Android & iOS tools

A customer wants both apps in 2 weeks. Gee, i can barely do Android in two weeks. iOS is completely new to me. I can run ADK on Linux. Are there i OS tools available on Linux? How about Android Java to iOS obj C translato r? Any good tools i can pickup in less than 2 weeks?

I keep telling them i cannot do iOS in two weeks, but they are tempting me with big checks. Perhaps enough to buy iMac, iPhone and iPad all together. But i don't want to learn iAnything. I would like to stick to Linux if p ossible.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee
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Then walk away from the job. "Big checks" don't exist if you can't produce. (they also suggest a potential willingness of client to "come after you" when you fail to produce!)

Let them find someone else. Then, *hope* they come back to you when that other party "fails to produce".

Reply to
Don Y

One of the fine arts of being in business is when to /decline/ to do work.

Customers that blow hot very quickly ("ultra important, must have it tomorrow") often blow cold quickly too.

You have to be able to cash the cheque.

You might like to retain your integrity, and decline work you believe to be impossible; I have done in the past.

I suspect there are tools around the (claim to) automatically translate from Android to iOS and vice versa. Alternatively I am sure there are companies with employees skilled in both.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

two weeks. iOS is completely new to me. I can run ADK on Linux. Are the re iOS tools available on Linux? How about Android Java to iOS obj C trans lator? Any good tools i can pickup in less than 2 weeks?

me with big checks. Perhaps enough to buy iMac, iPhone and iPad all toget her. But i don't want to learn iAnything. I would like to stick to Linux if possible.

.

rrow") often blow cold quickly too.

be impossible; I have done in the past.

rom Android to iOS and vice versa. Alternatively I am sure there are compan ies with employees skilled in both.

Yes, we got lots of responses from people/companies claiming to know iOS. But except for the very expensive one, they (the marketing guys) usually do n't know what is a BlueTooth socket. I don't have time to explain until my face turns blue and my tooth fall out of my socket.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee

+1. You'll establish a reputation of only promising what you can deliver, and you can always get back to them later if you learn to do iOS. OTOH, if you try and fail then you've established a reputation of another sort.
--
www.wescottdesign.com
Reply to
Tim Wescott

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I already told them i can't do iOS within such short time. I tried getting them an iOS developer. But many cookie cutter iOS developer can't really do it in such a short time either. As we discussed here before, Android/iO S BlueTooth is relatively new. It would take lots of readings, trials and errors.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee

*THEY* want to make THEIR problem, YOUR problem. Then, they can hound you as to why it's not done yet, why you are late, why it doesn't work, etc.

If they were responsible business people, they would want to "set you up to SUCCEED", not FAIL! I.e., if you've told them "I can't do it", they would WANT to find another "supplier" instead of just trying to offload their problem onto your shoulders...

Reply to
Don Y

I'm not sure they're that cynical. They may just be desperate, having been told by multiple vendors that it can't be done, and they're trying in some clumsy way to enable Edward to be their vendor of choice.

That doesn't mean that the organization as a whole hasn't evolved into just what you're saying -- on good days, in good organizations, no one of us is as smart as all of us working together. But on bad days, or in bad organizations, no one of us is as dumb as everyone working together. It may just be that sort of organization.

Putting aside the fact that my impression is that Android phones and iCrap have both had Bluetooth for just about ever, this is the sort of thing that I'd only do for a customer if it was understood -- in writing, in the contract -- that I'm doing exploration, and that I get paid by hour of effort, not by line item of success.

Then if someone tries to bitch beyond canceling the contract in the contractually acceptable manner, particularly if they want to bitch with lawyers, I can just point to the contract, say "I did the work, now pay up".

--
Tim Wescott 
Wescott Design Services 
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Reply to
Tim Wescott

I'm not claiming they're cynical or predatorial. Rather, THEIR tit is in the wringer. They'd much rather it be *yours* and will do/say a lot of irrational things to make that happen: "Yeah, it's OK if that feature isn't present, initially" "Sure, we don't mind if you have to scrap everything and do it ALL over, later, FOR REAL" "We just want something that LOOKS like it works for a dog-and-pony" etc.

Later, they forget these "deals with the devil" and are stunned when you claim "finishing the job" will require starting over (etc.)

This is especially frustrating when it is the result of a long process during which you have been raising these red flags -- only to have them dismissed, trivially. Until, of course, they all come home to roost and *you* are The Bad Guy (written correspondence can give you the high MORAL ground... but the relationship is shot, regardless!)

Reply to
Don Y

p have both had Bluetooth for just about ever, this is the sort of thing th at I'd only do for a customer if it was understood -- in writing, in the co ntract -- that I'm doing exploration, and that I get paid by hour of effort , not by line item of success.

Bluetooth has been there for audio for a long time, but not for socket API. For Android, it started with 4.3. So, not many people have worked on it and i am not even sure how usable it is. Part of the reason i am taking th is job is also my desire to find out if it will really work.

