5 ms·

How Android fragmentation actually affects users

7 points by 11031a 15y ago

wccrawford 15y ago
In short, it affects users the same way that the PC market's fragmentation does: 1) It's harder to program when you can't predict everything. 2) Users have a lot more choice. 3) Most programs are pretty solid, but the really bad ones are really bad. Assuming that the screen size can be different is something that PC and Mac devs have dealt with for years. Why this is such a hard concept for mobile devs is beyond me.
- garyrichardson 15y ago
  I think the difference is that there is a successful one size fits all platform that it's competing with, which wasn't the case for PC's through the 90's. I don't think iPhone is better than Android -- they are just two ways of doing the mobile thing. Android and iPhone are still 10000x better than BB and Nokia. I'm an iPhone guy -- I prefer it over Android for many of the reasons in the article. The bottom line is I don't need to think to get apps and functionality out of my iPhone. When people ask me what they should get, I usually reply with "I like iPhone because of X, Y and Z, but if you choose Android you're still going to have an awesome phone."
  - wccrawford 15y ago
    Prior to IBM Clones, pretty much every system was the same across the board. Just like Android's situation. But even now, iP(hone/ad) isn't the same across the board. There are several generations with different hardware, plus a tablet or 2 to deal with. (And if we're lucky, the iPad 3 will have retina display.)
    - garyrichardson 15y ago
      You're splitting hairs. That's 5 years of iPhone development. Android is super fragmented in 2.
- benhirashima 15y ago
  agreed. web developers have been dealing with different sized monitors for years. yes, it's a pain, but they manage. mobile is no different. coming from a web dev background, it was natural for me to consider varying screen sizes, but i guess some mobile devs haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet. IMO, this article leaves out the most important aspect of android fragmentation - manufacturer customizations. HTC's Sense and Motorola's Blur are the top two sources of headaches for my app, Unlock With WiFi. manufacturers like to change the way lockscreens work, and in the process they introduce bugs that i have to work around. for me, android fragmentation wouldn't be half as bad if all phones ran vanilla android.

7 points by 11031a 15y ago

In short, it affects users the same way that the PC market's fragmentation does: 1) It's harder to program when you can't predict everything. 2) Users have a lot more choice. 3) Most programs are pretty solid, but the really bad ones are really bad. Assuming that the screen size can be different is something that PC and Mac devs have dealt with for years. Why this is such a hard concept for mobile devs is beyond me.

garyrichardson 15y ago
I think the difference is that there is a successful one size fits all platform that it's competing with, which wasn't the case for PC's through the 90's. I don't think iPhone is better than Android -- they are just two ways of doing the mobile thing. Android and iPhone are still 10000x better than BB and Nokia. I'm an iPhone guy -- I prefer it over Android for many of the reasons in the article. The bottom line is I don't need to think to get apps and functionality out of my iPhone. When people ask me what they should get, I usually reply with "I like iPhone because of X, Y and Z, but if you choose Android you're still going to have an awesome phone."
- wccrawford 15y ago
  Prior to IBM Clones, pretty much every system was the same across the board. Just like Android's situation. But even now, iP(hone/ad) isn't the same across the board. There are several generations with different hardware, plus a tablet or 2 to deal with. (And if we're lucky, the iPad 3 will have retina display.)
  - garyrichardson 15y ago
    You're splitting hairs. That's 5 years of iPhone development. Android is super fragmented in 2.
benhirashima 15y ago
agreed. web developers have been dealing with different sized monitors for years. yes, it's a pain, but they manage. mobile is no different. coming from a web dev background, it was natural for me to consider varying screen sizes, but i guess some mobile devs haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet. IMO, this article leaves out the most important aspect of android fragmentation - manufacturer customizations. HTC's Sense and Motorola's Blur are the top two sources of headaches for my app, Unlock With WiFi. manufacturers like to change the way lockscreens work, and in the process they introduce bugs that i have to work around. for me, android fragmentation wouldn't be half as bad if all phones ran vanilla android.