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Nokia "Suspends" Its Free Developer Program

Posted by Unknown on from the only-the-best-fart-app-developers-need-apply dept.

jbernardo writes "Nokia has put in deep freeze its free developer program, the launchpad. Now, in the Developer Programs page, one can only see a pitch for a paid 'Nokia Premium Developer Program,' and below, in the Nokia Developer Pro and Developer Launchpad box, there is a text merely stating that Nokia are not currently accepting new applications for Nokia Developer Launchpad and Nokia Developer Pro programs. With most (if not all) Launchpad memberships already expired, seems like Nokia no longer is interested in the developer community, which once was one of the mainstays of its domination of the smartphone market. Of course, that domination was destroyed by Elop and its 'burning platforms' memo, together with the failed bet on Windows Phone 7, so maybe giving up on developers would also be expectable."

136 comments

  1. damn that would affect all.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    the 7 devs

    1. Re:damn that would affect all.. by evafan76 · · Score: 1

      That many?

    2. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Jeremi · · Score: 5, Funny

      the 7 devs

      ... and Snow White as well. (Sleeping Beauty could not be reached for comment, but it's rumored that she has transitioned to an Apple platform)

      --


      I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
    3. Re:damn that would affect all.. by ifiwereasculptor · · Score: 5, Funny

      (Sleeping Beauty could not be reached for comment, but it's rumored that she has transitioned to an Apple platform)

      I'm pretty sure she's running Linux, hence being unable to resume from sleep.

    4. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 0

      (Sleeping Beauty could not be reached for comment, but it's rumored that she has transitioned to an Apple platform)

      I'm pretty sure she's running Linux, hence being unable to resume from sleep.

      Please correct me if I am wrong - the last time I checked, Linux has yet to incorporate the BSOD feature.
       

      --
      Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
    5. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Compaqt · · Score: 2

      That's not what he was talking about. The reason it's funny is because it touches on something true: the fact that Linux doesn't wake up from suspend on some of the multitudinous hardware out there. I myself had this problem on brandname (HP) desktop, until I went and customized suspend with blacklist.conf.

      --
      I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
    6. Re:damn that would affect all.. by gwking · · Score: 2

      My Windows 7 wakes up from sleep and shits all over the network stack. I had to turn off sleep because of it.

    7. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's because your using the shitty non-free software. A common problem.

      * not to say this is always the problem

    8. Re:damn that would affect all.. by lindi · · Score: 1

      In openmoko circles it's know as WSOD (white screen of death) and occurs sometimes when resume fails :)

    9. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe I'm just being picky, but it was Snow White that ate the Apple, Sleeping Beauty got pricked by a spinning wheel needle.

    10. Re:damn that would affect all.. by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      I updated my Vista notebook to 7 and had to go back because the only video driver available for the crappy ATI IGP would only let me resume from suspend once.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:damn that would affect all.. by JackieBrown · · Score: 3, Informative

      Remember that when windows encounters a problem like this, it is the driver/hardware's fault.

      When this happens to linux, it is because linux is not ready for prime time.

      At least, this is how it usually is spun.

    12. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why that many? It's only 7 of 10 fingers...

    13. Re:damn that would affect all.. by kurkosdr · · Score: 2

      "Remember that when windows encounters a problem like this, it is the driver/hardware's fault" Yes, because Microsoft was smart enough to have the hardware vendors code the drivers, so what happens is (mostly) their fault. Linux kernel devs were dumb enough to put the drivers in the kernel, and hence under their responsibility (the ABI gets broken too often for proprietary drivers to be a realistic choice). Sure, theoretically the vendor could put their drivers in the kernel tree and still maintain them, but it doesn't work that way.The way companies think is "there, we openned our drivers, it's your responsibility now". And to make matters worse, GregHK even gave wild promises about drivers getting better if they are in the kernel tree in some blog post, as if most kernel devs will fix your driver instead of doing more important things. So, the Linux kernel team has put itself in blame for all driver issues, just to advance FSF's politics that say all drivers should be in the kernel tree and GPLed. Oh, and Microsoft has produced a "reference device" (Surface and Surface Pro). If it works on the Surface Pro, the problem is on your side. OS X has Macs. Android has the Nexuses. Desktop Linux has yet to produce a reference device, or even an HCL that doesn't get broken with it's release, because it's supposed to run everywhere perfectly (talks about overambitious goals)

    14. Re:damn that would affect all.. by DECula · · Score: 1

      then MS should call Windows 8 the same platform name on devices that can't run the same applications, no?

      --
      dreaded scurrilous bit-twiddler from Oklahoma
    15. Re:damn that would affect all.. by ultranova · · Score: 2

      To be fair, in Linux drivers are part of the kernel while in Windows they're separate, so in Linux driver problems are kernel (Linux) problems.

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    16. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Luckyo · · Score: 1

      Symbian still sells more then windows phone worldwide, so I imagine that there's quite a lot more then a handful of people developing for it.

    17. Re:damn that would affect all.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Snow White does NOT like Apples!

  2. to be expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    There's no such word as 'expectable' (I'm all for people making up new words, as long as they don't sound as horrible as 'expectable').

    1. Re:to be expected by sideslash · · Score: 4, Informative

      What are you talking about? Here's its entry in a dictionary from the year 1806. Please don't give the rest of us spelling/grammar Nazis a bad name.

    2. Re:to be expected by zieroh · · Score: 1

      In English, if you understood it, it's a word. It may not be common or even considered correct, but it's still a word. There is no governing body of the English language.

      --
      People who say "sheeple" have about as much sophistication as an AOL user, and in fact are probably actually AOL users.
    3. Re:to be expected by GumphMaster · · Score: 1

      There is no governing body of the English language.

      Many have tried to become that body and failed. We are left with the counter-intuitive result that many of the glorious inconsistencies in English are the result of attempts to eliminate the same.

      --
      Patent litigation: A doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction... in which everyone seems willing to push the button
    4. Re:to be expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Here's a novel thought for you all English-speakers: the sequence of letters xyzzy cannot be deemed not to be a word just like tradition says so.

      If you don't break up with tradition, you're doomed to never leave the trail -- and explore new places.

      You can say "it's not in the dictionaries" or "it's unknown to be part of the English language", but saying it's not a word is overly pretentious (if that can be said in English!)

      Yes, I know the expression "it's not a word" is part of the tradition... here you go again!

    5. Re:to be expected by ifiwereasculptor · · Score: 1

      Nope, it's a perfectly cromulent word.

