Comments on: Do Not Lock In To One Device Lest You Kill Your Company http://technosailor.com/2010/02/09/do-not-lock-in-to-one-device-lest-you-kill-your-company/ Business and Technology with Common Sense Thu, 24 May 2012 21:21:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4-beta4-20883 By: Sandy http://technosailor.com/2010/02/09/do-not-lock-in-to-one-device-lest-you-kill-your-company/comment-page-1/#comment-48156 Sandy Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:57:08 +0000 http://technosailor.com/?p=8032#comment-48156 While the story of Jack Tramiel would initially support this argument, I'm not sure I'm as in agreement as I am with the previous post. When doing web development, you're developing for the Web and its constraints and benefits. That means you don't target a single device, and hopefully you gracefully degrade so that all devices and user agents can access your content. But targeting a specific platform for application development is not the same thing. Very lucrative careers have been made developing just for the Classic Mac OS, for example, or for Mac app development now. The iPhone has famously made people a buck or two, even as lots of others have made little or nothing--but then again, that's true with every class of entrepreneur. Different devices have different strengths, and an app envisioned for the iPad might not work on whatever tossed-off tablet MS is pushing these days. While supporting the Web means supporting more devices, it also limits the scope of technology you have to master and support. Supporting two devices through native APIs to achieve the same app is likely a lot harder. So there's a balancing act, between spreading your risk and spreading yourself too thin. I wouldn't put eliminating single-platform development as a rule equivalent to don't develop Web apps for one device--the Web is also a single platform, albeit with wide support. I'm pretty sure Rich Siegel is doing OK these days...he's not Bill Gates, but then nobody but Bill Gates is Bill Gates--not even Steve Jobs. While the story of Jack Tramiel would initially support this argument, I’m not sure I’m as in agreement as I am with the previous post. When doing web development, you’re developing for the Web and its constraints and benefits. That means you don’t target a single device, and hopefully you gracefully degrade so that all devices and user agents can access your content.

But targeting a specific platform for application development is not the same thing. Very lucrative careers have been made developing just for the Classic Mac OS, for example, or for Mac app development now. The iPhone has famously made people a buck or two, even as lots of others have made little or nothing–but then again, that’s true with every class of entrepreneur.

Different devices have different strengths, and an app envisioned for the iPad might not work on whatever tossed-off tablet MS is pushing these days. While supporting the Web means supporting more devices, it also limits the scope of technology you have to master and support. Supporting two devices through native APIs to achieve the same app is likely a lot harder.

So there’s a balancing act, between spreading your risk and spreading yourself too thin. I wouldn’t put eliminating single-platform development as a rule equivalent to don’t develop Web apps for one device–the Web is also a single platform, albeit with wide support.

I’m pretty sure Rich Siegel is doing OK these days…he’s not Bill Gates, but then nobody but Bill Gates is Bill Gates–not even Steve Jobs.

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