Where Have All The Developers Gone - Android General

This pertains specifically to the recent LG release of ICS (with the NVIDIA accelerated hardware drivers) for the SU660 (Korean version of the Optimus 2X) and the lack of developer interest in porting it to the P990 and P999 versions of the same phone.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEVELOPERS GONE
Original words and music by Pete Seeger
Originally performed by Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger
Changed lyrics by Core Memory (Member of XDA Developers)
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the developers gone?
LG has disappointed them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the developers gone?
NVIDIA has disappointed them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?

Core Memory said:
This pertains specifically to the recent LG release of ICS (with the NVIDIA accelerated hardware drivers) for the SU660 (Korean version of the Optimus 2X) and the lack of developer interest in porting it to the P990 and P999 versions of the same phone.
WHERE HAVE ALL THE DEVELOPERS GONE
Original words and music by Pete Seeger
Originally performed by Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger
Changed lyrics by Core Memory (Member of XDA Developers)
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the developers gone?
LG has disappointed them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the developers gone?
Long time ago
Where have all the developers gone?
NVIDIA has disappointed them every one
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Developers always move on to new devices, and its always the case that the most popular devices have more developers. Every time a new version of a device comes out many will move to it as they wish to work on the best hardware etc

Related

My Biggest Problem with the Captivate - And It's Silly

First, let me say up front that I have the utmost respect for the developers in the Captivate forum. It's a handicapped device that has much more potential than I think we'll ever be able to tap, simply because there isn't much motivation for Samsung to fix its biggest issues. Let's face it: The things we like most about our favorite Android handsets are precisely the things that make them seem "too complex" to the non non-technical general public. I think that the Galaxy S line has been a huge dissapointment to enthusiasts, and a big "ooh, ahh" for the iPhone-types.
That being said, let me move on to my main gripe: Through my Droid Incredible, I fell in love with flashing ROMs. If it had a higher build number, I flashed it. And you know why? Because it was better a better build. Newer baseband versions fixed more problems than it caused. I could flash ROMs on a train versus needing to be at my desktop for an exhaustive multi-step shamble. And when ROMs were released from build to build, developers in general knew what to expect as far as results.
I simply can't say that that's true with the Captivate. I'm growing increasingly frustrated with this phone and it's idiocy. I hate having ROMs with "Beta 9.3.5" after their title. I hate that half of the releases are to take out some Samsung crap, replace it with some AOSP-like goodness, just to see what sticks.
Again, it's not a condemnation of the Devs. They have made this phone tolerable, which is no small task. I just think it's a sad state of affairs when an OS based on an open source foundation has been so brutally slapped together that it makes a phone with the looks and hardware specs of a Ferrari about as much fun to own and maintain as a Yugo.
Who's with me on this one?
EDIT:
I'm keeping my original post above, partly because there have been too many responses to make removing it reasonable, and partly because I'd like something to review the next time I decide to try and put my thoughts out there to the community.
I never imagined that I would draw so much criticism over this post. I honestly thought I did a pretty good job of making it apparent that I truly appreciate all of the developers' work. I'm a huge fan of the Android platform and of open source projects in general. Allow me to draw a poorly crafted and weak analogy, if I may:
I love my two-year old boy dearly. He's a fantastic kid and big bright spot in my life. He has asthma, and I really do hate providing his breathing treatments. It doesn't mean I'm not thankful for the technology that allows him to breathe, and I certainly wouldn't consider trading him in for a different model without such issues. I would, however, consider venting to other parents of an asthmatic child about how laborious the process of breathing treatments is, and how unfriendly it is towards children his age.
I'm not quite sure how I managed to come across as anti-open source, anti-developer, or at all unappreciative of our dedicated developers - but apparently that's exactly what I did, so for that I apologize. What is really awful is that with one well-intended post I feel that I have ostracized myself from a community that I thoroughly enjoy supporting.
So instead of being constructive... and building a ROM of your own or simply not using them, you're complaining? No one said you have to use them. No one said you have to update all the time.
Definitely not with you.
I think the fustration you're feeling is related to these only having being available to the masses for about 2 months. The modding community started with HTC phones, so they have the momentum. That being said the samsung community is making a lot of progress, and HTC/Samsung cross modding is in full swing. Be patient.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Thanks for your thoughts. I thought I had posted in "Captivate General", not "Captivate Troll." My mistake.