    6. Re:to be expected by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      I am the LAW of the English language. You are crime.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    7. Re:to be expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You may have chosen a poor example, since xyzzy is a fairly well-known word among the Slashdot demographic.

    8. Re:to be expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I for one don't understand what "expectable" is supposed to mean, so you must admit that it really isn't a word, by your own argument.

    9. Re:to be expected by Kal+Zekdor · · Score: 3, Informative

      What are you talking about? Here's its entry in a dictionary from the year 1806. Please don't give the rest of us spelling/grammar Nazis a bad name.

      Excuse me, but the proper term is "Logomachist".

    10. Re:to be expected by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you... I can't wait to use "logomachist" or "logomachy" in Scrabble. In fact, I'm just going to trade letters every turn until I get "machist" and then wait for someone to put down "logo." It'll happen eventually.

    11. Re:to be expected by sideslash · · Score: 2

      Excuse me, but the proper term is "Logomachist".

      Thank you; that is very helpful. Please note, however, that you should not have capitalized "logomachist" in your reply.

  3. Expectable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seriouslyable?

    1. Re:Expectable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For reallyable.

    2. Re:Expectable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's a perfectly fine word and is in every dictionary I checked. Moron.

    3. Re:Expectable? by Patch86 · · Score: 1

      What is wrong with you people today?
      http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Expectable

    4. Re:Expectable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How do I get that?

      It's expected to be expectable.

    5. Re:Expectable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indubidably. Brimsomly cromulent vocabulation.

    6. Re:Expectable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a perfectly fine word.

      No. It really isn't. The word is "expected."

      Just because enough idiots used it enough times to get it in some online dictionaries doesn't make it a proper word.

      Also, "led" is the proper past tense of "to lead," not "lead."

      Morons.

    7. Re:Expectable? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You may be surprised to learn that the English-speaking population is not beholden to your personal concept of "proper word." The English language is quite old, and has had many new words added to it since its earliest days.

      "Expectable," having had its earliest uses recorded a solid 200 years ago (look it up, moron), is just as much a word as "expected." The two may be redundant, but they are both easily understood, in common use, and a product of simple and correct inflection.

      As much as you hate it, the fact is, this is a word by every meaningful definition thereof.

      Get over yourself.

  4. IT'S NOT A TRAP !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fear not, my sniveling panzies !! It is a matter of cost, and effort, neither of which NOK is able to cover !!

    NOK is the new Westinghouse !!

  5. Qt/Trolletch by Qwerpafw · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I guess I'm glad they spun off Qt before going back and regressing past the paid-commercial-development trolltech days for Qt.

    Admittedly Trolltech used to offer free GPL noncommercial Qt licenses, but that sort of licensing isn't even possible with Windows Phone. Still painful to see open source transition into the most closed model of all.

    1. Re:Qt/Trolletch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Who cares. Open Source is for faggots anyway. You ain't a dick smoker, is you?

    2. Re:Qt/Trolletch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You really put the Troll in trolletch (sic)

  6. WP not dead yet by slomike1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The Nokia Lumia 920 is a very interesting phone. Many developers just got one last week at the Build event (2000+ attendees). The Lumia 900 sold pretty well also. I think it is a little early to declare that Nokia and Window's Phone are dead.

    1. Re:WP not dead yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      any affiliation with a piece of crap like Windows is committing sepruku.

    2. Re:WP not dead yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      As someone surrounded by friends with iOS and Android devices I've got to give it to this phone for being able to impress them to the point of being speechless (and when they do speak it's "Wow" or "my phone can't do that"). The OS is absolutely beautiful, the screen is amazing and everything runs like butter. Seriously, if you're unsure about buying this phone then all you need to do is to hold one in your hand for a few seconds and your decision will be made for you. A great job by both Nokia and Microsoft in everything from hardware design, to software design.

      Don't let the negative press about the lack of apps fool you. As of right now, the marketplace has 50,000 apps and from what I've read it's increasing at the rate of a few hundred apps per day. It's more than you want, has everything you need, and you're actually a lot less reliant on apps because of the way Windows Phone works. For those that are really concerned then yes there are fart apps on there too.

      The Apple iPhone is a very nice piece of hardware, but if you want a larger screen or keyboard, forget it. Every iPhone is the same. One of the neat things about WP8 is, like Google’s Android, a variety of hardware manufacturers are making smartphones with WP8. Microsoft put together a set of minimum hardware requirements ranging from required buttons, minimum storage, screen resolution, and processor speed; ensuring that the WP8 experience is consistent from device to device, but from there, hardware manufacturers are left to do what they want with the device. Already, Dell has shown one of the slickest keyboard smartphones ever created (Dell Venue Pro), leaving phone nerds everywhere drooling. Other interesting offerings include HTC’s phone with a massive slide out speaker (the HTC Surround). Also, just about every smartphone screen size is represented, from the smallest form factor, to the largest screen that they put into phones.

    3. Re:WP not dead yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      It is amazin BECAUSE customer reveiws have reported it to be smoother and faster than ios and definately Android so taking the fact that all Windows Phone run on single core AND YET still manage to out do ios and definately Android in performance, is amazing. But hey, I don't actually own a Windows phone, only have used them when I got phones sent from Samsung for free for testing and had to return them. And the experience was waay better than my little ipod touch 4 and my Samsung Galaxy S 2. Yes that is right my Samsung Galaxy is dual core, but it takes up so much frikin RAM even when I'm not using interactive wallpaper! And for some reason the download manager is really slow also. It is so slow for me!!! Of and same goes for my ipod, although not as slow as Android, definately cannot beat Windows Phone.

        Windows Phone is just beginning. In one week it had 40,000 apps, 2 weeks later 50,000 apps, and another 2 weeks later, 60,000 apps! Apple and Android market place has more apps but I'm pretty sire it didn't grow this fast in their beginnings.

    4. Re:WP not dead yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You may be right about the phone, but it takes a lot more than that to gain real mobile device market share. Microsoft and Nokia have so alienated the telecoms, who are the real gateway controlers here, that it is hard to see how they are ever going to get anywhere.

    5. Re:WP not dead yet by tuppe666 · · Score: 0

      The Nokia Lumia 920 is a very interesting phone.

      The problem is not the hardware although its specifications are average at best. Its the operating system, nobody wants a Windows Phone. Windows phones market share is 2%, Androids market share is 75%

    6. Re:WP not dead yet by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2

      The Nokia Lumia 920 is a very interesting phone. Many developers just got one last week at the Build event (2000+ attendees). The Lumia 900 sold pretty well also. I think it is a little early to declare that Nokia and Window's Phone are dead.

