RANT! BlackBerry Platform Not Developer Friendly
Recently we posted about a rant by Neil, the developer of BBSmart HTML Email Viewer, on his blog DevBerry.com. It seems that Neil is not alone. Jonathan Fisher, the developer of BlackBerry Web Shortcuts and a few freebie games, has added his thoughts to the mix.
Both of these developers are essentially making some very similar complaints. RIM has not made the BlackBerry OS platform and API developer friendly. I am hoping the added publicity will get RIM’s attention to fixing these issues.
The complaints as I understand:
- Lack of proper documentation!
- An API held together with scotch tape and twine
- Terrible developer support
- The developer forum is just downright shameful
- Lack of a bug tracking mechanism
- No clarity provided to the developers into the development process such as known issues and broken compatibility in new OS versions
- Pitiful developer tools when compared to other mobile Operating Systems.
Seriously check out the RIM developer forum and you will see what they mean.
Combined together I can understand why developing for the BlackBerry platform can be a real challenge. The one common thread I have heard from everybody is that the system favors those who have an inside connection. Many of the top applications you know of for the BlackBerry are developed by ex-RIM employees or companies that have a strong insider connection to RIM.
This is one of the fields where RIM needs to really get their act together. They need to welcome 3rd party developers instead of deterring them. This is one of the main reasons there are more than 100 times more Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Palm applications even though RIM has over 10% of the smartphone market!
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Related Reading:
- RANT! Why Is Developing For BlackBerry Such A Pain?
- RIM Announces New BlackBerry Developer Conference
- What Happened To The BlackBerry Developer Fund?
January 14th, 2008 11:29
I agree. I have been trying to learn more about developing for the BlackBerry and the resources out there to learn are not that great…
January 14th, 2008 13:09
“not that great” is an understatement. They are downright pitiful and contradict one another. I tried since I have a background in Java programming and I just gave up. I am amazed when I see the complexities of these applications knowing how much of a headache they were to create.
January 14th, 2008 14:01
[...] Ronen has spotted a stab at RIM and how its relationship with software developers. Neil always has plenty to say on the developer’s perspective of things, and he generally doesn’t pain a pretty picture. Now, I’m no programmer, but poor documentation, forums and an inconsistent API all sound like pretty valid complaints that RIM should be addressing if they want to keep developers or attract more. The list of issues explains why the majority of coders just go for Windows Mobile or Symbian instead, but it also makes you respect folks working on BlackBerry despite these problems. Any other developers in the house who have any particularly bad experiences with working on the platform? Permalink Share This Post Comment Print This Post Posted by Simon Sage in General Tagged in developers, editorial, RIM, software [...]
January 14th, 2008 22:20
[...] Rim Sadly, I’ve had quite a few devs. email me and say the same thing. Ronen from BerryReview comments: "The one common thread I have heard from everybody is that the system favors those who have [...]