I have actually tried just about all the ROMs available. You may have noticed that I stated that this is not a Dev issue. I doubt many can do better than the talented developers we have here - I know I couldn't. Hell, even Samsung can't.
My point is that I think the Galaxy S line is a harbinger of things to come for Android. I hope I'm wrong, but as Android becomes increasingly mainstream, it also becomes increasingly less important to deliver function AND form.
The average consumer wants sexiness with phrases like "dual-core" listed in the specs, regardless of what the device can actually deliver.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
crayak said:
I think the fustration you're feeling is related to these only having being available to the masses for about 2 months. The modding community started with HTC phones, so they have the momentum. That being said the samsung community is making a lot of progress, and HTC/Samsung cross modding is in full swing. Be patient.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a good point, and I have no problem waiting. I suppose I was just sharing my reflections.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I share you feelings somewhat. Thats why I picked a ROM (Cognition 2.1.6) and will stick with it until Froyo officially drops for the Captivate. I also hate having to restore a phone after a flash which is why I choose not to do it often.
vbhines said:
My point is that I think the Galaxy S line is a harbinger of things to come for Android. I hope I'm wrong, but as Android becomes increasingly mainstream, it also becomes increasingly less important to deliver function AND form.
The average consumer wants sexiness with phrases like "dual-core" listed in the specs, regardless of what the device can actually deliver.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually agree here. But this is sort of Google's thing in a lot of areas. Google Wave, Google Buzz etc. Google MASTERS searching. And everything else they throw stuff on a wall and some sticks and some don't. I worried about that with Android from the very beginning. They often times release half finished products and then allow the devs to finish (or not in some cases) the future of the product/service.
By going to 100 different carriers in 100 different iterations google may very well stop caring about the polished product and just allow the devs to do the rest.
When I had my HTC Hero I had a Flash addiction. Now I just have decided to stick with one build and update it when updates happen. There have been quite a few VERY recent improvements. SetIron's kernel is a fine example. Stuff is happening at a much faster pace than it was when I got my phone 2 months ago. There are twice as many ROMS if not more. Things are going blow wide open when Official Froyo and its source code drop. I think there was stagnent developing at first because we all knew Froyo was coming. If we're lucky Froyo and Gingerbread will share the same kernel so porting IT won't be a big deal either.
FWIW, The Captivate hasn't been out anywhere near as long as the Incredible. Give the Devs some time - it can only get better.
rfarrah said:
FWIW, The Captivate hasn't been out anywhere near as long as the Incredible. Give the Devs some time - it can only get better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think his frustration is more that we have this incredible piece of hardware and the less than stellar job that Samsung has done to finish it off on the software side. If it wasn't for the devs/cookers I probably would have sold my Captivate by now, and I have only had it for 1 month, coming from a Milestone.
Samsung, hire some of these devs to fix your mess you call a kernel and os. Without the lagfixes from the devs this phone responds worse than my Milestone.
bradasmith said:
I think his frustration is more that we have this incredible piece of hardware and the less than stellar job that Samsung has done to finish it off on the software side. If it wasn't for the devs/cookers I probably would have sold my Captivate by now, and I have only had it for 1 month, coming from a Milestone.
Samsung, hire some of these devs to fix your mess you call a kernel and os. Without the lagfixes from the devs this phone responds worse than my Milestone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
Thank you for saying what I was trying to, but in far fewer words.
the galaxy s phones might be the last of the phones not locked by the manufacturer. and i like the samsung software package but dislike that it only works if x or y componant is still there. i dont get the appeal of aosp for an every day rom but i get that it is a transition for porting other things, once we know what we need to make the phone work with aosp we can make it work with anything. and i think that people arent giving samsung enough credit for support on the device. the stock rom was buggy and jf7 came out and made things better, now we are waiting on froyo and im sure it will be better yet, if the the leaked copies are an indication then froyo should be quite good.
i think the multi step proceedures is dev preferance for clearing data, there have been roms that you can flash over and keep everything. the other issue is lagfixes which aren't available(or needed) on other devices. the lagfix is part of those oh sh!t moments where you need odin, also having odin available is another avenue for the devs. if we could only flash from recovery you would see alot more cockwork flashable roms that are compatable with multiple lagfixes.
