Sunday 28 October 2012

Snippet.java

I had a problem that was causing me no end of trouble, and today I found the solution:

If, when you try to copy a project in Eclipse, pasting it creates a new file called Snippet.java, then try disabling Skype Click to Call in Chrome. I was going insane trying to figure out what was causing that behaviour.

stackoverflow is awesome.

Free Updates

Today, I logged into the App World Vendor Portal and saw the latest comment on GPS Data Master. I decided that I would share it with you:

free updates
0 Stars out of 5
Created Date: Oct 28, 2012 12:11:05 PM
Release: 1.1.102
Review Body:
what happened no free updates anymore?

This sort of thing does not encourage me to make any updates to free apps, and in fact it just outright pisses me off.

Here's a person who liked the app enough to continue using it through at least one update cycle, but didn't take the time to rate it. Then, when future updates weren't coming fast enough, they went ahead and gave it 0 stars. Why would you want any kind of update for an app that you'd rate a 0?

Incidentally, whoever this is hasn't updated to the latest version. They're using version 1.1.102 and the current version is 1.2.1. Regardless, 1.1.102 was released less than a month ago. How the hell often do you expect free apps to be updated?

Here's what you'll see when you start GPSDM:

See that white rectangle there on the right? That's where an ad should be. But no one wants to advertise on the Playbook, so the ad fill rate is so low that most users see it as blank space. While I appreciate what I get, my earnings this month from that ad slot will be less than $2. It's getting harder for me to justify making updates, and comments like that one aren't pushing me in that direction.

Friday 12 October 2012

I Hate Bugs!

I released an update for GPS Data Master yesterday, and it contained a bug that causes the app to lock on a black screen. Unfortunately, the problem only shows up when you upgrade a previously-installed version, so not only did I not catch it locally, RIM's quality control people didn't catch it, either. I've already uploaded a fix, but it'll take RIM a few days to approve the new version.

Meanwhile, there's a workaround that should fix the problem. Simply uninstall, then reinstall the app. If you can, that is. I removed it from App World temporarily so too many people wouldn't get the damaged version. You might still be able to get to it through the 'Uninstalled' tab of the 'My World' section, though.

Sorry for the inconvenience. If it's any consolation, the bug is related to a new feature I added.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Top Free

So, once again I made it into the Top Free section on the PlayBook portion of BlackBerry App World. Last time it was the games section, this time it was the apps section. Here's what I've learned:

People want things for free. Moreover, they explicitly do not want to pay for things. Getting into the Top-25 Free on the PlayBook seems to require around 1500 downloads per day. From what I can recall, eking your way into the Top-25 Paid requires only around 40, or 2.5% of what it takes to get onto the free list.

Lots of downloads does not translate into lots of money. Since GPS Data Master is free and wasn't ad-supported, it didn't generate any revenue directly. As far as I can tell, it didn't drive anyone to my other apps, and it most certainly didn't encourage anyone to make a donation. If I could make a single dollar per year off everyone who downloads GPSDM, I could become a full-time app developer and give away all my other apps for free. As it stands now, I'll be exceedingly lucky if I make a tenth of a cent per person per year.

There's no way of knowing what'll become popular. I banged out the original version of GPSDM in about a day if I remember correctly. I didn't think anyone would ever use it. I have other apps that I've put hundreds of hours of work into that get maybe 10% of the downloads it does.

Many users have no concept of how apps generate revenue. I've had complaints about some of the least-intrusive ads I could find. I've had people get angry and say they're going to delete one of my ad-free apps if I don't change it in some way. I've had requests for features that would require several days of work from people who say they wouldn't be willing to pay a dollar to upgrade. It takes some cojones to ask a guy who's giving you free stuff to work for a week so you can have more free stuff, so I have to assume that there are users out there who think developers get paid if they download something or keep it installed on their device.

Perhaps most importantly, I've learned that the PlayBook is a dying platform. It's a good device, but right now no one is making apps for it. Over the last week there have been about 25 new games released. I know this because I released a game a week ago and it's still on the Top-25 New Arrivals page. They're not quality games, either. I reviewed a few of them over on my reviews blog, and they were mainly worthless; not that anything I've ever made is spectacular, but some ugly, broken stuff has come out this week. Right now, the PlayBook isn't succeeding in either the quality or the quantity of apps, and that more or less spells the end for it.

I'll continue to make occasional updates to my current apps, but I don't think I'll be making any new ones. If anyone would like to hire me to do a little freelance work, I have some time, now. The stuff on this blog should serve as a fairly good indicator of what I can do. And, apparently, I'm one of the top PlayBook developers out there. Whatever that means.

Friday 5 October 2012

Please Bear With Me

I've had to switch ad providers recently, and it's going to take me a while to find a provider that suits both my needs and yours.

Let me know in the comments if you find any of the ads annoying. And please, please DO NOT click any ads just because you think I'll get money that way. Someone did that, and it cost me my AdSense account and all the money therein.