Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Saw this on GSMarena allowing Mr. Public to make Apps, what do people think? Is it opening the doors for rubbish apps or a good move that will benefit the platform?

http://blog.gsmarena.com/everyone-is...-app-inventor/

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

It has been done before. The typical result is that even fewer people make an effort to find the work of others before embarking on their pet project.

And with this example, "Click to miaow!", it only makes it worse.

And yes, I'm most likely biased by being a professional software developer, but I'm already so very disappointed by what people churn out and try to pass off as "code".

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Among the rubbish test apps, there'll be some gems.

As long as there is good selection mechanism at the distribution center (app store), so the creams can rise to the top and get proper recognition, then this is a good thing.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Palm have had something like this for a while with their Web OS platform I think - not sure on what the results have been though? Their version seems more powerful than this though so I'm not exactly sure.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Even though this invariably will bring about a ton af crap apps, I am 100% for something like this. I think it's awesome and for the curious will hand hold them to understanding code and encourage the curious and talented to learn more.

This obliterates the entry level learning curve. Bravo.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

its a good move if my n900 gets apps out of it!

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Bravo for lowering the entry barriers for the platform.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Think this is in principle a great move by Android....why shouldn't users get in on making their own apps if they want?

FYI, my understanding is that idea is for users to create apps to use on their own personal devices. Not necessarily to foist upon everyone in the App Market....although that will be possible I understand....

So, hopefully, only decent quality apps will make it from user device to marketplace.....hopefully, that is.... :rolleyes:

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

From experience, this does NOT help on the entry level - on the contrary. It stops people who WOULD have been willing to learn the basics from doing so, because it creates the illusion of the basics no longer being necessary.

Without automatic code creation, people are more or less "forced" to learn the basics, so anybody even remotely interested will have to do so. After their first success in doing so, they'll either get deeper into the process of writing applications, or leave because they decided it's not worth the trouble.

With automatic code creation, nobody has to go through this first step. But then, when it comes to getting deeper into the language, they would have to learn the basics first - and then human instinct for going the easiest route kicks in in form of "I can create something with a few clicks - why should I now try to do the same by writing cryptic lines of code instead?" - so potential future developers decide to stay with the automatic code creation process, instead.

And while of course the rare gem might spring forth from it, 99.99% of all applications created that way will be fart/lightsaber/vuvuzela apps.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

nokia does the same thing.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Good points, Naithraben....

As I've been teaching myself programming over the past few years off and on, I can fully relate to your points...

However, I don't think that ALL people trying out this approach, will try and then just stop if they hit a roadblock, at least a small percentage I would think might be inspired to seek out more knowledge. The rest will just drop out as you're suggesting...which is OK too...

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

True, but it's a shame that the percentage of "drop outs" is actually higher than without a code creator, for those who fall prey to human laziness wouldn't necessarily have made bad developers (especially since developers are lazy by definition :D).

Then again, like you wrote, it helps with people creating simple apps for themselves, so manpower is not "wasted" on doing it for them. I guess that way it kind of compensates for the lower number of developers.

So, in my opinion, it's a bit harmful from a developer's point of view but actually a bit of an advantage for the community itself.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

I'm not sure if this thing will take away programmer 'candidates' than actually add a class of 'casual programmers' who have more potential to take the steps further to learn a more structured approach to programming.

I think these casual programmers will bring interesting apps from their respective fields of interests, which are certainly broader than what is currently there already.

And more meow apps.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

This has been done before, multiple times, and has gone two ways:

* the no-typing way (done by Microsoft, and way better): Dead before it hit the ground. Works well for hello world, meow, but on the next step it's way faster by keyboard, and before the first 2 days you feel like the whole graphical thing is holding back. If you spend 4 weeks doing an app that can be summed to 10 lines you're doing it wrong.

* the start easy-then-type (done by everyone, it's called a RAD Tool). Works great to speed up the repetitive task of adding buttons, arranging, assigning components. Once these are done, you F12 back to the editor and type like there's no tomorrow. Point being, you have to code, there is no help there.

Either way, all it did was raise absolutely-zero level to can-make-an-app-that-meows, by teaching you nothing. The curve hasn't changed, if you want to write an app you still need to learn to code.

