Entrepreneur and founder of padajo Ltd - an enterprise mobile consultancy based in UK. Paul is a techie, and Christian.
padajo website
We're going great guns at padajo towers, and we're looking for some fantastic people to join our team.
So we've got an internship or two to offer right now, and we'd love to hear from you if you think you're good enough! Graduates preferred, but if you're good enough, then that doesn't matter.
Details here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11984766/padajo/InternAppDeveloperBrief_mkmc.pdf
Get in touch!
The iPad is apparently going to come out this week (we'll see but it seems very likely but you never know with Apple) and Tablet based devices are becoming more and more common.
So, what gets me is how developers and brands think that to build a web based solution that works on mobile means it will work just as well on a tablet.
Don't get me wrong, it does work ok, but there are some sites, like my bank website, that provides limited functionality on their mobile web version, and to get to the things I want to do, I have to go to the "Desktop View".
One problem? ROLLOVERS!
Who on earth decided that to develop a website that could (note: not will, but could) be used on a mobile device (not just a mobile phone any more), they would utilise rollovers. I mean, what you need is a "touch" version, because rollovers mean very very little on a tablet device.
Idiots.
Of course, rollovers could be said to "naturally degrade" in that you just click and it takes you to that section, and that's fine, but it's not really particularly clever because the interface is then inconsistent between devices.
And to cap it all, half the time the mobile site is built for smaller form factors than tablets, so using it means the buttons and actions can feel small and far away (gratuitous Father Ted reference).
Moral of the story?
It's no longer enough to build a website for "desktop computers" and then get your mobile version out with limited functionality. The mobile world is moving too fast for that.
You have to consider multiple devices and multiple cases. Mobile is more than smartphone now.
And so far, there's only one website I know that has actually thought this through and produced a "touch" version specifically for mobile devices, and that is Facebook (touch version).
If you know of others... comment and link below!
I've just recently been asked by an old friend via twitter, what are the current technologies to learn to get themselves up to speed. This, is an awesome and hugely difficult question to answer and I tried to answer via twitter, but gave up. So I thought I'd blog about it (all personal opinion of course!)...
First: Developer means programmer not designer
10 years ago, a designer could learn rudimentary programming and get work building websites (and more recently mobile apps). What this meant was that in the minds of people buying skills, the designer and developer were often synonymous.
Not so any more! You have to understand and have elements of design, but to be a top developer, you have to understand programming, and understand it in a number of different languages across a range of disciplines. Without that, your skill set is too narrow.
Second: LAMP stack is pre entry level, not senior programmer
If you think that being a PHP programmer or knowing how to put a website together using the LAMP stack, then to be honest, that's only a starting point. It's the other technologies on top that make it worthwhile. However, this can give you a good grounding in what technologies are good for which situations, so if you don't have a LAMP stack background, then really, you probably are going to be making decisions later on that could be difficult to resolve.
Third: Knowing Ruby on Rails does not make you a good Ruby Programmer
The proliferation of serious web frameworks (you can insert any other framework with it's base programming language in here), that cut down the amount of knowledge required to develop websites is superb for those trying to build websites, but it does not make good programmers.
Those of us that had to build websites in years gone by (you know... over 10 years ago), where we had to develop our own session management frameworks, know how cookies worked, manage the relationship with the database ourselves, and (heaven forbid) write SQL that actually did something valuable and fast, know that these frameworks have massive limitations. They are brilliant for prototyping but to go beyond and develop tools that go further, then you have to start delving into other skills to provide the scalability and the robustness required. This is where LAMP stack knowledge supercedes your abillity to write a rails app.
Having said that, knowing these frameworks is great, to get projects up and running fast, but recognise how and when to use them appropriately.
Fourth: Mobile programming, Cloud, NOSQL and Javascript are now key
For pretty much any project nowadays, one or more of these technologies is used (certainly true for padajo anyway). Interestingly, I am not specifying android or iOS or web-based frameworks like phonegap for mobile, or splitting out what NOSQL means, or specifying which javascript framework is best.
To be honest, this is where the melting pot of tech is at present. There are lots of technologies that have been around for a short time, and some are becoming more utilised and others becoming hyped, but not so useful.
The interesting thing from a developer point of view is that these tools change the way developers have to think about putting together applications. The cloud is the future, of that I have no doubt, but then what combination of the rest of those technologies is required for the development of the application I'm being asked to deliver?
There is a lot of trial and error at present around these technologies. I recently asked at a NOSQL conference, whether the panel of distinguished NOSQL providers and programmers could provide me with an example of when to use each of their technologies. They couldn't give me a straight answer.
We're in the world of programming as pioneering. Some people will go off and find the goldmines, and others will go off and find a barren wilderness.
Sometimes, you just have to "pick a technology" and see what happens.
Fifth: Cloud is key and APIs are their lifeblood
It saves money, saves time, provides instant scalability (if you know what you are doing) and reduces the complexity of servers to the level of a novice (which is not necessarily a good thing).
Understanding how cloud works and how it is to be utilised will make you invaluable. Nobody should ever be building stuff on their own servers nowadays, unless you are in the something like 1-3% of projects that require high amounts of server processing and memory management.
