Question for Developers: How easy is it to develop for the Pre?

[milominderbinder]

For months before the release of the Pre, we saw articles with statements like this:

"The cost of learning is very low and people can use existing JavaScript libraries to speed up their development process."

Yesterday, the developer of the new Homebrew application, the Scientific Calculator, said:

This is almost not a palm pre app. It has no mojo in it at all... It's a direct port of a decade old javascript calculator program. It uses (for golly's sake) imagemaps.

Wow. I understand that this is a small application.

Developers:
1. Are you able to use old Java, CSS, or HTML code with little modification?
2. Do you have similar application modules you could port over?
3. How does iPhone development compare with the Pre?

Are we are about to see an explosion of applications?

- Craig

[eharty]

This may shed some light on your question.

[gruppe3942]

i thought that making programs for the pre was suppose to be super easy?

[milominderbinder]

Originally Posted by eharty

This may shed some light on your question.

So some people will love a certain language or environment and do amazing things with it.

Others will hate it and be frustrated by it.

So it will take some time for everyone to figure out where they fit in. Some will be gone from here once they figure out it is not for them.

Some will excel. Some will be able to write a site like World of Solitaire, animations and all.

- Craig

[Ipso Flatley]

Originally Posted by milominderbinde

So some people will love a certain language or environment and do amazing things with it.

Others will hate it and be frustrated by it.

So it will take some time for everyone to figure out where they fit in. Some will be gone from here once they figure out it is not for them.



- Craig

100% agree. People can argue back and forth about languages and their uses and capabilities. But when it comes down to it, it is what it is and if you want to dev for it you will always have to do some sort of learning.. that is a good thing right?

[ken@weboshelp.net]

If you know some HTML, CSS and JavaScript, I think you will find it relatively straightforward to create very simple applications by looking at examples and modifying code. In that sense, webOS is "easier" to develop for than something like the iPhone or Blackberry.

However, to create a more complex application, you begin to need a deeper understanding of the underlying programming concepts and best practices that would apply to developing for any platform, no matter what programming language it uses.

[ydaraishy]

If you come from a development background that doesn't touch languages such as JS, you might have to learn it and have that learning curve of web languages.

If you come from a web development background, you should have little trouble picking it up, afaik.

[milominderbinder]

The explosion of homebrew apps continues. Many of the authors are saying that their first betas are not much more than a simple port.

It is an exciting time!

You can see some developers who just seem to be on fire with webOS and others who seem to be drifting away already.

If you ask a Mustang guy what he thinks of a Corvette, he will often say he hates it and vice versus. Same for a Porsche owner or any other can enthusiast. At some point, something just clicked for them about the car they love. And now they have so much knowledge and experience in that car that it would not make sense to start over loving another car.

I think that it is sometimes a lot like that for what programming languages developers like.

- Craig

[oil]

I've got a pretty strong javascript/html/css background, and even with the limited documentation and debugging tools its been really easy for me to write high quality apps.

[sacherjj]

The toughest thing right now is figuring out the new UI elements and the Mojo.Service.Requests that you want to use.

For some it is also finding good UI paradigms for a smaller touch screen platform.

All in all it is pretty easy and we haven't seen the real SDK and documentation yet.

My toughest thing right now is finding free time in my schedule to play.

[oil]

Originally Posted by sacherjj

The toughest thing right now is figuring out the new UI elements and the Mojo.Service.Requests that you want to use.

I've been looking through the sample apps for help figuring out that stuff.

[sacherjj]

Originally Posted by oil

I've been looking through the sample apps for help figuring out that stuff.

I've been doing that as well as climbing through the Luna code to see what calls are enabled by the various servers that join on the "palm://" bus.

[SirataXero]

Originally Posted by sacherjj

All in all it is pretty easy and we haven't seen the real SDK and documentation yet.

My toughest thing right now is finding free time in my schedule to play.

Agreed!

I have absolutely no background in HTML/CSS/JS or any web development platform... and I'm having a RELATIVELY easy time making applications...

