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I'm not so sure. There are a lot of people out there that _really_ dislike Java.

blueskin_ 13y ago
There are also a lot of people out there that _really_ dislike learning a whole new platform and API with all its foibles, quirks, bugs/misfeatures, and caveats. Especially when the platform is this new and so will likely change a lot for at least the first year.
- sentenza 13y ago
  But Sailfish OS should not require too much learning for developers with Qt experience, right? For me personally, that is what has put it on my "interesting"-radar. I know that Qt has served me well in the past and that I have some grasp on developing with it, so the potential barrier I have to jump here is low.
  - blueskin_ 13y ago
    I guess Qt is better than starting from scratch; maybe it won't be as empty as my first reaction was to assume.
  - veeti 13y ago
    Keep in mind that this ain't your daddy's Qt. QML is the new thing and it has a slight learning curve. (And the documentation is unfortunately lacking in some parts, like C++ integration.)
    - zanny 13y ago
      QML has the lowest learning curve of any visual programming model I've ever used, and that includes using the gui creators for visual studio and friends. Something as simple as Window { Text {text: "Hello World!";anchors.centerIn: parent;}} gives you a first class desktop Window with text in it. And most of the complexity only comes in when you start adding state and transitions. And on top of all that the entire thing is 3d accelerated, so it is always hugely efficient.
- pekk 13y ago
  That's why everyone is still using J2ME.
TheCraiggers 13y ago
There are also a lot of people that _really_ like Java. Considering the amount of apps / devs that Android has gathered, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the amount of developers that either like or are neutral about Java is far larger than the amount that "really dislike" it. If Android's programming language of choice was going to sink it, it would have happened when it was still a fledgling mobile OS, not years later after it was fully entrenched.
- sentenza 13y ago
  That is true, and I don't question the success of Android. However, there are IMO enough people out there who want something different, so that Sailfish OS won't become a close-to-no-app system.
seabrookmx 13y ago
You absolutely do not have to write your Android apps in Java. You DO need a thin bootstrap layer of Java, but with the amount of Android resources out there you don't have to write this yourself. You could make the next popular Android app and never have to touch a line of Java. The NDK allows you to write apps in C/C++. And most other popular languages have a way to interface with C, you can use them as well. I've seen Android apps written in Python, Lua, and C#. Also with things like Phonegap you can use Javascript if you so desire.

There are also a lot of people out there that _really_ dislike learning a whole new platform and API with all its foibles, quirks, bugs/misfeatures, and caveats. Especially when the platform is this new and so will likely change a lot for at least the first year.

sentenza 13y ago
But Sailfish OS should not require too much learning for developers with Qt experience, right? For me personally, that is what has put it on my "interesting"-radar. I know that Qt has served me well in the past and that I have some grasp on developing with it, so the potential barrier I have to jump here is low.
- blueskin_ 13y ago
  I guess Qt is better than starting from scratch; maybe it won't be as empty as my first reaction was to assume.
- veeti 13y ago
  Keep in mind that this ain't your daddy's Qt. QML is the new thing and it has a slight learning curve. (And the documentation is unfortunately lacking in some parts, like C++ integration.)
  - zanny 13y ago
    QML has the lowest learning curve of any visual programming model I've ever used, and that includes using the gui creators for visual studio and friends. Something as simple as Window { Text {text: "Hello World!";anchors.centerIn: parent;}} gives you a first class desktop Window with text in it. And most of the complexity only comes in when you start adding state and transitions. And on top of all that the entire thing is 3d accelerated, so it is always hugely efficient.
pekk 13y ago
That's why everyone is still using J2ME.

TheCraiggers 13y ago

There are also a lot of people that _really_ like Java. Considering the amount of apps / devs that Android has gathered, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the amount of developers that either like or are neutral about Java is far larger than the amount that "really dislike" it. If Android's programming language of choice was going to sink it, it would have happened when it was still a fledgling mobile OS, not years later after it was fully entrenched.

sentenza 13y ago
That is true, and I don't question the success of Android. However, there are IMO enough people out there who want something different, so that Sailfish OS won't become a close-to-no-app system.

seabrookmx 13y ago

You absolutely do not have to write your Android apps in Java. You DO need a thin bootstrap layer of Java, but with the amount of Android resources out there you don't have to write this yourself. You could make the next popular Android app and never have to touch a line of Java. The NDK allows you to write apps in C/C++. And most other popular languages have a way to interface with C, you can use them as well. I've seen Android apps written in Python, Lua, and C#. Also with things like Phonegap you can use Javascript if you so desire.