If you find devices that are behaving inconsistently with the standard platform, please please at least file a bug so this is known, and supplying a test case is a great way to get in to CTS so it never happens again.
On Thu, Jan 12, 2012 at 2:14 AM, Stephan Wiesner <testexpe...@googlemail.com > wrote: > I agree and actually profit from it. As a private developer I hate > that I have to write Bugfixes for single devices/Android versions > (just thinking of the Galaxy SI lagfix thing gets me goosebumbs) but > in my professional life I am a software tester and we actually earn > our money by offering our clients to have us test their apps on > different devices/Android versions. > As Dianne mentioned there are actually not _that_ many differences/ > bugs, but they are real and they can get very expensive (again think > lagfix). > > Greetings from Zurich, > Stephan Wiesner > > On 11 Jan., 23:31, Christopher Van Kirk > <christopher.vank...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Yeah, I would respectfully disagree with your assessment. > > > > Making software is a business. An investment. To reap maximum rewards on > > that investment the product has to have as much reach as possible, > > meaning the OP is absolutely on point about OS upgrades. Who is going to > > spend 10k, 100k, 1m, etc, developing an app whose target market is less > > than 1% of active installs? 4.0 won't be an attractive target for > > developers until it commands at least 80% of the installed market, which > > will likely take at least a year to occur, perhaps longer. > > > > Comparing handset differences with browser difference is just absurd. > > How many browser versions are there? Five maybe six? An average Android > > app has to deal with over 600 different devices today. That's a > > difference of 100x. This number is also growing at an exponential rate, > > so even if you can manage to test on all of those devices, in three > > months you'll probably have to do the same number again. > > > > What you're apparently not appreciating is that unlike the PC/Mac world, > > the Android world lacks strong compatibility standards and more > > importantly, conformance testing. As a consequence, devices tend to have > > niggling and chronic differences that in aggregate make for an > > inconsistent and unstable feel for the platform. You really have to have > > a very large operation or have a very unambitious app to make an app > > with long reach in the Android world. > > > > By contrast, the Apple approach is that one size fits all. From a small > > or independent developers perspective this really is preferable, because > > you know if you test it and it works on one device it's going to work on > > all of them, and there are millions of them out there. You simply don't > > have that guarantee in Android. It's no accident that the most > > profitable app market is to be found on Apple devices. > > > > Don't get me wrong. I'm not an Apple fan. But having spent considerable > > time fighting with device peculiarities in the Android ecosystem instead > > of adding features to my app, I find that I long for the simplicity that > > the Apple ecosystem guarantees. > > > > On 10/28/2011 12:01 AM, Studio LFP wrote: > > > > > > > > > Eh, it's not that bad. > > > > > If you look at the history of developers, we're already use to having > > > to deal with a lot worse fragmentation issues than Android. Anyone > > > that's ever developed a website correctly knows that supporting the > > > available web browsers is a lot more of a challenge than with Android > > > versions. > > > > > Windows, Mac OSX, a ton of server technologies, databases, etc., they > > > all have tons of different versions available to support. Most > > > companies stick with older versions because it is what they have and > > > it is working. When it comes to Android, I've been pleasantly > > > surprised at the efforts Google has gone through to help manufacturers > > > upgrade. Even though 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 are different, they aren't so > > > much different that in most cases you can't treat them as 2.x. It > > > seems to me that Android is more broken up in 1.x, 2.x, 3.x and now > > > 4.x instead of the individual versions themselves. > > > > > I'd rather a little fragmentation in Android than for them to pull an > > > Apple and everyone is the exact same, right down to the hardware > > > level. Variety is something we need in the mobile market, not a one > > > device fits all concept. > > > > > Steven > > > Studio LFP > > >http://www.studio-lfp.com > > > > > On Thursday, October 27, 2011 10:36:24 AM UTC-5, Greg Donald wrote: > > > > > > http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visuali... > > > < > http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visuali...> > > > > > Wow.. I knew it was bad, but man. > > > > > "most app developers will end up targeting an ancient version of > the > > > OS in order to maximize market reach." > > > > > I totally agree.. It will literally be years before I will begin to > > > care about the new 4.0. I'm still supporting devices running 2.1 > and > > > will be for some time to come. > > > > > -- > > > Greg Donald > > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > Groups "Android Developers" group. > > > To post to this group, send email to > android-developers@googlegroups.com > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > > > 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 android-developers@googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en > -- Dianne Hackborn Android framework engineer hack...@android.com 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 android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