If you don't get cloud now, you'll be left behind.
APIs on top of the cloud will soon become the norm. Understanding what these are and linking technologies (primarily JSON) make this an area of massive interest. APIs are what makes cloud tick.
Sixth: If you want work, don't be just a programmer but a consultant and business brain
It is no longer enough to just be a programmer. You have to have an understanding and instinct of the business around what you are programming. That way, you can add value, and become more like a consultant (possibly a dirty word).
If you want to be the guy who sits in the office coding all day, and "making everything work" then fine. But realise that you will always be the "go to" person and the buck will stop with you.
Breaking out of that will mean understanding the business you are in and adding value outside of just tech.
Technology will never ever ever win. The technology you build is only a building block towards something else. Unless you are lucky to be outside the scope of financial constraints on projects, there will always be a commercial aspect to what you are building. So work out what that is, be aware and add value where you can.
Finally: Don't be too diverse
Being a programmer is getting harder. Too many technologies now to be aware of, and too many programming languages and programmers are out there. Just sticking with a technology will eventually mean you become obsolete.
Learn new tech, keep up with it, don't get left behind.
An article recently caught my eye on Techcrunch about...
Keep It Simple, Stupid: The Enterprise Version
I was intrigued by the title, if nothing else, because I have been talking about simplicity for ages in terms of Mobile and Apps, and our enterprise customers are no different.
In fact, I think saying this is vital and we will keep on saying it. The majority of enterprise level firms (whatever enterprise level means) will be looking for IT solutions to business problems and buyers often feel that they have to "buy big" which means "enterprise level software consultancies" and therefore big bucks, to ensure that they get what they want.
Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. Managing software projects is difficult, but defining requirements is something that buyers and managers seem equally bad at and too often the requirements are fitted (or worse retrofitted) to the solution prior to understanding them properly.
Simplicity in this arena is about telling a client that while they think they want all this whizzy software and tools that come with "enterprise" packages from expensive consultancies who are all on the Unobtanium (apparently higher than Platinum) partner scheme that nobody is allowed onto unless they are personal friends with <name a CEO of a big enterprise software firm> ... what they actually need is totally different, especially as in 95% of cases (anecdotal but I'd say it's right) you don't need the enterprise software you are being sold.
Mobile and Simplicity
Creating simplicity in software is a very good thing, but working with mobile requires an understanding of simplicity that most enterprise consultancies, and most enteprises, have no clue about.
Here, the background of a consumer focussed company is a massive headstart. Consumers like simplicity and ease of use, much more than features. Consumers are also more likely to forgive more easily if the software doesn't work amazingly first time.
Simplicity often means reductions in training budgets, and time to transition, and if you're clever it also means simpler rollouts (especially combined with cloud). The enterprise software vendors too often sell you the peripherals rather than the solution, which too many times is "incidental".
To put it simply, enterprise software buyers need to learn that simplicity and mobile can save you money, save you time (which is money) and make you stand out from your peers who are just following the usual enterprise software crowd.
Anyone that grew up in the UK in the 80s with computers will remember the BBC Micro Computer and the owl logo.
Indeed, yesterday while at the @stationx Social Media meetup in Bletchley Park I was enjoying the marvels of Chris Searle learning how to program one of these devices in a TV show. Yes, there was once a TV show of a man learning to program a computer... called
Well worth a watch, especially from 3:54 onwards!
I'm an advocate of teaching kids to program computers, and not to just learn how to use Word (or equivalents) especially as I don't believe Word is now a primary skill for the workplace. Far more important is how to write coherently (and if anyone corrects my grammar or spelling...!).
So, along comes both Raspberry Pi and then the BBC Computer Literacy Project 2012 and I, for one, can't wait until real straight forward computers come to children to learn to get them to do interesting things. It's how I learned, on a BBC B, with only 32K of RAM and BBC BASIC (what a superb start that was!).
So, I thought, how does this affect mobile? Well, apart from the fact that apps require programming (and design, but I'm bothered about programming) I also believe newer generations are more creative given the right tools, so I see great value in this.
So I thought I'd be cheeky and create a QR Code for the BBC Computer Literacy Project 2012. And I have posted it here.
We've done lots of work on mobile web projects recently, and have found it both rewarding and frustrating all at once.
HTML5
HTML5 is the newest version of the language that most web pages are written in. It has some great features including being more mobile friendly.
However, if anyone tells you HTML5 is the answer the likelihood is that they haven't heard the question. It is currently, only an answer, and not always the best one either.
We've found that apps are far cleaner and more efficient, but of course, not platform (e.g. Android or iPhone) independent, and even with the tools that say you can create cross platform apps (e.g. phonegap) the issues still arise.
Proxies
another thing we've found developing mobile web is that mobile networks and phones do a lot of "clever" things that actually, we don't generally see on desktop.
One of the major things is caching, which is useful. Storing copies of stuff we've already downloaded is great, so long as they don't change. However, proxies on the network are a whole different matter.