i messed with an evo and really got an apreciation for samsung, i felt the evo was of low build quality and that odin flashing a rooted rom is much more convenient than the rage against the cage meathod of adb pushing files and rooting and recovery flashing. rooting a galaxy s is rediculously easy, just an update.zip, or an one click app on the phone, or a one click app on a pc. or for froyo a 3click kernel flash in odin then an update.zip. or flashing a rooted rom with odin.
i have made many noob mistakes and taken risks and got it running every time. i dont know about the incredible but i think with some other devices i would have either bricked or pulled all my hair out fixing it.
i was in the airforce and one thing that people always said was that the two best bases are the one you last came from and the next one you are going to. people were always telling stories about "back in kirkland...." and "when i get to misawa..." but people were always complaining about there current base. i have a fealing that in year or two when we have new phones we will see many thing we hate about those as well. and if we had motorolas we'd hate those and if we had incredibles we see the galaxy s playing asphalt 5 from samsung apps and be like if only my phone could do 3d like that one.
I have one issue with my phone, the GPS. While I'm mad it doesn't really work it's something I NEVER use. Other than that I'm running the latest Cognition rom and couldn't be happier.
gunnyman said:
.....Things are going blow wide open when Official Froyo and its source code drop. I think there was stagnent developing at first because we all knew Froyo was coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this is 100% the reason. I fully expect that there will be some amazing things done and some great roms released.
I don't know if it was mentioned or not already but the reason why there are so many beta versions of roms and why newer versions open up issues is for the same reason as above, no source code available. So be patient and I promise you'll be kicking yourself for making this thread.
I am not a programmer, just a user with some technical expertise, but I love these open source OS's. I jumped on Linux as soon as MS Vista came out and the improvements and leaps forward by that community on the desktops has been amazing. When I opened a Win7 PC for the first time, I realized Microsoft is now copying Linux, not the other way around. Just last week I looked at the new MAC OS and I wanted to scream that they were ripping off the XFCE GUI in Linux. Linux is leading the way in Netbooks now and embedded devices are now a focus. If you have ever flashed a router with Tomato, or one of the other Linux router OS's, you know what amazing things routers are now capable of. And then we have smart phones and make no mistake, Android is just Linux in a smart phone. We don't have to deal with a proprietary systems from MS or Apple, where you only get what they hand out to you. This is Burger King baby, you get it your way. Google may be the name on this open source OS, but it belongs to us all. Google can not take this OS proprietary. Yet any time we, the people, wish we can spin off another branch of development with those things we want. OS's like Meego (and I'm sure there will be others) should be able to be ported over, if we wish, in the near future. We may be looking at an era where we can truly buy the smart phone of our choice, install our OS of choice and choose our carrier of choice with ease.
Bottomline here is you can help. If you are not a dev, or a programmer, you can still contribute to this by continuing to use these builds, and report bugs, and you can contribute money to any of the open source efforts, particularly in areas where you want to see more effort. You don't have to sit on the side lines anymore and just whine about how you are getting the short end of the stick by the big corporations. Open Source belongs to us all, take ownership.
i dont think apple is really copying xfce. ..macosx versions are terminal based and therefor unix like and very similar to linux. x11 window environments have been around for many year. xfce doesn't offer that much that i know of that isn't in others window managers. it is possible that the developers on all sides are taking ideas from each other, but i think since power user often have a lot of shortcuts setup to get through common tasks faster that they are implementing some of these things as presets. similarities can just as easily similar minds overcoming very common problems. granted many developers may be running alternate os's and may be inspired by the other. not that i dont believe in corperate espionage i certainly do but i think a lot of things are just obvious solutions.
the problem with phones is that the manufacturers can lock us out and the locks can be difficult to break. you are right that google doesnt own the os but the manufacturers have proprietary source along side the source that they must release because it was taken from google. at some point it makes development dificult. i think we need an emphasis on aosp to build roms from. not because i like the google software, i find it plain and ugly, but because once aosp is figured out there is more understanding of how it all fits together and ports become easier.
i just cant wait to see the day when we can custom order aosp compatible hardware and build phones based on what our priorities are and what we can afford. i know we cant actually solder the boards our selves with surface mount but it could be done on an assembly line with robots if a manufacturer decided to use them to there full potential.
vbhines said:
Thanks for your thoughts. I thought I had posted in "Captivate General", not "Captivate Troll." My mistake.