      What? 20 minutes? An hour?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    7. Re:WP not dead yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats just silly. Android is neither a cell phone nor a company... it is just a VM running on linux therefore it has zero market share.

    8. Re:WP not dead yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow Micro$oft is hiring pretty lousy shills these days.

    9. Re:WP not dead yet by Hal_Porter · · Score: 0

      Windows Phone is just beginning. In one week it had 40,000 apps, 2 weeks later 50,000 apps, and another 2 weeks later, 60,000 apps! Apple and Android market place has more apps but I'm pretty sire it didn't grow this fast in their beginnings.

      That's because all the employees, interns and so on at Microsoft are 'encouraged' to write a Windows Phone app by firing the ones that do not unless they have a note from their line manager excusing them. Also they MS bloggers, astroturfers etc have to mention the next Halo game - "Halo 5 - Flogging a dead Warthog", which will probably be a "Windows Phone 9" aka "XBox portable" exclusive the way things are going.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    10. Re:WP not dead yet by donutface · · Score: 1

      Windows Phone is just beginning. In one week it had 20,000 apps, 2 weeks later 50,000 apps, and another 2 weeks later, 60,000 apps! Apple and Android market place has more apps but I'm pretty sire it didn't grow this fast in their beginnings.

      That's because all the employees, interns and so on at Microsoft are 'encouraged' to write a Windows Phone app by firing the ones that do not unless they have a note from their line managhttp://tech.slashdot.org/story/12/11/06/0128255/nokia-suspends-its-free-developer-program#er excusing them. Also they MS bloggers, astroturfers etc have to mention the next Halo game - "Halo 5 - Flogging a dead Warthog", which will probably be a "Windows Phone 9" aka "XBox portable" exclusive the way things are going.

      Dude, do you honestly think its only Microsoft employees who managed to code up and release 20,000-60,000 apps while still juggling their day job? Have you ever even attempted to write software?

    11. Re:WP not dead yet by rtfa-troll · · Score: 3, Informative

      Thats just silly. Android is neither a cell phone nor a company... it is just a VM running on linux therefore it has zero market share.

      Let's put this really simply. If you have an app and you want people to run it, you have a choice of binary formats to put it in. If you put it out in Android's binary format, it will run on "75%" of the new phones sold this year (I'd guess 65% actually). If you put it out in iOS format it will run on, say, 20%. If you put it out in RIM's format it's likely to run on about 5%. If you put it out on Bada it will run on about 3% of phones. If you put it out in Windows Phone's format and we assume even a generous 50% growth caused by Windows phone 8, which would exceed every recent new version of Windows for Mobile phones, then it will run on about 3% of phones.

      From the point of view of an App developer what you have to know is that, if you already have the facilities in place to support a Bada port of your app in parallel with you iOS, Android, and RIM ports, and if you really get serious ROI from the Bada version, then you should maybe consider producing a Windows Phone port. Otherwise forget it, come back in 2015 and have a look at the market again.

      Producing ports for different operating systems isn't, as we have always been told for Linux, free. You are more likely to get widespread attention and grass roots marketing for your Windows version of you app if the iOS app is successful than if the Windows version is successful. Now is the chance to take advantage of your competitors who are distracted by Microsoft's Windows marketing and try to overtake them by concentrating all your efforts on the successful platforms.

      --
      =~ s,(.*),<sarcasm>$1</sarcasm>,g if any_point_you_wish();
    12. Re:WP not dead yet by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Even DadHacker got roped in writing WP apps. That means the interns probably wear their little fingers down to the knuckle.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    13. Re:WP not dead yet by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      900 sold pretty well?? IN WHAT UNIVERSE???? even 3250 apparently sold better(dig it up, it sucks).

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    14. Re:WP not dead yet by 21mhz · · Score: 1

      Let's put this really simply. If you have an app and you want people to run it, you have a choice of binary formats to put it in. If you put it out in Android's binary format, it will run on "75%" of the new phones sold this year (I'd guess 65% actually).

      ... and compete for users' attention with 100 other apps serving exactly the same need.

      If you have an original idea/service, it might make sense to target iOS and Android first. Otherwise, opportunities might be better on Windows Phone. Filling up the application gap is only a matter of time, after which it's just another mobile platform to target if you want to add 10-20% to your user base.

      --
      My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.
    15. Re:WP not dead yet by qbast · · Score: 1

      Dude, do you honestly think its only Microsoft employees who managed to code up and release 20,000-60,000 apps while still juggling their day job? Have you ever even attempted to write software?

      Get RSS feed or a webpage, wrap it into app and here you go. One more app in 15 minutes.

    16. Re:WP not dead yet by mwvdlee · · Score: 1

      Windows Phone is just beginning. In one week it had 40,000 apps, 2 weeks later 50,000 apps, and another 2 weeks later, 60,000 apps! Apple and Android market place has more apps but I'm pretty sire it didn't grow this fast in their beginnings.

      How many of those are NOT worse than shovelware?
      This is not just a WP complaint; the iOS and Android markets also proudly mention the large amount of apps they distribute. Most of those are absolute trash and worse than useless. Take any of the SDK/API example code, multiply by 100 and there's your first 20.000 apps right there. Take every remotely popular website, wrap it in a browser-embedding app; another 50.000 apps right there. Why is a huge number of apps something to be proud of if the sheer quantity just makes it harder to find the few quality apps?

      --
      Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
    17. Re:WP not dead yet by Kjella · · Score: 1

      If you put it out in Windows Phone's format and we assume even a generous 50% growth caused by Windows phone 8, which would exceed every recent new version of Windows for Mobile phones, then it will run on about 3% of phones.

      Not to mention I'd look into who's buying Windows phones and why. While it's anecdotal the people I've talked to that have been interested in it have mainly been business users who want better integration with other Microsoft products. Of course those people will buy apps too, but I'd say if one of your primary interests is third party apps you're not getting a Win8 phone in the first place, you're getting an Android or an iPhone. It would at least be foolish to assume that your sales are going to distribute the same way as the market share.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    18. Re:WP not dead yet by BenoitRen · · Score: 1

      Who is Window and why does (s)he have a phone?