There's been a post and lots of tweets today about O2 allegedly putting mobile phone info into it's headers (although this is not proven as yet). What has been interesting is that people are beginning to realise that networks use network-based proxies (pass through servers) and caches.
What this means is that if someone on the same network visits the same URL as you, then in some cases, the network returns the same page.
Problem? Massive. The world is full of websites that utilise session management (so using the same URL across all users) and if they don't implement anti-caching techniques, then you can end up with real issues with users not seeing content.
I get why the networks do it, to reduce bandwidth on their precious wireless networks, but it makes it a whole lot harder for those of us tasked with delivering content over them.
Future Is...
The mobile web is still figuring out how best to use itself. The networks are trying to reduce the network load while increasing the use and improving the user experience. The developers are trying to work out what works where and why, and it's becoming harder and harder.
Mobile web may seem to be the Holy Grail, but it's nowhere near mature enough yet to produce the results some people claim.
Paul had a short chat with Rory Cellan-Jones yesterday about Android and Apps.
Android and the Economics of Apps
Just to clarify, the conversation was about Enterprise, and how it's easier for enterprise clients to develop apps for Android than iOS.
This is (of course) opinion and very subjective.
Still, we got quoted on the BBC! :)
There is a lot of talk around about "Apps". Up until the last year or so, this has been almost totally linked in the consumer's mind to Apple and the iOS App Store, for obvious reasons. Apple created the market and have done an amazing job convincing both consumers and developers to see what they have created as the key.
However, Android have recently passed 10 Billion (yes - 10 Billion) app downloads from Android Market (the Android app store) onto Android devices.
This, combined with the fact that around 18 Billion apps have been downloaded from the Apple App Store, means that the majority of all mobile apps are focussed on these two platforms (whatever anybody else says!).
There has been a lot of talk around Apple and iOS App Store making lots of people a lot of money around apps. There are definitely a few people who are making money out of apps, but I don't see it as an ecosystem, even for iOS apps, where a company can develop an app and make a lot of money on a consistent basis. Even the most successful companies had bad experiences before they had good ones! Take a look at this Angry Birds and Rovio article in Wired.
It is akin to the music industry and the idea that if your app is a "hit" then you're set for life. Unfortunately, it's not quite the same even though you might get 1 hit, because music produced by the same artist is often similar and will attract the same audience. To that end, a games manufacturer is much more likely to make money out of apps than many other types of organisation.
On iOS there are lots of apps that can be mentioned with regards to making money out of the app purchases, apps like Angry Birds and Doodle Jump.
However, I was recently asked to name a company that was making money out of paid for apps on the android platform. I couldn't name one that I thought had become rich out of it. I do know of some that are free and the company is funded, but not actually making money out of the app itself. I have only ever bought 2 games myself on the platform, so maybe that is the issue. The lack of games.
I see this as a pointer to the future of the mobile platforms as a whole. People are less and less inclined to pay for apps up front. In app purchases may change this, but to be honest, there are issues there as well (not going into this!).
These are the majority of those 28 Billion downloads and represent the most important area of growth. People tend not to pay for apps. The hardware costs them very little and people expect an awful lot for a little money. There are many people who will think nothing of a purchase of coffee, but will not spend £2.99 on a game that they may enjoy or not enjoy. The psychology of app purchasing is complex, but basically, people don't like paying for apps! This appears to be even more apparent on Android Market than on iOS!
The biggest area that needs focus is where there is an existing business and it is utilising the technology to expand. Something like a productivity business or cloud based industry. These show how to use the technology well.
These are also where most enterprises want to go - free apps that engage with either their customers, suppliers or their staff. Unfortunately most companies will go to the local "enterprise software vendor" or the local "design agency" to get these built. This is a mistake.
The technologies involved are now so wide and varied, that to build apps for the enterprise relies on an understanding of consumer apps, cloud technologies, security, APIs and many other things. To be able to build for these relies on understanding how these technologies work and fit together.
In a recent piece of work, the app itself (what the majority of people see) was only 5% of the effort. The reward? The app is now a core part of the company's strategy because it's benefits far outweighed the effort for us to develop the platform.
Apps are definitely here to stay. Private app stores will become the norm in enterprise organisations - to distribute apps to staff.
However, paid for apps are probably not the utopia that many people believe them to be. The majority of money made will be by independents and games manufacturers - simply put either luck from a clever person or time, money and effort from an already established player.
We will in the future be focussing on free apps in the enterprise as the most lucrative area for development in our view.
We've just agreed to become the Cookie Sponsor for Over The Air
Tell us your favourite cookie here: http://twtpoll.com/ajt4xc
You can read all about the conference (or unconference, or whatever) on the website, but we're really pleased to be able to do this. After attending last year's event, we got a lot of good contacts and interest out of it, we felt it would be a great idea to support it further.
We're looking forward to meeting you all there and having a cool time hacking and making amazing things with Mobile technology.
Also, it's in Bletchley Park which is just down the road, and needs all the support and attention it can get. Paul has been supporting Bletchley Park for some time, through going to Station X social meetups and through the stnx.at URL shortener.