I have actually tried just about all the ROMs available. You may have noticed that I stated that this is not a Dev issue. I doubt many can do better than the talented developers we have here - I know I couldn't. Hell, even Samsung can't.
My point is that I think the Galaxy S line is a harbinger of things to come for Android. I hope I'm wrong, but as Android becomes increasingly mainstream, it also becomes increasingly less important to deliver function AND form.
The average consumer wants sexiness with phrases like "dual-core" listed in the specs, regardless of what the device can actually deliver.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree with your more about your criticism about Samsung - but I'm not sure how this applies for Android as a whole. The closest thing you can say is Android fails to exclude poorly performing companies - but that's not much of a statement, is it?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
GreenWolf70 said:
I am not a programmer, just a user with some technical expertise, but I love these open source OS's. I jumped on Linux as soon as MS Vista came out and the improvements and leaps forward by that community on the desktops has been amazing. When I opened a Win7 PC for the first time, I realized Microsoft is now copying Linux, not the other way around. Just last week I looked at the new MAC OS and I wanted to scream that they were ripping off the XFCE GUI in Linux. Linux is leading the way in Netbooks now and embedded devices are now a focus. If you have ever flashed a router with Tomato, or one of the other Linux router OS's, you know what amazing things routers are now capable of. And then we have smart phones and make no mistake, Android is just Linux in a smart phone. We don't have to deal with a proprietary systems from MS or Apple, where you only get what they hand out to you. This is Burger King baby, you get it your way. Google may be the name on this open source OS, but it belongs to us all. Google can not take this OS proprietary. Yet any time we, the people, wish we can spin off another branch of development with those things we want. OS's like Meego (and I'm sure there will be others) should be able to be ported over, if we wish, in the near future. We may be looking at an era where we can truly buy the smart phone of our choice, install our OS of choice and choose our carrier of choice with ease.
Bottomline here is you can help. If you are not a dev, or a programmer, you can still contribute to this by continuing to use these builds, and report bugs, and you can contribute money to any of the open source efforts, particularly in areas where you want to see more effort. You don't have to sit on the side lines anymore and just whine about how you are getting the short end of the stick by the big corporations. Open Source belongs to us all, take ownership.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is one of the best posts I have read on this forum. What a great insight into the evolution of the smartphone, it damn near brought a tear to my eye and sure as hell made me proud to be an owner and defender of the ideal of Open Source. Sure, my Captivate isn't perfect, but I continue to try new ROM's and use my technical proficiency to try and reason out any bugs so as to provide useful feedback. In turn, these ROM's continue to get better and everyone profits.
I love you guys... *group hug*
Dani897 said:
the galaxy s phones might be the last of the phones not locked by the manufacturer. and i like the samsung software package but dislike that it only works if x or y componant is still there. i dont get the appeal of aosp for an every day rom but i get that it is a transition for porting other things, once we know what we need to make the phone work with aosp we can make it work with anything. and i think that people arent giving samsung enough credit for support on the device. the stock rom was buggy and jf7 came out and made things better, now we are waiting on froyo and im sure it will be better yet, if the the leaked copies are an indication then froyo should be quite good.
i think the multi step proceedures is dev preferance for clearing data, there have been roms that you can flash over and keep everything. the other issue is lagfixes which aren't available(or needed) on other devices. the lagfix is part of those oh sh!t moments where you need odin, also having odin available is another avenue for the devs. if we could only flash from recovery you would see alot more cockwork flashable roms that are compatable with multiple lagfixes.
i messed with an evo and really got an apreciation for samsung, i felt the evo was of low build quality and that odin flashing a rooted rom is much more convenient than the rage against the cage meathod of adb pushing files and rooting and recovery flashing. rooting a galaxy s is rediculously easy, just an update.zip, or an one click app on the phone, or a one click app on a pc. or for froyo a 3click kernel flash in odin then an update.zip. or flashing a rooted rom with odin.
i have made many noob mistakes and taken risks and got it running every time. i dont know about the incredible but i think with some other devices i would have either bricked or pulled all my hair out fixing it.
