Just like a real computer: Android gets Android IDE Android developers can now hack code on the move with the beta release of AIDE, the Android developer kit which runs on an Android device to create Android applications. AIDE is at beta version 7, but already allows the editing and compiling of apps, as well as automatic error checking (and fixing) and LogCat visibility. The …
Whipping out your tokens of conspicuous consumption on mass transit is asking to be mugged. Not that standing with a tablet is much better than standing with a netbook anyways. Then there's the whole issue of SPACE during rush hour. Anything you have room to use will likely be an inferior experience.
You don't get out much do you? I cant speak for any other transits but the tube at or near rush hour is probably one of the safest places to whip out your slab - if only because you have the safety of the herd. On my usual train the split is 15% iPads, 20% kindles
, 10% lairy Bose headphones and 55% metro readers.
A lot of those points are due to MS effectively killing the netbook market.
Aside from the touchscreen aspect most of those things apply to a macbook pro which has an excellent boot time, awesome battery life, solid build quality and minimal maintenance.
I'd say most of those things also apply to my asus eee (with SSD) with xubuntu on it.
And I struggle to understand why anybody would choose a netbook over a fondleslab now that they're equipped with relatively meaty processors and grown-up applications/OSs.
It's almost as if people have different tastes and needs.
For most on-the-go applications, screen stroking is a better user experience than key poking. Particularly on the hobbit-size keyboards of a typical netbook.
I don't think the OP was slagging off the planners. I think he was saying they are different roles, with difference skillsets.
If that's what he is saying, then I agree.
There are a lot of roles, many I'm not good at. Phone support, sales... there are reasons I don't do these things, but I don't badmouth those who do. If not for them, I wouldn't get a paycheck either!
Why don't they say something like:
"We plan to experiment with different models as we grow and learn what special value we can provide to the community to make their collective experience more engaging, exciting and useful."
Seems to work for gimmicky photo-manipulation apps so it ought to work for this.
This development only seems to conflate form factors that serve to completely different markets, an approach MS seems to have wholeheartedly embraced with Windows 8. I'm not convinced a hybrid is a sensible or practical idea, but time will tell.
Wearing my developer's hat, I want all the bells and whistles on a computer. I don't use tablets much (just for watching the occasional movie) because I'm rarely separated from my laptop. The different forms all have an appeal that applies in a specific context, and I want them to be optimised for that experience, e.g. I want my phone to be small, lightweight, and no hassle, i.e. optimised for being mobile and communicating. I want my development environment to be powerful, fast, maxed out with ports, RAM, and hard drive space, big screen, and optimised for keyboard. It uses ruinous amounts of power (compared to the phone), but I need it. And I want to be able to simultaneously use multiple operating systems and development tools and be able to control every detail of the installation. And I don't want 'cute' graphics to get in the way or slow anything down.
These requirements directly conflict in almost every way. An improvement for one is a drawback for the other. If you want Android as a development platform, just treat it as any other flavour of Linux and install it on a (full-blown) laptop. Hybridising forms just seems like a wasted effort.
I definitely would not want to program an entire app on my phone but maybe on a tablet with a keyboard it would be useful for some hacking while travelling. Where this IDE could really shine though is debugging. Sometimes you just can't beat stepping thruouh the code on the device that's giving you problems.
I think this IDE is a great development for Android precisely because it means you *don't* need a second device (like a high-powered laptop) to be able to develop Android apps. I don't know much Java, but I'll be dipping a toe in if it means I can develop apps for my tablet.
I'm a developer... and a pacer. If I sit or stand in one place for any length of time the brain fog starts rolling in. A laptop doesn't fit my use case. No, a standing or treadmill desk doesn't help (much). I need the stops, turns and speed variability to really get my creative juices flowing.
A good IDE on my tablet would (will!) be perfect!
I'm sorry it won't work for you. I guess you could... umm... lets see... not use it?
A killer app for Android that will show why it exists. Android owners are always banging on about why it's better because it's open and now they can fix all of its shortcomings while on the move instead of waiting for other developers to fix it for them. Perhaps now the quality will rise to something close to IOS!
Oh I don't know, myself and a number of other hobby robotics developers are using Android to build some interesting stuff using things like IOIO and the Nao robot. May not have made it into the App Store but Android provides a really good platofrm for this type of stuff............
Now I can tweak my robotics apps on the go - that is just really really useful.
Shudder at a virtual keyboard? Oh, I dunno... I bashed away (fnaar) on a Speccy for two years. *that* was pretty virtual. Not a keyboard at all, really... Seriously though, I find I am faster on capacitive screens than I would ever have believed possible. Used to sneer at the whole idea, a few years back. Then I tried it. And find it pretty usable, even when needing to capture lengthy text and numeric sequences accurately in the field, with all the shifting into and out of numbers, symbols and so forth.
The reason why people (who like Unix) like Unix is that your normal interface is just as powerful as a programming language, but quite easy to learn and you can easily access virtually any program already written for Unix by using pipes.
The next logical step would be a "graphical shell" which has things as powerful as pipes and loops. How would that look like? I have no idea. Maybe it would be something like "GRAIL" a pen based programming environment from the 1970s. This might then be the "tipping point".
Having a compiler for your platform on your platform is just sensible. That way you can install software from source.
"The next logical step would be a "graphical shell" which has things as powerful as pipes and loops."
Done.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jackpal.androidterm&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImphY2twYWwuYW5kcm9pZHRlcm0iXQ..
Actually, I think there's more than one, but this is the one I have on my phone and tablet. Not that I ever use it. If I need something like that it's easier to plug into a PC and use adb shell so that I have a regular keyboard.
...I'm not really sure how anyone can consider using a device powered by Google code after their stunt this month. But then the whole thing has been a storm to watch.
"NO, no I don't want ID cards, covert/overt snooping of my private life."
"YES, give me a shiny shiny with GPS tracking.
You want my contacts, text messages, photos and call log?
Your going to let it act as a replacement for money?
You want me to fund the project at profitable levels for all involved?
weeeeell, normally I wouldn't let my nearest relative have that much info but, okay, if you say it's dual core with a nice screen and more shiny shiny than everyone else's."
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