Microsoft has had less than a great year; amidst Windows 8 complaints and Xbox One controversy, therefore when Dimensional Research’s survey which talks to Windows developers about their challenges around mobile development – it piqued my interest.
The survey was sponsored by Embarcadero whose well-praised cross-platform development tool RAD Studio gets a new version launching today – XE5.
DeveloperTech spoke to Embarcadero’s Senior Director, Jason Vokes, and Technical Consultant, Stephen Ball, about the survey’s findings.
The first question revolved around developers’ faith in the Windows ecosystem, and whether this year has damaged Microsoft’s reputation. Jason led with the answer: “The vast majority say they will still be targeting Windows desktop development, and that’s a need for business that’s not going to go anywhere soon.”
He continues: “But one of the things that’s been creeping up really over the last few years is the growth of Apple and Android, and seeing the different form factors of devices.”
It’s these various form factors which is continuing to be disruptive to the industry; with laptop sales slowing, and the rise of mobile hardware such as tablets, developers feel the requirement to support these new devices as well.
The survey found 85% of Windows developers have received requests for mobile development; whilst 92% have concerns about creating these applications – mainly due to cost and complexity due to lack of experience.
RAD Studio is a unique application which eases this cost and complexity by allowing true native deployment across Windows, Mac, iOS and (with the introduction of XE5) now Android. The SDK uses one code-base to compile “right down to the metal.”
It was made clear both the desktop and mobile is still a priority for Embarcadero; therefore I wanted to know how much life is left in the desktop. Stephen led this answer: “As I go around talking to different developers in different countries; there is a lot of focus at the moment around trying to get some of the functionality across [from desktop to mobile].”
He continues: “It’s a whole new platform. Just as much as the mouse was a revelation as we went from DOS to Windows; now it’s touch and different ways to interact with devices.”
Another interesting finding in the survey is that 34 percent are only confident in developing for one platform. Jason responds to my question about whether this means a developer will remain loyal to the one OS: “Everyone can be concerned about the uncertainty which comes with change, and certainly if it comes at a time and cost premium to then have to invest in skilling up your teams or buying in new people.”
He explains the cross-platform process: “You certainly can’t pack full-blown desktop functionality onto a mobile device; but you can certainly take code over, and with a few guidelines like our ‘Top 5 Mistakes Developers Make When Going Mobile‘ report – you can take that competence and apply it to this new paradigm. That’s what people are finding is a weight of their shoulders.”
Tools such as RAD Studio are certainly powerful; an example was given to me of one of their current clients, Hitachi, whose previous code deployed across Windows, Mac, and iOS – can now, in XE5, be deployed to Android.
Something which I personally found surprising in the research was Android is the most requested platform to have applications for. Stephen talks of his own experience: “There’s more money which gets spent in Apple’s App Store; but a lot of getting onto the Android platform is much easier, there is no upfront cost, it’s literally a few taps and you’re an Android developer and off you go.”
On differences, he says: “There’s less restrictions around what you can do on Android devices, so there’s certainly been a lot of a request for that side of things.”
And as of today, that request has been fulfilled with the launch of RAD Studio XE5.
Will you be using RAD Studio for your native cross-platform development? Did you find anything surprising about Dimensional Research’s study?
