On Sun, Nov 22, 2009 at 10:07 PM, Ragi Y. Burhum <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Date: Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:06:11 -0800 >> From: "John R. Hogerhuis" <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: [LinuxUsers] Interesting article about how an open >> platform impedes developer success >> >> >> Well, yeah... developers like to whine about testing against multiple >> OS versions and platforms since it is definitely a cost. >> >> For comparison though, it's probably much less trouble than testing >> against multiple browsers and browser versions. >> > > Actually, I will give you a pretty simple example. Getting the screen size > of the phone. You would think something as basic as this wouldn't be an > issue, but it works differently on three Android devices. Anyone that has > tried to build any OpenGL application that works across the board on any > mobile platform will tell you that fragmentation is more than just whining. >
The only question to ask I guess is whether Google fixes these problems in subsequent releases, and tries generally to avoid this kind of stuff to begin with. If not I think it is less as an issue of openness as an issue of APIs not being comprehensive enough. > And by the way, using phone testing shops is expensive as hell. Renting > "remote phones" to test over the internet also is. I think of whining as complaining when you have to make concessions to reality, particularly if they should have been obvious to begin with. I am not sure how else it is supposed to work. It's not good business to sell an app for a os version + device that it has not been tested with. You have to fill out the test matrix, or you are selling alpha/beta software. This has nothing to do with openness. It has to do with the total addressable market you can achieve given your level of investment. As a small company it seems you should bootstrap by testing and selling your app for a limited number of handsets and operating system versions. Then as you see success you can add support for additional handsets. The problem is intrinsic to any market that isn't a monoculture like the iPhone with relatively undifferentiated hardware and software. But there is an attendant upside that should compensate... you can sell your apps to more people using more carriers, and more phones. I wonder, does Google let you limit sales to specific handsets and software versions or do you have to sell for all of them? Here's a thought... maybe Google could set up a discounted "Android Alpha" marketplace. Applications could start on the alpha marketplace... download apps from there, and provide bug reports / testing based on their specific handset + OS version. Programs would be available for a limited period of time. Bug reporting would be private. Use a distributed bug moderation system to judge bug report entries, and award dollars or store credits. Sort of a distributed testing service. -- John. _______________________________________________ LinuxUsers mailing list [email protected] http://socallinux.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linuxusers