    19. Re:WP not dead yet by davydagger · · Score: 1

      BRING OUT YER DED
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grbSQ6O6kbs

    20. Re:WP not dead yet by Richy_T · · Score: 1

      Yes, you can totally dominate that segment of the market on a marginal device. And if that should prove to be popular, the company that dominates on Android/iOS/Blackberry will take the couple of hours to port their well-known and popular app and crush you completely.

    21. Re:WP not dead yet by rtfa-troll · · Score: 1

      The fundamental thing is that people use what their friends use. If you go for such a "gap filling" exercise and then your market begins to take off, you are extremely vulnerable for a more popular iPhone app coming in and simply taking over. Every Windows Phone users knows something between 10 and 100 iPhone users for every other Windows phone user they know. Those tens of iPhone users mean that, any time in the next ten years or so, a popular iPhone app can just announce a Windows version and completely push whatever is pre-existing in the area out.

      This means that the gaps are illusionary. Thus:

      • Always concentrate on the Android App first, typically with an advertising based version as well as a paid version
      • Creating an iOS app for high price sales
      • Don't worry about niche markets unless you can exploit them profitably; you will always be able to move in later.
      • Concentrate on staying ahead of competitors in quality and features. This is more important than breadth of platforms.
      • Do not invest effort on apps in secondary market places where you cannot compete in the primary one; you are just building a market need for your competitor to fill later
      • Never create apps which may be badly reviewed;
      • Use trademark laws rather than app reservations to ensure you can get your App space in minor market places such as Bada and RIM
      • ignore completely disappearing markets such as Symbian and Windows unless you already have an app there.
      • in any case; try to make your Symbian and Windows apps visibly older / different from your commercial apps so the inevitable undetected bugs that come from a low customer base do not influence the image of your main commercial apps
      --
      =~ s,(.*),<sarcasm>$1</sarcasm>,g if any_point_you_wish();
  7. Nokia death throes ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is sad.

    They made great stuff, it was bombproof and
    top quality.

    But that is no longer enough.

    They will cease to exist as a business within two years from today. You might not
    believe me but time travel has made me certain, so bet carefully.

                                                                                                                            - John Titor

  8. Nokia never dominated the developer space by CockMonster · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They struggled greatly with it in fact. It was one of the reasons they dropped Sybmian, the 'ecosystem' never took off. Symbian C++ and frameworks were complicated, and the signing program was a disaster. Maemo had a couple of apps sure but nothing like what Apple have. Elop considered the 'ecosystem' to be the most important thing for the survival of the company.

    1. Re:Nokia never dominated the developer space by 21mhz · · Score: 2

      Hey, here at Slashdot we are not spoiling a good Nokia bashing submission with boring facts.
      And I see you've been put to your place already by somebody anonymous with a hell of a life.

      --
      My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.
    2. Re:Nokia never dominated the developer space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Hey, here at Slashdot we are not spoiling a good Nokia bashing submission with boring facts.

      Riiight.... Would be terrible to have that. We should never bring up that the Symbian Market Place alone had 80k apps. We would certainly never mention that there were plenty of other places to get apps (e.g. the best SSH apps never made it to the market place at all). We should never mention that most of the "Apps" were actually applications as opposed to 90% being frontends for someone's blog or pictures of food and multi-lingual fart apps. No, it would never do to suggest that a system like that had a more solid eco-system than Windows has on the mobile even though Windows has been there longer than Symbian.

      And I see you've been put to your place already by somebody anonymous with a hell of a life.

      Ahh yes; a person who posts for Nokia on Slashdot. A person who has sat there in the middle as his own country's main employer is destroyed to save it's American shareholder's investment in Microsoft. A person who has seen the company he works for ripped off; selling it's soul and still ending up displaced by a cheap Chinese clone maker. A person basically working to fuck his own countrymen by taking as much of their lifeblood as possible away from them and sending it to Redmond. That person is trying to intimidate anonymous posters on Slashdot by threatening to accuse them of having a "hell of a life". You think we will go off and commit suicide or something? Do you have a sense of irony?

    3. Re:Nokia never dominated the developer space by 21mhz · · Score: 1

      We should never bring up that the Symbian Market Place alone had 80k apps.

      So like... 1/10th of the number of apps both iOS and Android accrued in shorter time, and already surpassed by WP 7.5?

      Face it, development for Symbian was pain and tears. Qt relieved it, but only to an extent. I was around when they were trying to design Qt Mobility APIs around both S60's existing APIs and various Nokia managers with requirement lists apparently thought up in bouts of Powerpoint creativity. It's good luck that most of that shit will die off because nobody in the right mind will want to implement or use it anywhere else.

      We should never mention that most of the "Apps" were actually applications as opposed to 90% being frontends for someone's blog or pictures of food and multi-lingual fart apps.

      Yeah, let's carefully pick our examples. This passage actually speaks against Symbian: it shows that even a code monkey with little skills can develop and submit an app for a modern mobile OS. But let's lament the old expertocracy, where one could feel special for learning a lot of platform quirks that you must have known in order to make your oh-so-serious application work.

      And I see you've been put to your place already by somebody anonymous with a hell of a life.

      Ahh yes; a person who posts for Nokia on Slashdot.

      I must apologize: I was confused by Slashdot's ever-helpful layout and mistook a neighboring comment of the obligatory AC on a witch hunt for insufficiently anti-Microsoft opinions (the comment he responded to was already modded down, of course), thinking it to be a reply to the thread starter.

      --
      My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.
    4. Re:Nokia never dominated the developer space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Do you have a sense of irony?

      Having worked at Nokia/S60 for 10 years and watching the Finns trash their own company (through inaction, arrogance, denial, risk aversion, and a 9 month 35 hour work week) I can say that the attitude above only reenforces that going with MS was their only saving grace in the smart phone markets.

    5. Re:Nokia never dominated the developer space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Qt relieved it, but only to an extent

      Not to mention S60 "Orbit" team attempting to re-invent AVKON for QT. The stories I could tell... Utter morons...

  9. Windows Phone is no Slouch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I can honestly say that the Windows Phone platform is by far the most original one to come to the smart phone market. And for someone who has owned an iPhone and many different Androids I can tell you it is more than worth the switch. Here are some key reasons why:

    -Even on what is considered slower hardware these phones run amazingly fast. Feels faster than an iPhone or an Android hands down.

    -Great battery life. Even when I'm streaming Netflix on the go I'm not really worried about the battery. With general use it outperforms other smartphones out there.

