Thursday 24 February 2011

Thinking About Android Development?

I started Android development in 2009, although when I say "started" that's exactly what I mean. I learned the basics, released a really trivial free application and then did nothing else with Android for about a year and a half.

Having started getting back into Android development since the end of 2010, I've been surprised by the still relatively small number of useful Android development resources online. For that reason I thought I'd start a blog and keep note of the things I learn or come across as I go along, in case any of it proves useful for anyone else. This is going to be pretty simple stuff aimed at developers like myself who are really just doing Android on a casual basis.

Some initial thoughts about the Android development process:

Android development isn't what I expected it to be. My initial training was in Java programming for desktop applications, and I then got into Web and multimedia development (mainly so that I could work freelance). I've always loved Java development, and for that reason was excited by the possibility of getting paid to do it on a freelance basis.

However, the Android development process bears more resemblance to Web development than the type of Java application development I was used to. This is probably good news for people who come from a Web background and want to get into Android. If, like me, your background has been more desktop-oriented, you might need to make a bit of a mental adjustment when you approach Android. I'd recommend reading up on the Android Activity Lifecycle before you get started, as this is the key concept to get to grips with when it comes to structuring your apps.