i was in the airforce and one thing that people always said was that the two best bases are the one you last came from and the next one you are going to. people were always telling stories about "back in kirkland...." and "when i get to misawa..." but people were always complaining about there current base. i have a fealing that in year or two when we have new phones we will see many thing we hate about those as well. and if we had motorolas we'd hate those and if we had incredibles we see the galaxy s playing asphalt 5 from samsung apps and be like if only my phone could do 3d like that one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GreenWolf70 said:
I am not a programmer, just a user with some technical expertise, but I love these open source OS's. I jumped on Linux as soon as MS Vista came out and the improvements and leaps forward by that community on the desktops has been amazing. When I opened a Win7 PC for the first time, I realized Microsoft is now copying Linux, not the other way around. Just last week I looked at the new MAC OS and I wanted to scream that they were ripping off the XFCE GUI in Linux. Linux is leading the way in Netbooks now and embedded devices are now a focus. If you have ever flashed a router with Tomato, or one of the other Linux router OS's, you know what amazing things routers are now capable of. And then we have smart phones and make no mistake, Android is just Linux in a smart phone. We don't have to deal with a proprietary systems from MS or Apple, where you only get what they hand out to you. This is Burger King baby, you get it your way. Google may be the name on this open source OS, but it belongs to us all. Google can not take this OS proprietary. Yet any time we, the people, wish we can spin off another branch of development with those things we want. OS's like Meego (and I'm sure there will be others) should be able to be ported over, if we wish, in the near future. We may be looking at an era where we can truly buy the smart phone of our choice, install our OS of choice and choose our carrier of choice with ease.
Bottomline here is you can help. If you are not a dev, or a programmer, you can still contribute to this by continuing to use these builds, and report bugs, and you can contribute money to any of the open source efforts, particularly in areas where you want to see more effort. You don't have to sit on the side lines anymore and just whine about how you are getting the short end of the stick by the big corporations. Open Source belongs to us all, take ownership.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EsotericPunk said:
This is one of the best posts I have read on this forum. What a great insight into the evolution of the smartphone, it damn near brought a tear to my eye and sure as hell made me proud to be an owner and defender of the ideal of Open Source. Sure, my Captivate isn't perfect, but I continue to try new ROM's and use my technical proficiency to try and reason out any bugs so as to provide useful feedback. In turn, these ROM's continue to get better and everyone profits.
I love you guys... *group hug*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said Androiders!
+10
Then go wait on the sidelines for a cyanogen port. We, galaxy s phone owners. Don't and won't need huge steps beyond what we have. Your expectations are limited to what your old phone needed to perform.
You are right its silly. And unnecessary. Find a new hobby if porting roms isn't doing it for you.
vbhines said:
First, let me say up front that I have the utmost respect for the developers in the Captivate forum. It's a handicapped device that has much more potential than I think we'll ever be able to tap, simply because there isn't much motivation for Samsung to fix its biggest issues. Let's face it: The things we like most about our favorite Android handsets are precisely the things that make them seem "too complex" to the non non-technical general public. I think that the Galaxy S line has been a huge dissapointment to enthusiasts, and a big "ooh, ahh" for the iPhone-types.
That being said, let me move on to my main gripe: Through my Droid Incredible, I fell in love with flashing ROMs. If it had a higher build number, I flashed it. And you know why? Because it was better a better build. Newer baseband versions fixed more problems than it caused. I could flash ROMs on a train versus needing to be at my desktop for an exhaustive multi-step shamble. And when ROMs were released from build to build, developers in general knew what to expect as far as results.
I simply can't say that that's true with the Captivate. I'm growing increasingly frustrated with this phone and it's idiocy. I hate having ROMs with "Beta 9.3.5" after their title. I hate that half of the releases are to take out some Samsung crap, replace it with some AOSP-like goodness, just to see what sticks.
Again, it's not a condemnation of the Devs. They have made this phone tolerable, which is no small task. I just think it's a sad state of affairs when an OS based on an open source foundation has been so brutally slapped together that it makes a phone with the looks and hardware specs of a Ferrari about as much fun to own and maintain as a Yugo.
Who's with me on this one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Harmony tablets unite for a macro bounty!