Reply to
edward.ming.lee

Curiosity is admirable, but not if money, reputation and lawyers are involved.

To try determine whether this is a person you want to have as a client in the long-term, could you spin it as...

... thank you for trusting my technical expertise and judgement ...

... the biggest risk to your business plan is that technology X is new and unproven ...

... to minimise your expenditure, I suggest we de-risk technology X, and then make a reasoned go/nogo decision ...

... cheaply and speedily achieved by giving me a contract for 1 week to investigate. If OK, then it is money well-spent on a good foundation for the remaining work. If not OK then you haven't lost much and can move onto your next idea/plan ...

Reply to
Tom Gardner

So, your assumptions are that the job exceeds 2 "weeks" of effort (however you define that). And, the upper bound must be "considerably more than you are willing to INVEST in *yourself* (by undertaking a similar task to learn about the functionality in question in a SAFER environment).

If you are only willing to learn on someone else's dime, then ask yourself what that learning experience is WORTH to you (in currency units) and then imagine what it may end up COSTING you if you decide to learn on *this* client's dime.

Personally, this just has the smell of A Really Bad Experience for all parties involved (possibly even irreparably damaging your reputation with this client and any other clients whose ears he may have!)

Buy a demo kit from and tinker with it in your off hours. *NEXT* time, you'll be better qualified to prepare a more specific estimate of the time/effort required with far less legal/professional "exposure".

Reply to
Don Y

+1

The hardest thing for "contractors" (ditto "potential employees") to do is walk away from a sale. Especially if it looks like you've got a LOCK on it! (the same thing applies to designs!)

Several years ago, I "no bid" a contract that would EASILY have turned into a long term "consulting gig" (i.e., many years of guaranteed income). Mainly, because I knew the customer was being unrealistic in his expectations, didn't understand what he wanted (*SO* many red flags, there!) and would, inevitably, have been put in the hot seat by board members who knew even LESS about what he wanted.

"Shit rolls downhill"

No amount of money/security is worth that sort of grief!

[In the time that has passed, the project NEVER got finished and that VP was given his walking papers -- despite (or, perhaps, BECAUSE of) a boatload of money being thrown at it! Amusingly, I am in exactly the same situation with another potential job at the present time. Same temptations. But, far less inclination to "nibble"! :> ]
Reply to
Don Y

API. For Android, it started with 4.3. So, not many people have worked on it and i am not even sure how usable it is. Part of the reason i am taking this job is also my desire to find out if it will really work.

r you define that). And, the upper bound must be "considerably more than y ou are willing to INVEST in *yourself* (by undertaking a similar task to le arn about the functionality in question in a SAFER environment).

Considering BlueTooth socket API by itself could take two weeks, and multip le graphical activities/views with screen switchings. I would say at leas t two months, if not longer.

f what that learning experience is WORTH to you (in currency units) and the n imagine what it may end up COSTING you if you decide to learn on *this* c lient's dime.

I am not a total newbie in Android, so I am charging them fractional cost o f development. We are bounded to have some new things to learn in any job. This should not be a negative factor, but the two weeks time limit is. I think they have some live presentation of the software that have not been written. That's their problem, not mine.

rties involved (possibly even irreparably damaging your reputation with thi s client and any other clients whose ears he may have!)

Any reasonable client would understand that you can't build an app in two w eeks. They understand it too, but they are just hoping for miracle.

T*

he

I think i have the hardware needed. But Android Lollipop (5.0) now wants 6

4bits Linux KVM, and Eclipse is to be depreciated soon. It's hard to keep up with the Googles.
Reply to
edward.ming.lee

In which case they are unreasonable clients. Such clients sometimes use lawyers to "prove" (to themselves or others) that "I was on the right track, but the contractor fouled up and let me/us down".

I'd politely decline the work. If you think they are actually potentially reasonable clients, you could indicate your answer might be different in other circumstances.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

As others explained, you really do have to turn it down. And that check doesn't sound anywhere near big enough for 2 weeks of that level of intense development on a consultant basis. It might be more interesting if iCar was added to the list, if there was such a thing.

Reply to
Paul Rubin

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Although I agree with the consensus that you would be nuts to try to do this, I thought I should mention Cordova

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which allows you to program in JavaScript and then generate the code for iOS/Android/Windows etc. I have only heard of this- I cannot vouch for it.

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Reply to
antedeluvian

I managed to write two Cordova-based apps for Android from scratch, knowing nothing of Java, Android etc. Basically, the application is a web page and a chunk of Javascript does the work.

If you want to use the Bluetooth LE stack, start with the Evothings environment. This is basically a framework for building your app interactively from a PC with a prebuilt runtime environment (the Evothing client) running on the Android tablet. Once your get that working you can turn your Evothings project into a Cordova one and build an installable package. Then your app can be built for Android and IOS without any changes (well that's the theory!). Get the Evothings stuff first - source code for lots of example Bluetooth apps.

good luck!

Mike

Reply to
Mike Smith

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