    -The OS itself it a joy to use. Simple, intuitive, and more alive. No need for widgets, install an app and pin it's live tile to the main screen and you get instant access to info that you want and need easily. No going into apps, no swiping over to your widgets. You pin whatever you want to the home screen, be it a contact, photo album, song, ebay bid item, calendars. Its simply amazing how much information you can access without ever even going into an app and I love it.

    -Built in X-Box Live and Zune. Having a system built into a phone for online gaming etc that has been tested and proven for years is great. And although the Zune never quite took off you will be amazed at how great it is to use on this phone. And it's better than the music players available on Android, and way more intuitive than the iPhone music player. Hands down, these phones have the lead on music and games.

    -Dedicated camera button. Access your camera even when the phone is locked. Android and iOS have added this recently but Windows Phone does it better. Just hold down the camera button and you can access the camera instantly without even having to unlock your phone.

    -Built in Bing Search. May seem like a gimmick, but its powerful and easy to use. Just hit the search button at the bottom of the phone to use it (or if you really don't like Bing the search button can be changed to use another search provider website). When you do you have access to Local Scout, which uses your GPS to show you what is near you. FInd Gas Stations, Dining, interesting hotspots in the area. You get Music search which listens to music and gives you the name of the song. Bing Vision, which gives you the ability to translate text without typing it in, find an item by its barcode, scan QR Codes, and find DVD and Books online by just scanning the cover. As well as voice search, you get everything you need for search without ever even downloading an app.

    -Built in FM Radio. This may not seem like a big deal, but nobody else really has this in their phone and its great to have. If you don't like carrying around a huge music collection and don't want to stream music over an app just listen to the radio. Less battery is used and you get easy access to whatever local channels are available.

    I could go on and on but these are just some of the main points to get this phone, or any Windows Phone really. Hopefully this helps you make the decision, you won't be disappointed.

    App Suggestions:

    -For Photo Editing, try Fantasia Painter. You can do pretty much anything you could ever want to a photo and then some. Its powerful and easy to use.

    -For Pandora, since there is no official Pandora App use Radio Controlled. Its a great App and way better than the standard Pandora Apps I've used.

    -Ringtones, use easyRing&Music, its a great ringtone app that even lets you download full songs and trim them down to make a custom ringtone. Easy to use.

    1. Re:Windows Phone is no Slouch... by viperidaenz · · Score: 5, Funny

      Thanks for listing the features of my now 2 year old Motorola Defy + CM7.

    2. Re:Windows Phone is no Slouch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Say hi to the other paid shills at Burston-Marsteller for us. You're scum.

    3. Re:Windows Phone is no Slouch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      And my old Galaxy S2 . Honestly, there was nothing mentioned that I cannot already do but better.

    4. Re:Windows Phone is no Slouch... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      All right, all right. We get it Mr. Ballmer.

      Login next time, will you?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    5. Re:Windows Phone is no Slouch... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The old Nokia N900 already did this and more.

      Note that pinning a app on the homescreen is the same as a widget, they may have given it a fancy name but that doesnt change it.

      Also, I can install ubuntu and debian on my N900(debian in a virtual machine from the application screen). Also it has a Android port(NITdroid).

      So yeah, stop being silly. Many of those things already have been done in the past and are already present in other OS's.

  10. Makes sense. by viperidaenz · · Score: 1

    Nokia no longer sell phones with their own OS. Why do they need to continue supporting developer programs for software they no longer support?

    1. Re:Makes sense. by tuppe666 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Nokia no longer sell phones with their own OS. Why do they need to continue supporting developer programs for software they no longer support?

      ...because they need options, because right now, windows is the burning platform. Unfortunately the goal seems to be to continue throwing good money after bad.

    2. Re:Makes sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      For now, Nokia is downsizing and cost cutting big time. Their credit has been rated to junk and the company is in the red. They're trying to minimize all costs while the transition to WP is underway to avoid borrowing any money and slowly burning through their cash reservers instead. So it aligns very well with the big picture to cut all programs that are not part of their core business right now.

      Should Windows Phone really fail, they can always buy out Jolla or some of the other startup companies by ex-Nokia employees.

    3. Re:Makes sense. by multi+io · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For now, Nokia is downsizing and cost cutting big time. Their credit has been rated to junk and the company is in the red. They're trying to minimize all costs while the transition to WP is underway

      Yeah, just like SGI minimized all costs while transitioning to Windows NT. Selling your soul to MS has worked amazingly well for companies in the past.

    4. Re:Makes sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well...except for the Series 30 and Series 40 phones which run Nokia software only and make up 95% of their phone business.

      The Windows business is an irrelevance, the dead Symbian platform is still outselling WinPho.
      Once WinPho 8 crashes and burns, expect Elop to close San Diego. You heard it hear first.

    5. Re:Makes sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Guess they shouldn't have bought Navteq for 16 billion

  11. It is a word. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Your stolidity is of such potent redolence as to offend the nostrils of the gods.

    You couldn't even be troubled to type the word once into Google before making a damned fool of yourself?

    I find your bourgeois pretensions to be tawdry and meretricious.

       

  12. Bet has not failed yet by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Informative

    The bet on WP8 is far from having failed. It suffered a major setback my Microsoft not allowing SP7 phones to upgrade to 8, but that was not a fatal blow...

    Over the next year Microsoft is going to push Windows 8 in all its incarnations. They are already making a strong push for developers to write apps, having a good stable of apps already and giving away a Nokia phone and Surface tablet to every Microsoft developer at the Build conference.

    To count Microsoft out is foolish, they have a lot of money and a lot of strategic connections in the phone world - and on top of that WP8 is actually a pretty well designed system that will attract developers of its own accord just by being pleasant to build for.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Bet has not failed yet by tuppe666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The bet on WP8 is far from having failed...To count Microsoft out is foolish, they have a lot of money and a lot of strategic connections in the phone world

      It is true WP8 has not failed, but then as yet it unproven technology, going against Android which has captured 75% of the market and Apple 14.9%. In fact all I am seeing is the same arguments from the same fans...and yes I do mean you, that I heard with WP7...and 7.5, and where are they now 2%. The sad part is the main reason for its failure is Microsoft not only doesn't have connections in the Phone world, it upset most of Nokia's.

      Its true Microsoft has lots of money, but lets face it so do Google and Apple and they also have market share, an established product, and a devoted following.

    2. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      It is under no doubt that Windwos Phone will be a major phone competing in the smart phone market this year. Nokia has sold over 100 million of it's Windows Phone and their Lumia design is really attractive. And also HTC made a Windows Phone with a 16 megapixel camera which is sure to make a lot of people buy it. And overall, the system is smoother and faster than ios and android and all Windows Phones run on single core! That's amazing!