Hello there,
I am a user of another Harmony tablet, the Advent Vega. As I suspected, ViewSonic has adopted the same stance as other Harmony tablet sellers: simce nVidia has no longer the initiative of providing new drivers, all development for our purchased tabs comes to a halt. The small vendors (Advent, POV, ViewSonic) have no own means of providing further ROMs and support, while the bigger brands (Toshiba) which could actually do something of the sort, are already bringing new tablets to the market and forsaking the old models.
Nevertheless, I know, as you all do, that the Harmony tablets CAN run Honeycomb. They have good enough specs to run it, and the main reason why they don't do it now is because of absurd market cycles.
Therefore, my idea is to have all Harmony chipset users unite for a big bounty seeking a team of developers who can create drivers for nvidia Harmony devices on Honeycomb. As it is a cross-device matter, we could even call attention to this iasue and publish this bounty on the XDA homepage. We know already that no commercial house will bring about any new ROM with said drivers. And I think I'm not alone if I say that I don't want my device to be forsaken after just 7 months in the market.
I think we need something like this if we don't want our tabs to turn into obsolete junk, which is what the big companies would like to make us think they are. The XDA community has injected a new breath of life into many devices long forgotten by their makers. I hope this macro-bounty idea can do the same for ours.
What are your thoughts on this?

[Q] Which Android phone with front-facing (secondary) camera to buy?

Greeting to fellow developers,
First thing's first: I'm a programmer, experienced in Java, C,C++ (mainly MSVS, unix/linux), and a few other (i.e. no longer fashionable) programming languages ... And I'm planning to start developing Android based Apps. Currently I'm in the phase of selecting the most suitable phone for my future endeavours.
The Question: What is the best, most suitable, Android phone which fulfils following criteria:
[1] is based on Android OS
[2] has a front-facing, i.e. secondary, camera. This is a must (!!!)
[3] is suitable for development & testing front-facing camera Apps. A must (!!!)
[4] would also be suitable for development of other Apps
[5] phone has to have a company promise of at least 12 months of security updates and updates on newer Android OS vers. (Due to ongoing developing, App debugging, etc.)
Where I come from (Slovenia-land) following are the phones which are available and achieve upper five features: Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S 2, Samsung Nexus S, HTC Sensation, HTC Desire S, LG Optimus 2X, Samsung I8000 Omnia II, .... (These are all phones available through telecommunications companies - i.e.: by investing into a 24 month usage plan. There's also a few other, promised, scheduled to be pushed on the market, phones. But without any certain launch dates, there's no point in me mentioning them!)
What I'm looking for is an advice from seasoned developers, who are / were already developing front-facing-camera Apps, which Android phone is best for me to buy (to be used for a whole App life-cycle: learning, developing, testing, updating)? Due to Android phone fragmentation this choice is really mind-boggling me, and is very difficult for me to make, and I would really not like to buy two or more phones right from the head-start. - For the past few months I've been reading a lot about Android development, and the thing that frightens me most is Android fragmentation. The way I understand negative effects of this fragmentation is: Let's say I develope an App, which exploits some front-facing-camera functionality (like a new skype, fring, or sth. like that), and start marketing it on various Android App Markets. Which phone is best for me to buy, to be able to avoid, those "doesn't work on my htc", "doesn't work on my gingerbread SGS", etc. negative Customer Experience and Evaluations? ... In short: I'd like to buy an Android phone w/ an Android OS, that would ensure me a developed App on that phone, is giving me confidence and peace of mind, that my App will work on all, or at least most, front-cam Android phones. I'm looking for an advice on which phone to invest in, so that my developed App will work on all, or at least most, Android 2.3.* (or later ver.) phones?
Currently I'm rooting for a Nexus S, but have read a few negative evaluations about them on Cnet and Google Customer Support forums . And I'd really not like to buy a $600 phone, which front camera or Wi-Fi doesn't even work the way it's supposed to! ...
I hope I'm not asking sth. that's not even remotely possible? And most certainly I hope I'm not shooting goats? ... Like I said, I am experienced in desktop Java, linux, etc. development, ... but the World of Android development is totally new for me! But I don't the have money to buy all of the latest front camera Android Phones out there.
I've searched this forums extensively, but found no answer to my thoughts and questions! I've also asked on fellow developer forums, got a few weak answers, but no strong ones. As You can see, I have a few blind spots in my knowledge ... And hopefully w/ Your help, I can fill these spots!
