or at
least mainly with Braille displays, Braille formatting, and Braille
input. Now, how about a category simply named:
"Braille"?
You think that could do? :)
Also, since there is a couple of different programming languages that
are useful for app development - like JS, VBS and Python - and there is
some sample apps available for VBS and some for JS, how about having a
category named:
"App Samples",
and then one sub-category for each language. Then, if I want to see a
sample code for VBS, I could quickly go to the respective sub-category,
and choose from the options. As a sidenote here, I could wish for a
sub-category where developers could upload certain snip-its, if they
have good solutions for a given feature, that could be helpful for other
developers. Even some may have XML files, holding some general
information that could be implemented in apps from other developers. Let
me just give you one example that comes to mind. I recently wrote a
message on this list, dealing with the different country codes and
names, that would be used when internationalizing certain apps. All of
this could be dealt with in a standard XML file, and it could have been
uploaded to a "Sample code" sub-category on App Central. Anyone who
needs the complete list of countries, included all translated versions,
then could simply go there, and download the XML file. No more need for
every developer to invent the wheel all over. Smile. Many other cases
could come up, where that kind of a sharing point could be useful.
Yet another category I would like to see, would be named:
"Learning app development",
or anything like that. Again, this would not be the category for real
apps, but would for instance hold all the "Scripting Classes" from Chip
Orange, and could include different articles from developers on general
issues that an app developer would have to deal with.
Allright, these were just some of the ideas I have been considering,
when comes to a more organized App Central. Let me - in the same token -
bring out a wish to GW, for a tiny extra feature in the AppGet facility.
Would it be possible, under the View menu, to have a checkbox that would
let me control if I want to see only "open sourced" apps. That is, all
apps that are distributed in the WEPM cryptized format, would not be
displayed. Why? Well, if I am in search of some code that would samplify
to me how to deal with a certain kind of activity, it is somehow
frustrating to download and install an app that you don't really need,
and find it is cryptized, so you will have no use of it at all. I am
welll aware, there may be thousands of reasons for distributing your
product cryptized, and do respect any developer who decide to do so.
yet, if I am in search for helpful code, it would be great if AppGet
would strip any cryptized apps from the list. Just a tiny wish. :)
Regards,