      The OS is zippy, smooth and never crash. The interface in unique and NOT copy from iPhone (AKA Android).

      It comes down to Windows Phone and iPhone. All else are amateurs, and Android uses illegal software (it is based on Linux) to make it work. It will not stand up to patent litigation. That leaves Windows Phone, which is growing fast, and now has 100,000 apps in its store which is growing every day. The advantage to Windows is that Windows Phone 8 is backed by the industry and is making waves in the tech industry much like the iPhone did five years ago. There is a storm approaching, and Windows Phone 8 is sure to be the OS for the future.

    3. Re:Bet has not failed yet by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

      It comes down to Windows Phone and iPhone. All else are amateurs

      ...and yet Android managed to capture 75% market share compared to Apples 14.9% [and dropping] and Windows Phone [still behind RIM and Symbian] as 2%.

      I wont address all the other things wrong with your post. I just wanted to point out how far away your post is from reality.

    4. Re:Bet has not failed yet by FuegoFuerte · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Don't forget, it wasn't very many years ago that Android was under 2% compared with the likes of Blackberry, and a bit further back Apple could only dream of having the market share Palm had.

      The mobile space changes rapidly. Consumers are fickle. iOS is growing old, and people are becoming bored with it. Android might be popular (hey, the devices are cheap), but a lot of people with those devices aren't really enthralled with them. If there's anything the computing and especially the mobile space should have taught us by now, it's not to count someone out just because they're late to the party.

    5. Re:Bet has not failed yet by tuppe666 · · Score: 2

      The mobile space changes rapidly

      No they don't. New markets replace old markets, and in this instance Smartphones replace Dumbphones. In reality iOS and Android are mature popular products pretending otherwise is understating the task Microsoft has.

    6. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple has had iPhone sale growth of 58% YoY and 56% revenue growth YoY. Yeah people are totally bored of iOS. LOL.

    7. Re:Bet has not failed yet by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

      Apple has had iPhone sale growth of 58% YoY and 56% revenue growth YoY. Yeah people are totally bored of iOS. LOL.

      I don't believe people are bored with iOS. It is a weak argument because Windows Phone is has few advantages and many disadvantages over iOS.

      but your figures are almost worthless, revenue does not mean what you think it means. This year Google have has a massive revenue increase...they bought Motorola, but they actually lost $500Million just in that division because of Motorola . As for sales growth, Apple have actually seen a market share drop from 23% down to 14.9% in a couple of quarters apple are simply growing at a slower rate than the market, even though they are doing great financially longer term that is going to be a big problem. Finally any YOY comparisons of Apple sales figures are completely useless, as Apple has a good post-launch quarters and awful pre-launch quarters seasonal variations have less effect on the iPhone

    8. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Profits for the company were also up 24%. And this was with the quarter ending 8 days after the launch. The Christmas quarter will be another blowout. Apple, also, couldn't care less about marketshare when they are raking in more profits than all Android phone nakers combined.

    9. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      . Consumers are fickle. iOS is growing old, and people are becoming bored with it. Android might be popular (hey, the devices are cheap), but a lot of people with those devices aren't really enthralled with them.

      My PCs run Windows and my phones run Android? Does that mean I'm 'enthralled' by the OSs? Not at all, the reason I use them is because there are a lot of software and hardware vendors that are committed to the platform. That means I've got a good choice of devices when I buy new one and good choice of applications to run on it. I.e. it doesn't really matter if the OS is a bit ugly or slow, because you can always buy a faster device and you spend time looking at applications, not the OS.

      Before Android the most common OS was Symbian. Like Android it was widely supported by phone manufacturers. That tells me that if you want to take over from Android you need a similarly open platform. Windows Phone and iOS are not that platform. In fact Windows Phone has most of the downsides of iOS - a locked down environment - without the upsides - Apple customers slavish loyalty to Apple.

      Killing off support for Windows Mobile applications meant that all their natural customers bought an Android or iOS device. Almost all of the independent software vendors that used to develop for Windows Mobile moved to Android and iOS too. So that means that they are dependent on the sort of people who are 'enthralled' by OS's. I.e. people that are sufficiently distracted by 'buttery smooth UIs' to not notice that they can't run the applications that run on Android and iOS. Idiot tech bloggers basically. It's actually funny how common the phrase 'buttery smooth' UI was in reviews of Windows Phone 7. Almost like Microsoft's PR people had said "if you use the phrase 'buttery smooth UI' in your review, we'll give you a free phone" or something.

      Unfortunately these people are not a replacement for the people that used to buy Windows Mobile phones because they were dependent on a couple of apps, and those people have all moved to Android. No matter how butter smooth the UI is on Windows Phone, these people are not going to give up their apps to move back.

      Also all the people who bought a Windows Phone 7 device got screwed when Windows Phone 8 came out because Windows Phone 8 applications will not run on WP7 and WP7 devices will not get an upgrade. Hardly the sort of thing you want to do if you're trying to promote Windows Phone as a premium platform with Apple like customer loyalty.

      I.e. I'm not saying it is impossible that some platform will dethrone Android as the mainstream platform in the same way that Android dethroned Symbian. What I am saying is that that platform is not Windows Phone or iOS. My guess is that iOS will end up taking up the high margin/high end part of the phone market, rather like Macs do with the PC market. Android will take the rest. Windows Phone will struggle along with a couple of percent and the Windows Phone OEMs will bitch and need to be paid off regularly by Microsoft to stay on board. Or maybe Microsoft will make it's own phone and ditch Nokia, Samsung and HTC.

      Something they've already discussed

      http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/gadgets/7907888/Microsoft-plans-to-make-own-smartphone-sources

      Chief executive officer Steve Ballmer introduced the latest version of Windows Phone software, available on devices including Nokia's Lumia 920 and the HTC 8X, to help his company win back share lost to competitors such as Apple. Microsoft has already demonstrated a willingness to build hardware, even if it means competing with long-time partners, through the creation of Surface, a tablet that runs Windows software.

      "We are big believers in our hardware partners and together we're focused on bringing Windows Phone 8 to market with them," Redmond, Was

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    10. Re:Bet has not failed yet by jbernardo · · Score: 1

      The bet on WP8 might not have failed yet, but WP7 was an unmitigated disaster, that failed to convert most of the previous Nokia buyers. Even being given away in large quantities the lumias failed to attract more than a few Microsoft fans, and even some of those got upset with the way the platform got osborned with the announcement of WP8 and of the impossibility to update WP7 phones to it.

