Android apps to run on Apple & other platforms

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by astrodad

Considering how abysmal most Android apps are, I can't see how this is a win for anyone. I guess it could help to raise the bar a little if there is more exposure.

....

Dude! you clearly have never used Google Sky or Earth.

[astrodad]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Dude! you clearly have never used Google Sky or Earth.

Yes, and they are both great apps. Google Earth, however, is not running inside a Java VM inside an iOS container of some kind. It's a native app that was ported to iOS. You just proved my argument that the best way to take an Android app and run it on iOS is to port it, not try to gimmick up some way of running it as-is on another platform.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by astrodad

Yes, and they are both great apps. Google Earth, however, is not running inside a Java VM inside an iOS container of some kind. It's a native app that was ported to iOS. You just proved my argument that the best way to take an Android app and run it on iOS is to port it, not try to gimmick up some way of running it as-is on another platform.

No I'm not talking about on iPad. Sheesh
and there's nothing "abysmal" about them or any of the other android apps I use regularly. You're just talkin' trash.

How many android apps have you ever used?

[Hellmark]

From what I've seen, there are just as many crap iOS apps as there are crap Android apps.

[astrodad]

Originally Posted by kennyc

No I'm not talking about on iPad. Sheesh
and there's nothing "abysmal" about them or any of the other android apps I use regularly. You're just talkin' trash.

How many android apps have you ever used?

My Google account says I have downloaded 124 apps. Fifteen of them made it on my home screen. The rest were buggy, slow, ugly, poorly supported, and lacked polish.

I'm not trying to convince you, all I am saying that the only way to truly take advantage is to write native apps.

[kartu]

Originally Posted by astrodad

I'm not trying to convince you, all I am saying that the only way to truly take advantage is to write native apps.

May I ask for how many out of those 124 you had payed?

Need to go native "to take advantage" is not true. Software on older Sony models also followed VM paradigm. Idea is, that you implement memory/CPU intensive basic functions in native code, then do the rest using language with automatic memory management. (garbage collector)

It's a common pattern, actually, followed by many, for instance, by World of Warcraft.

Going native makes sense if system doesn't provide performant version of needed operation out of the box. But if anything, it makes mem leaks / crashes more likely.

[kartu]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

but they have to have a reason to give people, or else everyone will get pissed.

Did they give reasons for removing SD card slot, or denying access to users own content, or charging 100$ / Euro for additional 16Gb of built-in flash?

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by kartu

May I ask for how many out of those 124 you had payed?

Need to go native "to take advantage" is not true. Software on older Sony models also followed VM paradigm. Idea is, that you implement memory/CPU intensive basic functions in native code, then do the rest using language with automatic memory management. (garbage collector)

It's a common pattern, actually, followed by many, for instance, by World of Warcraft.

Going native makes sense if system doesn't provide performant version of needed operation out of the box. But if anything, it makes mem leaks / crashes more likely.

It isn't just about compiled/interpreted code, it is about expected behaviour and UI. Each system will have different user interface conventions, different expectations of how a program will react to a particular action. Just transporting an application from one system to another with no allowance for these will rarely produce an ideal result. See the initial response to the Bluefire port to Android for example. It did things in an 'iOS way', which weren't intuitive to Android users.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by kartu

Did they give reasons for removing SD card slot, or denying access to users own content, or charging 100$ / Euro for additional 16Gb of built-in flash?

Developers are a bit different than consumers, though. If they mangle things too much, fewer will develop for their platform, or in some cases apps will be pulled by the devs, and that will make the device less of an attractive option for consumers to buy.

[monkeyluis]

I don't want mal-droid apps on my iDevices.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by monkeyluis

I don't want mal-droid apps on my iDevices.

You're worried about malware? As long as you pay attention to the permissions needed when you install an app, you shouldn't have any problems. If you're installing a game, and you see it needs access to modify the address book, send texts, make calls, etc, then you should think to not install it. Due to having to rely on sheer stupidity, there isn't many malware apps on android. Most people realize that something is fishy by the permissions that are requested before the app install, and don't install it. That shows low download counts and ratings, making it be buried in searches and category listings on android market. End result, it isn't worthwhile to make malware, and not many have tried. The same principals also apply for iOS, which believe it or not there have been apps that slipped through the app review process, that did bad things.

The big thing to do, is simply pay attention to permissions needed, and deny anything that is unreasonable, regardless of Android or iOS.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

....

The big thing to do, is simply pay attention to permissions needed, and deny anything that is unreasonable, regardless of Android or iOS.

and enjoy the freedom.

[monkeyluis]

Originally Posted by kennyc

and enjoy the freedom.

Freedom of what?

[monkeyluis]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

You're worried about malware? As long as you pay attention to the permissions needed when you install an app, you shouldn't have any problems. If you're installing a game, and you see it needs access to modify the address book, send texts, make calls, etc, then you should think to not install it. Due to having to rely on sheer stupidity, there isn't many malware apps on android. Most people realize that something is fishy by the permissions that are requested before the app install, and don't install it. That shows low download counts and ratings, making it be buried in searches and category listings on android market. End result, it isn't worthwhile to make malware, and not many have tried. The same principals also apply for iOS, which believe it or not there have been apps that slipped through the app review process, that did bad things.

The big thing to do, is simply pay attention to permissions needed, and deny anything that is unreasonable, regardless of Android or iOS.

Most people are too stupid to do that.

And I haven't heard of any serious "bad" apps that have skipped through.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by monkeyluis

Most people are too stupid to do that.

That's a very broad statement. I personally think it would be more stupid if someone were to be a fanatic of a brand and consider everything else malware, but that's just me.