It seems REALLY straightforward honestly. I've been able to reverse engineer a lot of the native apps on the Pre and been able to make simple interactive apps... granted I won't be designing 3D games for the Pre (even if it was possible right now) any time soon... but I think it seems a VERY noob friendly environment.

[cohoman]

I'm an experienced C++ programmer and have created several Windows Mobile apps in the past, and I've also created some advanced web pages using php, javascript, perl, css, and html.

It is true that you can create simple apps using basic html/javascript/css, however, it isn't so easy when you want to include the Pre Mojo controls in your apps. I've been struggling with understanding the Document Object Model (DOM) and the methods, etc. for the Mojo UI controls. Maybe a very experienced Javascript programmer wouldn't have such a hard time understanding the Mojo framework, but I'm having to brute-force my way through all of this.

Fortunately, there's lots of sample code floating around the net. I found the "Rough Cuts" online book somewhat ok, but I'm hoping for something better to come along in the next few months (crossing my fingers!).

[bmcmillan]

To be succinct and to answer your question directly, I think it is very easy. The only trouble is when debugging, but that should hopefully be resolved by the time the SDK is matured and released.

I was able to create an app in less than 15 hours, which includes learning the framework for the first time (a few hours spent reading the Oreilly book). Actually, my profession involves R&D prototyping using various technologies. Specifically, part of my job entails learning new frameworks/languages/etc while developing a prototype, in order to produce a report of whether that technology can/should be used in my enterprise and the efforts/resources required. Palm pre development is on par with development using any framework I have come across. No worse, no better given an even playing field.

However, if you are already fluent in object-oriented programming in javascript, and the MVC pattern, and popular JS frameworks (prototype, dojo, etc), your experience will be more efficient and productive than others.

[kshiflett]

Originally Posted by cohoman

..... It is true that you can create simple apps using basic html/javascript/css, however, it isn't so easy when you want to include the Pre Mojo controls in your apps. I've been struggling with understanding the Document Object Model (DOM) and the methods, etc. for the Mojo UI controls. Maybe a very experienced Javascript programmer wouldn't have such a hard time understanding the Mojo framework, but I'm having to brute-force my way through all of this.

I appreciate your perspective. I have been coding for ~12 years, primarily in web technologies, and the Mojo-specific stuff is definitely the most difficult part of what I'm dealing with as well. I think this is mainly because I'm a "learn by doing" person. I tend to learn a new language, os, or any technology by "jumping in the deep end of the pool" (so to speak).

Also, to answer the original poster's question: It is fairly straight forward to develop for the pre. Simple apps will be quick, complex apps will come a little more slowly. In the next 3 - 6 months, I think we'll all be very pleased with the number of quality apps on the platform.

On a personal note, the newness of the platform and what I perceive as good design in webOS has led me to work on side projects late into the evening more than I have in years. I'm reminded about how much I love creating software and seeing the ideas come to life on the screen.

So for me, webOS development gets a big

Kyle

[milominderbinder]

Originally Posted by oil

I've got a pretty strong javascript/html/css background, and even with the limited documentation and debugging tools its been really easy for me to write high quality apps.

Oil,

I am one of the ones loving your Dots game. Within a week you had it as one of the best dots games I have played.

I have also been following your work with the XBox Live app.

I was just as impressed when you gave the Solitaire developer the code he needed to solve a problem.

It makes me wonder what code you might have back in an alpha state right now.

I am really appreciating all that you are doing.

- Craig

[NSCT]

Originally Posted by kshiflett

On a personal note, the newness of the platform and what I perceive as good design in webOS has led me to work on side projects late into the evening more than I have in years. I'm reminded about how much I love creating software and seeing the ideas come to life on the screen.

So for me, webOS development gets a big

Kyle

This is very true for me as well. I really appreciate the design of the elements in webOS. And it is not so hard to implement even if sometimes I have difficulties with some Mojo widgets.