Hi all, I appreciate people jumping to me defense, but this is really not necessary. To be honest, Shane's reply was so tame compared to other discussions I've had that it didn't even register to me as rude. (And to be clear, I am not telling people absolutely to not do something, I just try when I see someone doing something that will cause problems in the future, to tell them "don't do this because your code will break." I can't stop people from doing stuff that will break, I just want them to know this going in.)
Anyway to address a few more comments -- Technically my job is to manage the Android core frameworks. Whether this includes replying to developers on forums is not specified, but personally I see that as part of the job. Whatever the case it is nothing like the main part of the job... so I post on these forums mostly when I am not at work (like I am now, before going to work). This is mostly a matter of prioritizing my time -- should I spend that time posting to these forums, or working on new versions of Android, or investigating bugs like the onStartCommand() that has been discussed elsewhere here? The reason I ask people to not send replies directly to me is because that does not benefit anyone else, and the time I spend replying to the same question twice means one less question I can answer. I already can't keep up with all the questions on online forums, so I want to keep my time spent there where it benefits everyone. And as far as who developed Android -- what Android is today was developed mostly at Google. When I joined Google and started on Android, most of the existing work (which was creating a mobile API unified across Java, JavaScript, and C++) was being replaced with the "Dalvik Uber Alles" approach we have today. Some of the original implementation remains in bits and pieces (such as the C++ AssetManager), but what you think of Android today was mostly created from 2005 to 2007/2008 while engineers were at Google. Activities, notifications, resources, Dalvik, content providers, the view hierarchy, and on, and on, that was all done by engineers while working at Google. (I should also say that Google's management was also strongly involved with Android and helped make the project successful. For example, we had quarterly updates where had to show them real progress in the software. This was extremely valuable from the start to focus development priorities on what was needed to ship the software. Did I mention Google is a pretty awesome company? It is. I doubt Android could have happened anywhere else.) Anyway, let's consider discussions about who is being rude or whatever done and get back to more interesting technical stuff. :) On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 9:36 AM, Indicator Veritatis <[email protected]>wrote: > As I read your reply, I somehow remember the saying of Ben Franklin > from his Wit and Wisdom, "Quarrels would be neither bitter nor long, > if on one side -only-, lay the wrong". > > This is because, yes, Shane did not need to be rude. But even after > having defended Dianne's answer in another post, I now feel the need > to point out how her answer was not an example of sterling politeness, > either. Even though she was 100% correct to warn against hard coding > package names. > > In your own words, "none of the backlash would have happened" if > Dianne has not been, true to style, so extremely curt, writing just > like so many highly accomplished technical people who get everything > technically correct, but everything that is not technical not correct: > ( > > One should expect a backlash when two out of three sentences read like > an impatient mother scolding a child, starting out with such an abrupt > imperative, "Don't". > > Nor is it often considered helpful to say "Don't do A" without > proposing an -alternative- to A. Speaking of alternatives, it > surprises me no one has noticed yet: Dianne's prohibition was not on > using package names, but on using HARD-CODED package names. Why has no > one mentioned alternatives? Put the package name in a configuration > file somewhere, or (even more extreme, in my opinion), pull it down > from a server, so that it can be changed when the package name > changes, without having to download a new APK. Surely Shane can get > the client to accept that. > > > On Feb 28, 3:03 pm, Justin Anderson <[email protected]> wrote: > > None of that matters... It's just a simple matter of etiquette. When > asking > > for help you don't have to be rude if you don't like the answer. And if > you > > feel it doesn't apply then great... don't apply it! > > > > The OP could just as easily have said "Thanks for the advice Dianne, but > in > > my case this doesn't apply because of X, Y, and Z." and then none of the > > backlash would have happened > > > > No reason whatsoever to cop an attitude... > > > > On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 3:54 PM, rich friedel <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > You're right. Mr. Edo didn't finish, so let me... > > > > > ...wouldn't be the super awesome mobile framework that we enjoy and > love! > > > On Feb 28, 2011 5:49 PM, "Greg Donald" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > Groups "Android Developers" 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-developers?hl=en > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "Android Developers" 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-developers?hl=en > -- Dianne Hackborn Android framework engineer [email protected] Note: please don't send private questions to me, as I don't have time to provide private support, and so won't reply to such e-mails. All such questions should be posted on public forums, where I and others can see and answer them. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" 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-developers?hl=en
