I think the main reason this has become a bigger issue is Automatic Updating in Froyo. Since then, you have to manually update the app if the permissions change. Otherwise, the app will automatically update(if you allow it during installation). I always look at the comments now for an app that requires a manual update. Many times they are introducing adds or farming your data. Unfortunately it makes it so companies that are playing nice will be seen as doing evil. I for instance, did not update Angry Birds until I read this post. I was thinking they were farming my data to help boost their profits.
It seems this isn't enough to make as much sales as you could. Even if your product is the best in the market, the other guy selling his inferior product may use the black arts of sales and manipulate people into buying his product. I think its very hard to take the high road if you want to make sales. If everyone else is playing the game and you're not, you automatically are a loser.
I think at many schools, how much you know about programming depends on the electives you choose to take. I could have taken many easy classes and had a much easier time going through school (probably had a higher GPA too). But, you need to think why you are in school in the first place. Are you there to get a slip of paper stating that you spent 4 years or so visiting classrooms occasionally throughout the afternoon/morning? Or, do you want to actually learn something of substance that you can use in your personal/professional development.
I like the first answer on the SO post, developing a website or writing a game will definitely make you a much better coder. When you build something from the ground up by yourself, you learn a lot more than just coding. You learn how to break out of deep troughs of despair. You learn how to work more than 8 hours at a time. You learn why its important to add efficiencies to your work habits. These are a few of the things you learn. But, these are the things that separate coders (the subset) from people with degrees (the superset).
I guess the bit of substance this article does have is that these names we like to give elite hackers that work at startups are silly. Maybe it doesn't take a short article to make that point, but that is basically what I got out of it.
I think nobody disagrees with the idea that you will learn some stuff while getting your MBA. What people disagree with is the idea that you will learn more getting an MBA at a lower tier school than you will working at a startup. MBA's are great for opening doors, you will get more doors opened working at a startup or going to an Ivy League school than getting an MBA at a lower tiered school.
This site may be dishonest, but its certainly nothing new. Most dating sites you go to employ some of the same tactics. They will try to lure you in and then put up a paywall. I guess the thing that is bad here is that they lie about having automated messages when they obviously do. That is really kind of slimy, they might as well admit to the obvious at this point.
Yea, the cheap device part is nothing new. Just look on ebay for "unlocked android phone" and you'll find tons of G1's and other low end devices below $100.
Never bought any furniture from Ikea. The furniture I have bought from other low end places generally has very low res and out of proportion drawings. Its not a crazy conspiracy that the manuals are not very well put together. If you think about it economically, they already have your money by the time you've opened the box and tried to piece your furniture together.
This data is clearly incorrect. Sr. Software Engineers make much more than $89k in the US. I've been working less than 2 years at a large company as my first job and already make more than this as a "Software Engineer".
I thought that bit about poking came off pretty awkward. As did the rest of his appearance. That doesn't really matter though, he is very successful outside comedy and public appearances.
This great new product will revolutionize the way we input usb cables into our laptops. I would compare its significance to being somewhere between curing polio and ending apartheid in South Africa.
Whenever I see the paywall come up when browsing the internet, I get the sick feeling I've been redirected to some Ponzi Scheme. Charging $15 for a 10 year old paper can be thought of nothing other than ridiculous.
Android got around this by giving people 15 minutes to get a refund. That would make it so there wouldn't be much reason for the pirates to contribute to valid purchases.
I guess its the next logical step. If the pop singer doesn't write their own song, doesn't sing their own song live, and doesn't understand the lyrics; you might as well just use a hologram.
I never realized how frightening a life sized version of an anime character is. Still, its an interesting phenomenon.
I wonder how many people it turns off to find that a place is a Windows shop. I was kind of excited when I looked at the post, until I read "We work with C#, ASP.NET MVC and Microsoft SQL Server." Don't get me wrong I think C# is a better language that Java, but I would have problems developing on Windows.
If I were a betting man, I wouldn't spend a spare second porting my app to wm7. The wisest move is just to wait at this point. But, doesn't seem likely that Angry Birds would appear on wm7.
I was using your app for a long time. Helped pass the time I spent in lines and during boring meetings. I'll miss your great app as I move on to gluegadgets.
You can buy a Palm Pre if you don't like the iphone? Nice that the author of this article disposed of all the smatterings of leftover credibility in the that last little morsel of a sentence.
Indeed 36K seems a little high for all the cheap free apps on the market.
As for using the mobile browser instead of the app. I'm curious why people aren't just making apps that load up their site. They will have a universal platform for app development and get to say, "We now have an app on X that allows you to use our product."
What seems to be missing, as usual from these piracy posts is that the 90% who pirated the game most likely wouldn't have bought it. Sure, pirating games is a bad thing. But, it doesn't hurt to have a little perspective on it. There was a post on HN a few months ago doing some analysis on this subject.
I'm glad Google had the balls to fire this guy. Judging from the article, I was working with someone similar to this guy. He had a Phd and had been in the business many years. His code was terrible and he acted very childish. The company I was working for at the time did not fire him. He did subsequently leave which was a relief.
This article is just more of a sign that its not what you know, but who you know that will at least get you in the front door. I really hope you don't have to get an employee referral to be considered for an interview.
Seems like it would be hard to go to bed after 4 am on a consistent basis. I'd like to know the schedule of those people. Probably a lot different from mine (I go to bed around 12).
Agreed. Was hoping this article would give some advice on how to penetrate the enterprise market. Its much easier to grow in the consumer space than in the in enterprise space.
It seems that the hardest problem is getting the first enterprise buyer. I wish there were more articles discussing this valuable step.
Not sure why this guy has such a livid response to those columns. I think he say's that kind of talk is "ugly" several times. Ok... well, I don't really see a problem with stereotyping programmers to add a little spice to your column. It wouldn't be the first time, and I got a laugh in at those two columns at several points.