    11. Re:Bet has not failed yet by TubeSteak · · Score: 0

      It is true WP8 has not failed, but then as yet it unproven technology, going against Android which has captured 75% of the market and Apple 14.9%.

      Android may have 75% of the market, but Apple is making 71% of the profits.
      Yes, Apple's small market share is responsible for the majority of the industry's profits.
      Samsung is number two, with 37% of the industry's profits.
      HTC makes 1% of the profits.

      How do you end up with three companies making 109% of the profits? Because everyone else is losing money.
      Microsoft makes more in patent licensing fees from Android than Nokia/LG/Motorola/RIM/etc make from selling Android phones.

      --
      [Fuck Beta]
      o0t!
    12. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I agree that WP 8 should maybe have a decent or even good market share in the future, Microsoft has a good track record of selling average or even bad products on a large scale, wp 8 is maybe a decent or good os so maybe they can do it. But concerning Nokia even if wp 8 is a success they never will be a major actor in the business again, the margin is in the software part in the eco system , in the app store not in manufacturing the hardware so the Elop is a strategy that has two possible consequences:
      WP is a flop we die
      WP is a success we survive has a low profit manufacturer competting with the chinese ones (huawei etc...)

    13. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Danious · · Score: 1

      "Nokia has sold over 100 million of it's Windows Phone"

      You sure on that number, can you cite a source? I know last quarter they only sold 3-4 million Lumia's, so I doubt they sold almost 100 million in the preceding 3 quarters

    14. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a lot of money and a lot of enemies in the phone world

    15. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Over the next year Microsoft is going to push Windows 8 in all its incarnations. They are already making a strong push for developers to write apps, having a good stable of apps already and giving away a Nokia phone and Surface tablet to every Microsoft developer at the Build conference.

      The remaining question is how many consumers who already were exposed to the windows world in the past will want to get back to a MS dependent ecosystem. OTOH I am amazed at the number of people submitting themselves to unjailbroken iphone or unrooted androids, not realizing that a smartphone as powerful as a 10 years old laptop should do what a 10 years old laptop could do, which is pretty much everything: interfacing with normal screens, server, database, video and audio editing.

      Nokia was already on the right route with the nxxx series with maemo/meego, which afaik nokia never pushed much (I have yet to see one of them on sale in the stores). But a portable linux node would have not made any money to carriers, toy app devs, phone makers themselves (I guess that a nxxx - without glitches - is going to be an useful phone for the next decade). Too bad.

    16. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh look, I found a note from 6 years ago, it reads :

      Android will fail. Blackberry and Apple own the mobile market. There is no room for a third player.

    17. Re:Bet has not failed yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So fucking what? Apple sells overpriced phones? We all know that. Samsung sells a lot of reasonably priced phones? Yes, we also know that. HTC, Nokia, RIM etc are almost dead? We also know that. It doesn't change the fact that WP7 was a dysmal failure. WP7.5 was another dysmal failure. WP8 is shaping up just like its predecessors. It will have to go against a huge stream of iOS+Android phones, which hold both marketshare and mindshare. That's a job as hard as Linux's on the desktop. Even though Linux has many advantages over Windows and OS X, both technically and UI-wise (with KDE), it has never managed to make a dent, because of the same inertia that will hold WP8 out.

      Now, Nokia and RIM make money from selling Android phones? That's new to me. Care to give us a source?

  13. I have 10 bucks. by NeutronCowboy · · Score: 0

    Can I buy Nokia's burning corpse already?

    --
    Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
    1. Re:I have 10 bucks. by tuppe666 · · Score: 1

      Can I buy Nokia's burning corpse already?

      Not yet and Unless Elop to really really...but he has to really try Nokia has 3 valuable assets just not a mobile phone business anymore Patents; Nokia Siemens Networks and Navteq. Now what these are worth we will probably find out when someone does buy Nokias burning corpse...its interesting to see who it is, but it will be for Billions.

    2. Re:I have 10 bucks. by countach · · Score: 1

      Sorry no, I don't have change for big bills.

    3. Re:I have 10 bucks. by davester666 · · Score: 1

      Course, six months to a year later, whoever buys it will have to write down the 'asset' value to a small fraction of what was paid...

      --
      Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
    4. Re:I have 10 bucks. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. That's a fire hazard. Wait until Ballmer's finished pissing on it to put it out then ask again.

  14. Where are your thumbs? by tepples · · Score: 2

    Built in X-Box Live and Zune. Having a system built into a phone for online gaming etc that has been tested and proven for years is great.

    In games for Windows Phone 7, how do you feel where your thumbs are relative to the on-screen directional pad and trigger buttons at the sides of the screen so that you can press them while looking at the action in the middle of the screen? Android solves this with devices that use physical buttons (the Xperia Play and the forthcoming Archos GamePad) and a Wii Remote driver application.

  15. Xbox 8 by tepples · · Score: 2

    Over the next year Microsoft is going to push Windows 8 in all its incarnations.

    All? Will there be an Xbox 8, or will that have to wait for Windows 9?

    1. Re:Xbox 8 by Myrv · · Score: 1

      All? Will there be an Xbox 8, or will that have to wait for Windows 9?

      Well they did push out Xbox SmartGlass along side the Windows 8 launch. That along with all the recent dashboard updates pretty much gives you the "Windows 8 experience" on the Xbox. So yes, Xbox 8 is already here.

    2. Re:Xbox 8 by gtall · · Score: 1

      Ah, Windows 9 will feature...not tiles...but Pyramids!! You'll have 4 sides upon which to view the sacred artefacts. Each will call up a different aspect of the underlying app. And when you get bored, you'll be able to flip them to see their bottoms. This will reveal the inner guts to how the app connects to other apps. They will show little mechanical men moving levers, pushing buttons, etc.

      In Windows 10, the Pyramids will be shown to be landing platforms for a rather nasty race of Galactic Tyrants with an affinity for ancient gods, sultry vixens, and...err...snakes in their heads. Ballmer will be revealed be non-other than Osiris, but generally wearing sexy lingerie and long blond hair.

      The end is near, repent!

  16. Live tiles by tepples · · Score: 1

    Even when I'm streaming Netflix on the go I'm not really worried about the battery.

    Only because your monthly data allowance will probably give out before the battery does.

    No going into apps, no swiping over to your widgets.

    All that means is that app icons (tiles that aren't live) and widgets (tiles that are live) are listed in the same list instead of being separated into two lists. Big whoop.