Besides, all it did is ensure there are going to be a shovel-load of stupid, do-nothing, click to make funny sound apps. It will look good in 5 months when Android has 1 million apps. It's just that 950.000 can be replaced by 4 lines of code.

I still hold hope, though. Embarcadero is reviving Kylix code and, with just a bit of luck, it could come to ARM.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

One thing is certain: we need a meow app to remain competitive.

It's the new hello world.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

And if we want to take the lead from Apple and Android, we should have a meow/fart app....2 apps in 1!!!!

;)

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

That supports half a dozen cryptic command line parameters, of course.

meowfart --type bobcat --juicy 4 --osso-hack-around-silent-mode true

Agree with comments on shifting, but not actually lowering, learning curve.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

This is a great point, b/c app count is endlessly quoted in newspaper articles. The next step, of course, is asking how many apps are not junk, but this is much harder to measure. App count is very important in the press, and here Maemo's practice of resetting the app count to zero every time a new version of the OS comes out has just GOT to be fixed in MeeGo (related thread is here).

This kind of thing might also generate more niche apps. The value of a huge app store is the same value as cable: not that you really need all those channels, but if you have all those channels, it increases the chance that you'll find one right for you.

It also might be a path for people to get into serious programming. What if people use the tool & get the hang of it, but run up against its barriers? Well, have it spit out code in the language (Java or Python or whatever) and then learn that language? I admit -- I'm not sure how often this will really happen, but I have to think it will whet at least some people's appetites.

It might also be a way for middle-grade programmers to quickly put together an interface and then hook in the more complicated plumbing later.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Somebody has to make the make noise, drink beer, etc.. apps. Heck maybe that will companies will have developers make apps that need to be apps instead of something that could be run off a simple webpage. :P

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Hell yes! I still have my boxed copy laying around. Too bad Kylix is nothing more than Delphi, but that's what I used second most with OpenGL back in the day.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

If you and I could please step outside, and we'll settle this like forest dwellers.

:)

What do you mean nothing more than Delphi? Besides, they are reviving the code, not the product. That is, Delphi will finally reunite into the motherload, compiling for 3 OSs under the same IDE.

Architect unified several languages, and with the compiler made cross-platform you have the ability to use several languages on several platforms.

Man I can't wait. I think I'll have to sell my car, though.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

hahaha.

I'm admittedly an ol' C++ programmer that's refused to go back to that - if I have to deal with memory pointers ever again in my lifetime, I'll end up on CNN. But with that said, I'm not the biggest Delphi fan, but I can recognize a good platform when I see one.

And Kylix allowed me to push out some thick client stuff rapidly when I needed it to be done faster than I could have done so in C at the time (was too rusty and oddly placed on a project I should have never been part of)...

No need to take care of things like forest dwellers though ;)

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Would like to see one for n900 app development.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Surprising. I did most of my early programming using Delphi, and was excited as Borland pushed towards Linux with Kylix.

The primary downside I see is multiple layers of UI toolkit (VCL -> Qt) and the fact that even the most basic editions cost almost $1000, which is a hard charge when core platform tools are both free and open.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

It already sorta does exist... Ovi App Wizard and Qt Creator.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Toolkit overhead should be low, if they actually go on with this.

And yes, it's pretty steep, but if it covers W32, Mac and Linux, it's worth the cash. As a serious coder, it's not a very high price to pay, but I agree it's not exactly accessible.

However, (for Windows only) there's the Explorer version that, for the lowly price of not having IDE plugin enhancements and having to use open components, is free.

Don't think they update it though. So, likely, no cross-compiler.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

There's a third way: UML :)

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

The one reason this WILL NOT flood the market:

Yeah, people are not going to pay that. This is clearly for making quick custom apps, or prototyping apps, or maybe making a legit app.

Re: Everyone is a developer with Android App Inventor
 

Looks nice, but honestly speaking I do not see any practical use of this tool. Any more or less useful app needs some code logic behind the UI (something a bit more complicated than just connecting sound to button click event :)). How can I implement for example Quick Sort algorithm or write Chess game?

As for me it was better to provide such kind of tool with an Android SDK just to help developers to create UI, but not as separate standalone tool.