Thank You very much for any advice!
-- Lucky Star
Anyone? ... .. I'm just looking for an advice on which front-cam Android phone is best for me to buy for development purpose (to ensure that my App will work on all Android 2.3.* phones, i.e. best phone to fight Android fragmentation) ... Any kind of advice will do.
Thank you for your help.
Have a nice day,
-- Lucky Star
I think your best choice is the Nexus S as it is the official Google puppy and very easy to develop for.
Why is the Nexus S, as you say, "very easy to develop for"? - Is the development process on e.g.: SGS2 more difficult than Nexus S? They are using same OS, same SDK. SGS2 only has different UI.
2nd Question: How do I ensure my developed Apps on, let's say, Nexus S will indeed work on all, or at least most, front-cam Android 2.3.* phones?
Thanks for any and all advice!
Keep em' coming!
-- Lucky Star
+1 i am i also seekin a good suggestion
Bump ...
Come on people ... There must be some enthusiast on XDA developing Apps and exploring Android's FFC functionalities?
Still in search for a good advice ...
Many thanks!
Sgs 2.
Sent from SGS Captivate CM7 or MIUI with Escapist orTKGlitch using XDA premium app.

Stepping down from ROM Development & Releases

Heya everyone,
As some of you know, I’ve been developing Android for the HTC Desire S for over a year now. Initially working alongside SuperKid, then maintaining CM7 alone. nk111 joined me as joint maintainer when developing CM9 and he has done a truly spectacular job with both CM9 and CM10. I cannot express how grateful I am to him for his tireless effort.
CM7 development was nice and straightforward, leading to a quick initial release. It rapidly reached a stable state and became an officially supported device with CM7.1. However, the the road to CM9/10 has been anything but smooth. Even today we rely on code to use both the older 2.6 kernel and Gingerbread libraries in ICS and JB. Whilst this code mostly works, the bugs and crashes keep the ROM from losing its alpha status. For example, issues with outdated touchscreen drivers, corruption in the Android interface, hard-crashes when using heavy 3D applications, and more.
HTC promised the official ICS upgrade for the Desire S in the June to July timeframe but, aside from a single chinese release, there hasn’t been any further progress. Whilst HTC have removed the release schedule from their website, they still publicly state they are committed to releasing the Desire S update:
We’re happy to confirm that we are still on schedule to deliver ICS to the Desire S. Stay tuned for more details!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
However, the scheduled release was the June-July time-frame. I don't need to tell you that it's now August.
HTC have not been forthcoming with the 3.0 kernel source either, this is a key requirement for pushing forward ICS / JB development. The chinese ICS OTA brought hope that we would see this code sooner rather than later, but numerous attempts at contact with HTC have proven fruitless.
Development has largely stalled for me. The time spent on trying to port the Desire S to the 3.0 kernel taught me a lot, but ultimately lead to nothing. Aside from a couple of minor maintenance releases, I haven’t managed any real Android development in 2 months due to a complete lack of both motivation and time.
Regrettably I’ve decided to stand down as the maintainer for CyanogenMod. It’s been a wild ride over the past 12 months, I’ve met many new friends and learned a lot, but for now I feel it’s time to just be a regular user.
I still plan to hang around the XDA forums, help out where I can and keep in touch, but I won’t be doing ROM development or releases for the foreseeable future. What of CyanogenMod? nk111 has already agreed to take over as the full maintainer and my access to push changes won't be removed, so the door is open for the future. nk111 and I will discuss how to handle the CyanogenMod development threads tomorrow.
So before I end this post, there is one last thing I want to say, and it’s by far the most important:
Thank you to every single one of you who has sent kind messages, clicked that “Thanks” button, or parted with your hard-earned cash and sent a donation my way. It’s truly an honour to be part of this community. To see the work I’ve contributed to be used by tens of thousands of users is just an amazing feeling, I’m truly touched.
Thank you!
Sorry must break the trend...but
The amount and method of thanks that you've received (by button and not wasteful comments) shows that you're appreciated by those in the know - that count!
Others please take note!
Apologies for sounding like an arrogant [email protected], but this forum, especially the Development section would greatly benefit from this lesson.
Sywepd form my DsereiS
I am so sorry to hear this but I fully understand your reasons, this is no fortunate situation for anyone.
