More on Google Play Services and Android Fragmentation

Nice post from Android developer Chris Lacy:

New Android OS features are often able to be used on older versions of Android via either the Support Library or 3rd party libraries. As an example, the action bar was first introduced in 3.0 (aka Honeycomb), yet Action Bar Sherlock and recently the Support Library allow apps targeting earlier versions of Android to display an action bar in their app. The point here: developers can write apps that look, feel and function like they were written for the latest version of Android but have them run on legacy versions of Android.

Later:

Between the endless screen sizes, browsers and their versions, input methods and operating systems, one would say the web is fragmented beyond all repair, but has that stopped it flourishing? No.

The argument isn’t whether fragmentation is preventing Android from flourishing. The argument is about how much of a pain in the ass it is to develop for. Comparing it to the web is apt in that regard.

★ Thursday, 5 September 2013