A series of comments on an earlier post tempted me to get drawn into an HTML5 vs Flash and a iPhone/iPad vs anything else and a Windows vs PC battle. And I must admit, I did get drawn in to posting some comments on another blog on a rather sensationalist Android vs iPhone post.
But the truth is, I’m trying very hard to stay out of all these battles. I really don’t care what you do, what platform you use, what kind of phone you use, what language you develop in, or what kind of devices you develop for. One resolution I’ve made recently is to try to avoid the word “should”, as in “you should buy this device” or “you should try that platform”. Do what you want. I assume you’re doing it because you enjoy it. If not, well, that seems kind of stupid, but then again, you must have some other reasons for doing something you don’t enjoy. But the point is, you are doing what you are doing for a reason, and I have no interest in changing your mind.
Of course, this being my blog, I will post about the things that I am interested in and the things that I am exploring. For a while I was very interested in iPhone development, and posting about this got me branded as a “traitor” by some members of the Flash community. Silly. Part of why I think this site has any popularity at all is because I explore and experiment with stuff. Now you’re saying that I can only do that within the confines of the Flash platform? Sorry.
I’ll also post my personal feelings about things here. For example, I said that I did not appreciate Apple’s attitude toward developers and their insistence on overprotecting their users. This is my opinion and was offered as a partial explanation on why I switched back to Windows. I’m not saying Apple is evil, or wrong, or that you should leave too. I’m merely saying that I personally don’t like it. I also don’t like liver and most country music. It’s not an ideology, it’s just personal taste.
So here are my stances on some of the big controversial items that people have been buzzing about lately.
HTML5: If it did what I need it to do, and worked on all browsers, I’d be all over it. It probably will some day. So I’ll keep an eye on it, but in my mind it’s more properly a spec than a real technology at this point.
iPhone: Great hardware. I enjoyed learning Objective-C. It was a real thrill to develop for multi-touch, accelerometer, etc. Really opened up some new ideas. No doubt the iPhone was a game changer. However, the app store business model is so seriously flawed in my opinion though that I don’t have any specific plans to continue iPhone development.
iPad: I pre-ordered one. It’s an absolutely gorgeous device but I honestly rarely use it. If I’m on the go, I use my phone for stuff, which is way more portable. If I’m at home, I use my PC, which is way more functional. I want to love it, but I haven’t found what niche in my life it fills. I’m also disappointed that it is basically a large iPhone, with the same development and content restrictions. It has so much potential – if it had a real OS and I could install what I wanted on it, it would be even more amazing. The extent that it is locked down really kills it for me.
Windows vs. Mac: There is really not so much difference these days. Whatever. I was on Windows for years. I was on a Mac for over 3 years. Once you get past the superficial difference like keyboard shortcuts, etc., you could easily forget which platform you are working on. Apple hardware is a little more shiny and sexy, sure, but my computer is a work tool, not a fashion accessory. OS X is probably a bit more stable than Windows, sure. But not drastically so. It’s easy to achieve stability when you have one version of the OS that runs on a single piece of hardware, which you also make. At any rate, I have a long list of friends who have had nightmares with Apple hardware and software, so it’s not perfect by any stretch.
Flash: I like Flash. I have an affinity for it. I use it and will continue to use it. I have made my living with Flash for the last several years and am continuing to do so. I understand that you may hate it. I understand that you may think it’s an old dead technology. You don’t have to foam yourself at the mouth in my comment section to get that point across, OK? Thanks. I’m going to continue to use it until something else comes along that does all that it does better than it does. I’ll also continue to actively try new technologies, even if it gets me labeled a traitor, so don’t accuse me of being a Flash fanboy who is afraid to step into the future.
Android: I got a Nexus One a couple of months ago. It took me a few weeks to use it on a regular basis. But now I am totally hooked. I’m resisting the urge to say that you “should” try Android for a solid month. But if you did, you would have a hard time going back to an iPhone, I think. I know that I couldn’t go back now. Android gives you so much more freedom to do what you want with your phone. Only after using it for a few weeks do you realize just HOW locked down the iPhone really is. It’s not perfect. Not by a long shot. But I find it easy to overlook its flaws with those flaws are probably just that – flaws that will eventually be corrected – and not purposely created restrictions.
Feel free to comment on these items, but try not to be a jerk. I’m not going to argue with you. There’s really nothing to argue about. These are my opinions and my likes and dislikes. You may have similar or different opinions, likes and dislikes. I respect that.