how am I not myself?

I, like many red-blooded nerds, am completely swept up in the mobile device development movement. This stuff is just plain cool. And sure, there is contention among some regarding the boons and pitfalls of the different platforms (as there should and will always be), but after rolling up my sleeves a good deal with both the iPhone and Android SDKs, I feel it’s time to share some observations. This will no doubt spawn a more focused effort in the future as I learn more, but there are a few things I just need to put down in type so the healing process can begin:

1. Why on Earth does the Android emulator take so long to launch?! Many folks in the great and wide interwebs have made mention of this fact, but despite my efforts, I haven’t found one good reason why we are forced to live with this. Nevermind the fact that the operating system takes just about as long on the device – I mean, I can at least naïvely rationalize that as a CPU limitation – I can’t begin to fathom what is taking so long. Compared to the iPhone Simulator, starting an Android emulator feels like you’re doing something wrong. Epic fail.
2. Occasionally, attempts to install applications in the emulator will just… not work? This one’s really confusing. Forum chatter has potentially linked this to an issue with the ADB (at the command line, run adb kill-server), but… what gives? This is strike two. Every disenfranchised iPhone developer that thinks, “Hey, Apple has us under their thumb, let’s check out this open alternative” gets whacked twice out of the gate; your emulator (the holy grail of iterative software exploration) makes watching paint dry look intriguing, and once it’s finally running that HelloWorld you just threw together might not see the light of day. UPDATE: the order in which you do things is important, and this issue can be avoided.
3. Like it or not, there are some very real, tangible, and even comforting benefits to living under the rule of the Apple overlords. This is old hat for most, but it needs to be said. Again. And again. The advantage of an open platform is that anyone can contribute. The disadvantage of an open platform is that anyone can contribute. Due to a relative lack of hit-the-ground running guidance on the android development site (Hello, Android! and a NotePad, srsly?), there’s a good deal of blind-leading-the-blind happening and some forums read like scrawl in a bathroom stall. Everyone’s likely heard of the nine-year old that made an iPhone app, and some in the developer community sort of snubbed their nose at the whole situation. The lesson to be learned here isn’t only that this kid has an involved father, but that iPhone development could steal Geico’s slogan (the caveman one, not the money with eyes). Getting it accepted, however, parallels the DMV…

Android, I so desperately want you to be everything the iPhone OS will never be, but I’m getting the sense that, like John Proctor in Miller’s Crucible, you’ll just end up another tragic hero. Damn you, Winona.

Ok. Rant over. Which is great, because I think my emulator just finished booting.

Epic overhaul! The site has seen a flurry of activity lately as [1] I need it to for various applications, [2] thesis commitments have finally been satisfied, and [3] I finally consolidated a lot of content in one place, making this vastly easier. I must say, it’s really coming together quite nicely.

Another diligent soul punching the clock on a web-overhaul is one Mr. Pat O’Keefe, so swing by his site and let him know what you think of the improvements. Or, if he’s still got that maintenance redirect up, harass him constantly until it’s down. Call to action!

e.j.h.