It is the season for wishes. And as I was putting the request for Android support in my top cases, I noticed 11151 - Add support for building apps for Google’s Android mobile smartphone OS is now ranking 2nd. Just a little push and it will be just as first as iOS was before the good Xojo fairy made it happen.
Not gonna happen anytime soon. Xojo started working on iOS years ago and the 1st version was just released. Even if they start work on Android now, it’ll take years and years.
I’d like to see Android support too but I don’t want to see the Xojo team spread too thin. There’s a lot more work to be done on iOS, not too mention poor Windows…
I stopped believing in Santa long ago, but it does not mean we should not ask. Indeed it took two pregnancies times to get iOS, so it cannot be quick. However, and since Norman reminded us recently it was neither yes or no on this issue, I feel it is time for Xojo to at least consider it.
Half the total number of computing devices is an awfully big market share to ignore.
For some of us, times are changing fast, and if in the Apple world we are lucky Mac OS X holds it’s ground for now, seeing Microsoft admit that Windows market share is now 15% only is downright frightening. Now I understand why the Windows Store does less business than the MAS. We better leap branches before the tree starts to fall.
For Xojo, it may be even more pressing. Already, some of their customers have fled to the greener grass of portable device cross platform solutions, such as Xamarin, Livecode or others. There were some vocal posts lately about that. Die hard aficionados like me will remain faithful to the company, but business is business. I would prefer to use Xojo to address the Android market, but since I cannot, I will be forced to use something else. For me it is B4A, for other it will be those I mentioned or just the Google tools. At any rate, once the code will have been produced, chances are we will stick to it and will not switch to Xojo unless some really strong technical reason. For all intents and purposes, customership will have been gone.
I never said it was urgent. But it is important.
The last thing we want is for Xojo to lose perspective on existing products. The priority should remain the existing customer base, and completing the fledgeling new born iOS.
When poor Windows represented 90% of the market, last decade, it should probably have been utter priority, but it was not. Yet Xojo thrived as a major development tool for Mac, as well as an outstanding Web app RAD.
Today Windows is very sick and en route to represent less than iOS. I have always been a strong defender of that platform and will continue to be, but it is a lot less easy to claim priority.
I am sure Geoff will keep a healthy perspective on all that. After all, it is his interest.
Finally, we really are programming differently for mobile. It’s not the same thing: small screen, no keyboard practice, no constant Internet connection, organization of information on the screen completely different, much more intensive use of external modules (scan a barcode with the camera, use contacts from the address book, use the notifications instead emails, use the sms, differently manage printing, use beacons or connected objects, authenticate via facebook, twitter, or the fingerprint sensor, use other sensors of the mobile, pay more attention to memory, power consumption, etc.).
Even the database is generally smaller and organized a little differently. In the end, there are really a lot of codes and features that are shared between mobile platforms. There are of course also code that can be shared with desktop applications, but it is often less important.
[quote=154355:@Rich Hatfield]The neat thing about statistics is that it just depends which chart you grab to prove a point.
Net Market Share shows windows still in the lead in the Desktop Operating Market.
[/quote]
I never said it was not still the leader in Desktop. Fact is desktop is only a portion today of a greater ensemble. And Microsoft admitted publicly Windows will not represent in new sales more than 15 % of it. The statistics you posted show quite rightly a huge installed base, but that only reflects the past.
You are right, mobile is becoming increasingly import @Michel Bujardet . But still, I would prefer only 3 platforms, 95% stable, over even more platforms, 50% stable. There are enough good working alternatives out there now, and Xojo is far behind on the Android platform anyway. Looking at the new iOS platform, there is indeed still a lot to do before I’ll be able to create the app I have in mind. And as the other Android tools have such a rich feature base already, Xojo would have a very hard time to get even somewhere in their neighborhood.
So, Let the cobbler stick to his last. Getting a stable Xojo should be top priority now. Market confidence is really what Xojo needs right now.
There’s so many ways to get on Android already, its evolving so fast the other IDE’s always seem to be left behind
I work for a small company and they spread themselves to thin at times trying to keep up, as a result the details often get neglected and the competition, the whiners etc use it for ammo
Like others I’d like to see the Xojo guys iron out the various problems than add to them, if I want Android I can get it now anyway
There’s also some things to consider for Android and how important are they to you
APK’s are dead easy to decompile into some version of source code that can be recompiled. Does that matter to YOU ?
Obfuscation is one option but its still easy to decompile. If so that certainly influences what we would need to do as far as supporting Android.
While its convenient to talk about “Android” (much like it is easy to talk about iOS) the reality if that we would likely have to target some minimum version and not support others the same as we do for any other OS (we do this for OS X, Windows Linux & iOS). Which version would YOU want as the minimum ?
Minimum version: Android 4.1 seems to be a good compromise.
By the end of 2015, 4.2
But if you have lot less work by supporting only 4.4 and 5, it will be satisfied. The key is to start with something …
Android applications are decompilables? Ok, that’s good to know, the sensitive work will be done on the server. it does not prevent me from responding to market demand. The main thing is to start working.
yes it starts to be a lot of delay for Windows also …
2015, IOS and the 64-bit year?
2016, Windows year?
2017 Android year?
it is far.
In fact, it seems difficult to maintain all these platforms for a small business like Xojo … Especially the speed at which each platform is now evolving.
One solution might be to integrate an open-source solution for some platforms, such as Titanium Hyperloop. There would probably need less resources (compiler …)
What does “focus on Windows” mean, exactly? That’s kind of a broad statement. What do people specifically want to see that they can’t do now? Serious question from a Windows-only user.
[quote=154394:@olivier vidal]
Android applications are decompilables? Ok, that’s good to know, the sensitive work will be done on the server. it does not prevent me from responding to market demand. The main thing is to start working.[/quote]
Google for “decompile APK”
Doing all the work on the server means your app HAS to be connected all the time. That’s painful.
My notes are not indication of any “focus” - just FYI
Just things that users probably need to think about when they ask for “supporting android”
Expressing an opinion on how important those points are will certainly help guide whatever we do whenever we do it (but thats no indication of priority)
