I appreciate everyones feedback. Just to clarify one point, perhaps my wording should have been better. I think all of us are very aware that Google Mobile is a multi-billion dollar long term strategic investment - thats part of why we invested our time. When I stated "...I’m starting wonder if the ADC was a well intentioned effort by a bunch of developers...", I was just making a logical guess at a reason why the communication for the ADC I - only ADC I, not Google Mobile or Android - has been minimal. In retrospect, I probably should have left that sentence out - I fell into the "speculation trap" that is running rampant across these posts.
Anyone can disagree with specific points, I'm ok with that, I don't expect everyone to agree with me and I hope to improve my viewpoints based on the feedback of others. I would prefer that some posts were more professional, but so be it. It's easy to be negative, I'm trying to suggest improvements that will benefit all of us. The core of what I'm trying to say is that Google needs to improve the communication for ADC I and II or risk losing some of the core first adopters. They are the developers that, one year or so from now, will be working at start-ups, consulting firms, Global 2000, etc. There are roughly 1800 entries, and the only communication has been sporadically through one person. You can disagree with me, but that balance just doesn't seem right. On May 2, 10:55 pm, murmeister <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I also agree that the judges can probably determine a lot from the > docs and the way the app loads (or doesn't load). Initial impressions > are very compelling and can color the impression of the judge. Since > one of the categories was "polish", a judge may decide the app > deserves no additional inspection if they know the app will get a "0" > on that category. > > As difficult as it may be for some people to relax, please try! :) > > A friend of mine pointed out that Google didn't get to be the size and > success they are by doing things in a bone-headed way. Their process > is most likely very well planned and thought-out. It is also probably > not readily apparent to a bunch of developers eager to gain > affirmation for their work. > > Be proud of your accomplishments! You tackled a new environment with a > very difficult deadline. The documentation and available samples were > sparse and the help from peers was sporadic at times because of the > competitive nature of the challenge. In a corporate development world, > you'd be among the elite! Very few development teams deliver software > on time under such conditions. > > I suspect very few of the 1788 submissions were in it just for the > money. The vast majority were inspired by the diificult nature of the > challenge and the "cool" factor of being one of the few to use a new > technology. Those same folks were probably the first to adopt new > technologies on their preferred platforms, too. They are also most > likely the technical leaders in their "real jobs". According to an IT > Week article (http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/analysis/2171281/why- > projects-fail) 90 percent of software projects are completed late. > Using that percentage, there are about 16,000 people out there that > tried and failed to deliver a working app by the deadline. Just take a > moment to reflect on your victory! > > Would I like to be one of the 50? Heck yeah! The real question is why? > The money can't be the sole reason. If you work out the math, most > people probably spent between 400-500 hours working on their > submission. That's an hourly rate of about $50-$60 per hour - much > less if there was more than one person on the team. The caliber of > applications that will win the challenge will be written by folks that > can make that hourly rate and much more in their day jobs. > > For me, I guess it boils down to validation. When I first looked at > the Android SDK, I wasn't sure I could adapt to the way it worked. > There was so much to learn and master. There were many times when my > frustration level was through the roof and I wasn't sure I could > complete the project on time. Completing the challenge was very > rewarding all by itself. Being recognized as one of the best would > just be icing on the cake. > > For now, I'm using the time to port my app to other handheld > platforms. My ultimate vision is to have a globally marketable > application. If Google doesn't recognize its value, I'll keep pushing > until it's good enough for someone else to sponsor it to the world. I > won't blame Google for lack of vision or comprehension of my > brilliance. I think the problem will lie much closer to home. > > <stepping down from soap box> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Challenge" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-challenge?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
