Hi Shawn,
I would be ready to pay 20 or 30 euro, may be even more, for Loadstone app
with exploration mode and most of the functions it had on Symbian if it were
ported to Android. I am sure that many people who live in the developing
countries where Android is predominant would do the same. Also, consider
Russia and China, that have more Android than Apple products among the
sided, as well as among the blind. So the market for Android would be even
more profitable than that for Ios, and not only because of the bigger market
but also because of the fact that you can use a cheaper piece of hardware
for testing: and if the app works on a phone like, say, Samsung Galaxy s3
mini, it will most surely work on other devices. Then you do not have to buy
another phone, but you can make a beta, and all the subscribers to your beta
testing on google play would give you the problems with their specific
phones and possible solutions, so that you could work on it effectively
without paying a penny for an expensive hardware.
About Dave's words, please consider the fact that everyone gets nervous when
a non-constructive criticism starts coming, like what Dale did, with you
telling the things that were simply too subjective for a developer. Do not
talk about law and consequences, because the thread will become a lawsute
instead of a constructive discussion on how to render our favourite app
available for the most custommers, and that is where numbers matter, because
I can almost garantee that there are more Android users out there than those
of Ios, and Loadstone is for everyone, not for the privileged ones that can
aford an IPhone, but will surely complain because it is not free. With the
Android comunity you would be able to even profit a little, at least to
cover your expenses, and have more users have your app, which would then
surely make a greater motivation for you. Please, consider all this facts,
and I beg you to finally do it in an objective and self-critical manner.
Because if you say "yes, I am objective" it excludes self-criticism, and
without self-criticism we do not advance and don't get better.
Thanks, and I think that this will be my last message on this topic.
Best,
Miloš Pržić
Twitter: MilosPrzic
Skype: Milosh-hs
----- Original Message -----
From: "Shawn Kirkpatrick" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2015 9:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Loadstone] Porting to Android
I'm going to let most of this thread drop but I do want to address a
couple of valid points that did come up.
There is an explanation as to why the current version of loadstone hasn't
had any updates in quite a while. In order to sign a symbian program so it
could be installed to a nokia phone we had to use a process called symbian
signed. This process involved paying $200 per year for a publisher id and
$20 per program signed. The RNIB was sponsoring our publisher id. This
meant they were covering the $200 per year and providing all the
documentation needed for the publisher id. Sometime around 2010 they
decided to end there sponsorship. I forget the exact reason, either our
contact person left or it was some kind of funding decision but it left us
without a publisher id. This meant that we could not sign any new
loadstone releases. We tried to get another sponsor for the publisher id
but this was not a trivial process. Only a valid company could obtain a
publisher id, an individual could not get one and it required extensive
documentation and proof as well as the $200 per year fee. We were not able
to find another company willing to take this on. Then Microsoft bought
Nokia and killed the symbian signing process 2 years earlier than
expected. This effectively killed any further development on the symbian
series 60 platform, not just for us but for everyone. During this time the
loadstone code was being updated but couldn't be released to the general
public in a usable form. People can still download the very latest version
of the source code and compile it if they want but the only way to install
it to a device is to have a jailbroken phone. All this means that the
current symbian series60 version of loadstone will have no further
updates.
Now to address the money and open source issue.
The reason I went to croud funding for a loadstone port is a simple matter
of math. No matter how I ran the numbers there was just no way I was going
to be able to fund a port of any kind. Even if I maxed out everything it
still wouldn't be enough. I've put over a decade in to the open source
free version of loadstone and been glad to do it but the sad truth is that
it's drained all my resources. We've had some donations over the years but
for the most part the loadstone project has been funded by the loadstone
development team from our own pockets. This has included buying various
phones for testing, signing the releases, and running the database,
website, and mailing lists all from our personal computers.
I'm not sure if the loadstone port for the iphone (and android if that
ever happens) will be open source or not, I'm not exactly sure how that
works with these platforms. This bothers me, I happen to think that
software should be free/open source but if there are going to be fees to
maintain and develope it then they have to come from somewhere. It's
either charge a small fee per copy or rely on donations. Donations seem to
be hit and miss so it looks like the fee per copy method will have to do
unless something else can be worked out.
If you're wondering if a port will actually happen, the answer is yes.
Croud funding may lack accountability but since my own parents funded the
mac hardware that changes things. It basically means that come hell or
high watter I have to get something working, sooner is better. There's
also the fact that the loadstone site has been online since 2006 so it's
not like we're hard to find if we don't keep our word.
Now, for the rather serious matter. You stated that I posted a pack of
lies. You stated this on a public forum. It's been a while since I've
studied law but I'm pretty sure you're getting dangerously close to
slander unless you can prove what you say. You're going to have to back up
what you said or there may be consequences. I am not prepared to sit back
and take groundless insults especially over what may come down to a
difference of opinion or changing information about a rapidly developing
software platform.
On Thu, 22 Oct 2015, Dave Mielke wrote:
[quoted lines by Dale Leavens on 2015/10/22 at 18:26 -0400]
Hi:
Dave,
Frankly it is you who doesn't like Shawn's decision to port to the
iPhone. He has given his reasons. Just because you don't like them
doesn't mean they are invalid or that he is some sort of spoon fed
blind person.
No, not at all. You're making a huge assumption - that I even care if
Loadstone
is ported. Quite frankly (to borrow your term), I don't. I'm entirely
content
with applications that use Google Maps.
I've used Loadstone for usre, and I did like it, but it's now been years
since
it's had any kind of update. I've no guarantee, therefore, that it'll
ever have
any kind of meaningful updates. All I hear is "give me money and maybe
I'll
work on it". Quite frankly (there I go borrowing your phrase again),
there are
those of us who've poored our lives into open source software without
asking
for even a penny even though we've had significant expenses that we
gladly
covered with personal funds even though we have families and lots of
other
financial obligations.
So, quite frankly (there I go again - thank you for the phrase), be
careful
before you cast stones.
--
Dave Mielke | 2213 Fox Crescent | The Bible is the very Word of
God.
Phone: 1-613-726-0014 | Ottawa, Ontario | http://Mielke.cc/bible/
EMail: [email protected] | Canada K2A 1H7 | http://FamilyRadio.org/
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