I have been looking at the various touch\/tablet platforms. It seems to me that the JavaScript\/HTML5 stuff is way out past the frontier of civilization. There is a saying that when armchair warriors meet they talk about strategy and tactics, but when generals meet they talk about logistics. Likewise when someone shows me a new programing language\/platform I am not interested in syntax or semantics or architecture. Instead I care most about three things: first the API docs; second the rename refactoring; and third the debugger. The further you get from the civilized regions of programming the less developed these crucial logistics become. This is entirely a matter of personal preference. There are a lot of young gun-slinger programmers who relish operating out where law and civilization haven’t yet reached. I did too back when my Testosterone level was higher. But now I value more highly my time and effort, as they are depleting resources.<\/p>\n
Specifically, I looked briefly at PhoneGap, Jquery Mobile, and Sencha Touch, which appear to be the main ways to do cross-platform mobile programming today. You can pretty much forget about having a real debugger, or even a simulator. The API’s are changing way too fast to be properly documented. JavaScript IDE’s are still very much a work in progress, although IntelliJ looks like it might be\u00a0usable.\u00a0JavaScript itself is roiled in an endless civil war over the foundational libraries needed to work around its congenital brain damage.<\/p>\n
At the other end of the spectrum is iOS, which is the most highly developed touch platform. Unfortunately it is a Fascist state that has outlawed programming language development as a seditious activity. Apparently being able to execute a program downloaded from the internet is a threat to Apple’s plans for world domination.<\/p>\n
Midway between these two extremes is Android, which therefore seems like my best bet at the moment. I tend to think that JavaScript or a descendant will be the platform of choice in the long run. But I’ll wait till the armies of young mostly male programmers have sweat and bled to civilize it. Same as it ever was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have been looking at the various touch\/tablet platforms. It seems to me that the JavaScript\/HTML5 stuff is way out past the frontier of civilization. There is a saying that when armchair warriors meet they talk about strategy and tactics, but when generals meet they talk about logistics. Likewise when someone shows me a new … <\/p>\n