Assistance With Android:Tactical to Strategic

by Mark Murphy, CommonsWare

Overview

• The Android ecosystem

• Getting assistance for engineers

• Getting assistance for businesses

The Way It Was

• Proprietary mobile operating systems

• Few experts, all internal

• Low expectations from users

• No extensibility

The Age of Android

• Smartphones...

• ...and beyond

• Tablets

• TVs and set-top boxes

• Cars, etc.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

• Good: More experts

• Bad: Higher expectations

• Ugly: More competition

Flattening the Learning Curve

• You need answers -- that’s understandable

• More importantly, you need to climb the learning curve quickly

• Outside assistance to flatten that curve

Tactical to Strategic

• Tactical: What engineers need to get their job done

• Strategic: What managers and executives need to make right decisions for Android adoption

• Spectrum between them, not polar states

Axes of Help

• Speed

• Live vs. asynchronous

• Backing

• Official, professional, community

• Cost

• Free, paid

Android Google Groups

• SDK Development

• android-beginners

• android-developers

• Source Code/Platform Development

• android-platform

• android-porting

• All Moderated!

StackOverflow

• Posting Tips

• Use #android tag

• Provide a nice source listing – will be formatted

• Include stack traces, screenshots, etc.

StackOverflow

• Interaction Tips

• Unrelated questions: post new

• Accept answers!

• Use comments wisely

IRC

• Internet Relay Chat

• irc.freenode.net, #android-dev channel

• Monitored by real live Googlers!

• Office hours

• Standard Netiquette

• Don't barge in on a discussion – tough to follow

Contacting Google

• Not Easy

• Device Manufacturers: should already have channels established

• Big ISVs: probably already have ways to reach into Google

• Small ISVs: work with a device manufacturer

Miscellaneous Channels

• ForceClose

• Smaller community boards

• Android issue tracker

•http://b.android.com

What Not To Do

• Direct Semi-Random Contact

• Googlers

• Other folk

• Expect Something for Nothing Always

• More likely to get answers if you give answers from time to time

• Be Overly Abstract

Issue Reporting Tips

• Sample Code

• Fragments at worst

• Complete demonstration projects where possible

• Outside of StackOverflow, consider using a code-paste site

Issue Reporting Tips

• Stack Traces

• adb logcat, DDMS, DDMS perspective in Eclipse

• Need the “Caused by” portion of trace

• Other Symptoms

• Screenshots?

Tips for Asking Questions

• Choose Proper Question Level

• Down-in-the-weeds

• Good for very tactical questions

• Only works if you are really comfortable with the material and are having some API difficulties

Tips for Asking Questions

• Choose Proper Question Level

• High-level development approach

• Better if this is an area you know little about

• Allows others to contribute corresponding high-level advice

Tips for Asking Questions

• Tie Into Your Identity Strategy and Tactics

• Public Disclosure

• “Brand names” likely to get more help

• May get incoming questions (e.g., device manufacturers)

Tips for Asking Questions

• Tie Into Your Identity Strategy and Tactics

• Personal Email

• Not recommended, particularly if you have a unique name

• Unique Email

• Best if you need to shroud your identity

Tips for Asking Questions

• Patience is a Virtue

• Timing

• Groups, StackOverflow not immediate

• Easy on the “bumps”

• IRC real-time but perhaps limited

Tips for Asking Questions

• Patience is a Virtue

• Answers

• Not all answers are created equal, in terms of quality

• Try to avoid being dogmatic

Tips for Asking Questions

• Follow Through

• StackOverflow: accept answers

• Groups/IRC: thank those who provide good answers

Tips for Asking Questions

• Turnabout is Fair Play

• Try to figure out how you can contribute back

• In kind: answer questions from others

• Other “returns on investment”

• Pay it forward

Strategic Support

• More involved

• Not just a question here or there

• Two key questions

• What do you need?

• What do you look for in assistance?

Device Firmware

• What You Need

• Targeted assistance in getting you past driver issues, etc.

• Full “cradle to grave” assistance with device development and manufacture

Device Firmware

• What You Should Look For

• Prior experience with altering the firmware

• Full-scale support with the right relationships, plus the Android expertise

Firmware Modifications

• What You Need

• Help in creating custom UI layer (HTC Sense, MOTOBLUR, SE Rachael, etc.)

• Help in modifying standard apps

• Help in advancing Android proper

• Example: dual camera support

Firmware Modifications

• What You Should Look For

• Experience in working on the firmware outside of device drivers

• Mobile UX expertise, if not supplied by you

Security Model

• What You Need

• Help in making Android enterprise-ready

• Remote wipe

• Usage monitoring

• Reduced end-user configurability

Security Model

• What You Should Look For

• Deep ties to core Android dev team

• Solution that has a chance of being widely adopted or incorporated into mainstream Android

App Preloads / Remixes

• What You Need

• More apps than come with Android by default

• Apps targeted to your particular market or usage model

App Preloads / Remixes

• What You Should Look For

• Well-respected apps on the Android Market

• For the apps

• For the authors

• Solid UX and experience to do more of the same

Google Acceptance

• What You Need: the Android Market

• Pass the CTS

• Faithfully run third-party applications

• Work within “Google Experience” limitations

Google Acceptance

• What You Should Look For

• Firms that have helped others build production devices that were granted the Android Market

• Firms with good working relationships with Google

Alternative Markets

• What You Need

• Way to capture revenue for you and your partners, instead of for Google and Google’s partners

• Way to deal with not getting the Android Market

Alternative Markets

• What You Should Look For

• Firms with existing markets or demonstrated market technology

• Device portion is comparatively easy!

• Firms demonstrating ability to recruit developers to list on their markets

Open Source

• What You Need: clear understanding of your obligations

• Kernel modifications (GPLv2)

• Contributions to Android open source project (contribution agreement)

Open Source

• What You Should Look For

• OSS experience

• Legal

• Internal development

• Collaborative development expertise

Developer Relations

• What You Need

• Developers interested in creating apps that work well on your device

• Unique hardware characteristics

• Developers interested in creating apps that work well for your market

• Specific target languages

Developer Relations

• What You Should Look For

• Minimum: people with demonstrated ability to recruit, retain developer communities

• Ideal: rock star = somebody whose name brings you credibility at grassroots level

All The Other Things...

• Revenue model

• Sales/marketing

• Distribution and channels

• Buzz (PR, social networks, etc.)

Summary

• Getting assistance has two ingredients

• Knowing what questions you should be asking

• Knowing where to get the answers

Contact Info

• http://commonsware.com

• mmurphy@commonsware.com

• http://commonsware.com/blog

• Twitter: commonsguy

• +1.484.350.4004