Android developer challenge ($10 million in awards) | Hacker News Reader

Android developer challenge ($10 million in awards)

code.google.com

43 pointsmcxx25 comments

The only thing that sucks (for me) is the app has to be developed using Java. The SDK does not support native application development yet.

Do you mean written in Java, or targeted to the JVM?

Apologies if this is a dumb question -- I haven't read this yet.

Yeah, that is a very important distinction.

I meant written in Java. BTW, they have their own VM called Dalvik virtual machine.

There are people trying (I am one of them). It runs off bytecode (which is converts to another format) - so it looks possible. Will find out shortly. I am interested in jruby, jython and scala.

You write it in Java and then it's compiled to their own proprietary virtual machine - Davlik. Rather than Jython, I'd hope for a tool that would turn python straight onto Davlik bytecode.

Hopefully there should be either documentation/source for the VM at some point or an enterprising person is reverse engineering it as we speak.

Just curious, why is that a problem? The whole idea behind Android is that handset manufacturers can be free to vary their underlying linux implementations as long as they can adapt their drivers to the Android libraries. Then the programmer can code to this common interface without worrying about differences between handsets. If you were coding directly to the handsets native functionality then you break the cross platform universality. Then its just a repeat of JavaME all over again where you end up with separate builds for different devices.

From what I've read so far, there technically shouldn't be a reason why Ruby (via JRuby) and Python (via Jython) couldnt eventually be used to code Android apps. The SDK compiles Java code to native java byte code, which is in turn compiled to "Dalvik" byte code to be used by the Android VM. How the java byte code is generated (javac, jruby, jython, etc) should not matter, assuming it is using only the supported libraries.

Many of the Android libraries are written in C, so if they had a stable API/ABI then portable native apps could be written. It would be merely expensive.

I don't mind the Java that much, but I would have preferred Python. The one thing that really bothered me was all the XML intertwined and spangled all over...

Seeding the Google Phone With Apps NY Times http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/seeding-the-google-...

by Dave Winer http://www.scripting.com/stories/2007/11/12/android.html

Google Android: we want developers but... by Robert Scoble http://scobleizer.com/2007/11/12/google-android-we-want-deve...

How do people actually read scoble?

what do you mean how? whats wrong with it?

He writes like a 8 year old talks, only without the SMS-ish shortcuts. Its like he tapped it out on a phone while on the toilet, and is just an annoying style to read. I miss tech writing.

I like his blog, he doesn't cover everything that is hot there is other sources for that ... he tries to find more unique stuff, and has some interesting videos ... I agree about his writing style to some extend, but at the same time it feels more like a real blog, like what a blog is supposed to feel like, its more personal ...

Fair enough, I guess its a matter of taste. I just like a slightly more journalistic style when opinions are stated (and in this case its all opinions).

I guess I just think blogging for bloggings sake is a bit silly, but I do like it when it is from other sources.

Its just a bit to ADHD for my taste, but I guess if he is digesting things quickly for other people, there must be some value in that.

ya and I think he has been on Twitter way too much lately, so he is also getting used to that way of writing, lol

Title got my hopes up.

Robotics > Embedded development

I think most of you lack the vision to see how power a tool this really is. yes, there are a thousand ways this could fail. However if it does pan out like google plans, it will change the way we think about cell phones/mobile devices. The mobile device market is a huge untapped market that has yet to realize the true power of privately developed apps. If carriers adopt fully adopt android, the possibilities are endless.

Ever heard of Windows Mobile? Symbian? etc. etc.

Those are proof of the "untapped potential" thing, because how many people really install apps on them?

I don't really see anything revolutionary that Android has over J2ME. Is there something I am missing?

Probably most apps are going to be simple android interfaces to existing web services.

But that being said you can be sure I am going to learn the api and submit an app for a shot at 25K.

Well, the hope is that Google will get things right that Sun didn't. Developing for J2ME isn't much fun, and, like a lot of Java ick, is full of things like "JSR 69", which of course makes you go look up wtf that JSR is if you haven't memorized it.

As far as I can tell, there are no strings attached with this offer. They simply give you the cash with nothing expected in return. And 50 teams selected for the $25k prize are good ods, not to mention great publicity. Start coding!

Do you have any idea about an application for the androind platform?

Nice...extra incentive to code for their platform.

Plenty of time to finish too!

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