Thank you so very much for all the time and effort you've put in during this time, I know the whole community will miss your dedicated work!
Nexx said:
Heya everyone,
As some of you know, I’ve been developing Android for the HTC Desire S for over a year now. Initially working alongside SuperKid, then maintaining CM7 alone. nk111 joined me as joint maintainer when developing CM9 and he has done a truly spectacular job with both CM9 and CM10. I cannot express how grateful I am to him for his tireless effort.
CM7 development was nice and straightforward, leading to a quick initial release. It rapidly reached a stable state and became an officially supported device with CM7.1. However, the the road to CM9/10 has been anything but smooth. Even today we rely on code to use both the older 2.6 kernel and Gingerbread libraries in ICS and JB. Whilst this code mostly works, the bugs and crashes keep the ROM from losing its alpha status. For example, issues with outdated touchscreen drivers, corruption in the Android interface, hard-crashes when using heavy 3D applications, and more.
HTC promised the official ICS upgrade for the Desire S in the June to July timeframe but, aside from a single chinese release, there hasn’t been any further progress. Whilst HTC have removed the release schedule from their website, they still publicly state they are committed to releasing the Desire S update:However, the scheduled release was the June-July time-frame. I don't need to tell you that it's now August.
HTC have not been forthcoming with the 3.0 kernel source either, this is a key requirement for pushing forward ICS / JB development. The chinese ICS OTA brought hope that we would see this code sooner rather than later, but numerous attempts at contact with HTC have proven fruitless.
Development has largely stalled for me. The time spent on trying to port the Desire S to the 3.0 kernel taught me a lot, but ultimately lead to nothing. Aside from a couple of minor maintenance releases, I haven’t managed any real Android development in 2 months due to a complete lack of both motivation and time.
Regrettably I’ve decided to stand down as the maintainer for CyanogenMod. It’s been a wild ride over the past 12 months, I’ve met many new friends and learned a lot, but for now I feel it’s time to just be a regular user.
I still plan to hang around the XDA forums, help out where I can and keep in touch, but I won’t be doing ROM development or releases for the foreseeable future. What of CyanogenMod? nk111 has already agreed to take over as the full maintainer and my access to push changes won't be removed, so the door is open for the future. nk111 and I will discuss how to handle the CyanogenMod development threads tomorrow.
So before I end this post, there is one last thing I want to say, and it’s by far the most important:
Thank you to every single one of you who has sent kind messages, clicked that “Thanks” button, or parted with your hard-earned cash and sent a donation my way. It’s truly an honour to be part of this community. To see the work I’ve contributed to be used by tens of thousands of users is just an amazing feeling, I’m truly touched.
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for making me stick with my Desire S for more than 2 months
:') not just you, I'm also touched. See ya in the future brah
thank you for your works!!!!!!
Simon,
Your work on the Desire S has been greatly appreciated. Take care, and I hope all the best for you
Thanks a lot. You made a great job!
Thanks for all your hard work Nexx!
You made me love a phone more than I ever could imagine.
Thanks for all the efforts and keeping the Desire S in good hands

Asking Developers for working for our willy

well if moderators if i am doing this wrong then take down this threat. i don't know its a bit off topic ques but still its kinda important for further development
Well this is sort of a calling back for the devs those are working in their part time and full time for making android such a wonderful community. XDA and Android has gone very far in bringing the best experience to the users and using android a fun..
well now coming on the request.
I am from a small community of HTC Wildfire Buzz. its a small android phone that was came on 2010. it was a low end device but got great potential in those days. well at that time the our famliy was big 1 and we had such a number of developers. i myself not a developer, but i can say we had such a legend phone. we never been able to gain kernel 3 for our phone but still without GPU we been able to get 4.0 of android working properly on this phone. even HTC has retired this phone from 2.2 but still running 4.0 flawlessly without GPU without that much lag is such a remarkable thing. i don;t know that much people had achieved this thing on other phones. now we are running out of devs people bought new phones and we just have ports. and from source we have few devs those are working on with this phone. so i want mainly devs to visit the threat of development of this little willy and make give some of their valuable time so that we can have the last spark alive. because i know this little fellow phone deserve some more time.
so leaving in hope that i will get good response from devs.. :good:

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