    Built in Bing Search

    The Local Scout feature you describe is part of Google Now on Android 4.1. But the music search and vision features look interesting.

    But one killer feature of Android is its availability on prepaid carriers, so that people don't have to sign a 2-year contract just to use the features of the operating system and the available applications.

    1. Re:Live tiles by pmontra · · Score: 1

      Don't know about stock Android but icons and widgets are displayed together in the home screens of Samsung's Touchwiz. I know many people don't like Tw but I really never understood why. It runs just fine on my SG2.

  17. That naughty Mr Elop, how we all hate him by occasional_dabbler · · Score: 1

    Includes: "...One year of Windows Phone Developer Center membership. A $99 (USD) retail value..." It says here

    So this makes Nokia a rip-off merchant how exactly? MSFT maybe but they're only charging the going rate

    --
    "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs," I said. "we have a protractor"
    1. Re:That naughty Mr Elop, how we all hate him by tepples · · Score: 1

      The going rate was Microsoft's idea in the first place, as $99 per year is what Microsoft has always charged for XNA Creators Club on Xbox 360.

    2. Re:That naughty Mr Elop, how we all hate him by occasional_dabbler · · Score: 1

      So how does that make Nokia the bad guy?

      --
      "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs," I said. "we have a protractor"
  18. Let's get real here by antifoidulus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    FTS:
    which once was one of the mainstays of its domination of the smartphone market.

    No, just no. It's domination of the smartphone market was due to the fact that it made pretty good hardware and OK software at a time when nobody else could even manage one of the 2. However as others stepped up in both categories, Nokia was slow to react and that is what put it in it's current position.

    --
    Monstar L
    1. Re:Let's get real here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How about this?
      Microsoft fails to buy Nokia.
      Windows Phone 8 and Stephen Elop go down in flames.

      Nokia goes for MER, the Linux-based core fork of MeeGo by Jolla
      the open-source platform started by ex-Nokia employees.

  19. Expectable? YES! by Mister+Liberty · · Score: 1

    Not to be harsh towards the submitter -- the more so though towards Nokia:
    This is a non-story!

    Nokia: get away already!

    1. Re:Expectable? YES! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to be harsh towards the submitter -- the more so though towards Nokia: This is a non-story!

      Nokia: get away already!

      Yeah, because less competition is always better and bashing is so fun.

      Nokia first gets bashed for using Symbian (which they had as open source), then for picking up WP instead of Meego/Maemo. If the bashing is not just based on it being the fashionable thing, perhaps buying some of those phones with the os you want would have made a difference? Then again, a phone review mentioned 808 and couldn't wait for the camera tech to appear in a domestic phone (whatever that means). Since even the parent I'm replying has mentioned something (in my opinion stupid) about a Finn controlling attack bots if they run Linux, I guess most people in the States should finally be happy with the os now. Not sure if worth it, but I guess most big review sites are American.

      ...Too tired for replies, going for coward.

  20. Expectable? by elabs · · Score: 1

    How do I get that?

  21. I'm with you. by YesIAmAScript · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Nokia had developers because they had the dominant platform. Websites looked like garbage at the time one phones, so companies wanted to program for Symbian. With Symbian they could easily make apps which were slightly to somewhat better than garbage. So they did.

    Once any other company came in and made better hardware (RIM first) and a better OS/UI toolkit (Apple), it was over for Symbian and Nokia was put in a tough spot.

    --
    http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
    1. Re:I'm with you. by dwater · · Score: 1

      I worked on the following app on S60 (2nd and 3rd edition) which was based off Symbian - I mostly did porting, build and small feature work, with other clever folk doing the glory work, but anyway :

      http://darlamack.blogs.com/darlamack/2007/11/cinema-3d-by-em.html
      http://www.mobyware.net/nokia-n97-n97-mini-device-900/system-utilities-tag/dames-anime-girl-download-free-17752.html

      I have yet to see anything quite so innovative on other platforms - though, presumably, that is mostly because the platform makers (Apple, Google, Microsoft) don't want lowly developers messing with what happens when the user gets a phone call (though the above works with SMS/MMS and as a screensaver too - *screen* not *battery*).

      I'd like to see if there's anything similar for current platforms - I don't get much exposure to them.

      Anyway, I like to think that the above app was quite a bit better than garbage, despite its limited scope.

      --
      Max.
  22. Nokia 920 phones distributed at MS Build 2012 by DaveTheDelirious · · Score: 2

    Strange. I was just at the 2012 Build conference in Redmond (hey, it's a job) and Microsoft gave each attendee both a Windows 8 ARM tablet and a Nokia 920 developer phone to help get folks interested in developing for the platforms. You want apps? Carpet bomb the developers.... There were a number of sessions devoted to Windows Phone 8 development, and reading between the lines implied that the WP8 SDK is almost there, but not quite. Cross-platform development (desktop - tablet - phone) is not friction-free. To Microsoft's credit they were up front about it. My take? The center of gravity for Nokia application development has moved to Redmond. I predict that lots of phone marketing cash will flow from Redmond as well. Is resistance (from Nokia) futile?

    1. Re:Nokia 920 phones distributed at MS Build 2012 by quetwo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      So, the phone got released last week, and they are only "close" to having the SDK available?

      So, that means for the first 6 months we will only have simple demo apps, and quick "fart" apps until everybody gets up to speed, and the big dev houses get their act together. I honestly don't see the platform inertia lasting that long. People who have phone who can't get the Pandora, and other tangential apps they are used to will drop it for the ones who do. By the time the big apps come, there won't be any users left.

    2. Re:Nokia 920 phones distributed at MS Build 2012 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Big dev houses (should) have access to betas and other early releases. They of course can't talk about it due to all the likely NDAs they have, but it's not that the SDK gets assembled from one day to the other.

  23. Nokia's job is to drive everyone to Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and then die and hand the rest of their patents to Microsoft. Or so it would seem that is the direction they are headed.

  24. Oxford English Dictionary says: you err by vikingpower · · Score: 1

    "Expectable, a. Also erron expectible. [ Latin exspectabilis f. exspectare: see EXPECT, v., and -ABLE. ]. To be expected. " ( Followed by usage quotes from 1646 through to 1886.)

    --
    Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
  25. No developers by nurb432 · · Score: 2

    No community, no applicators, so no product interest.

    Even Microsoft understand this now, to an extent, tho 'full' VS is still far to expensive if you ask me. You should be giving tools away for nothing, to lock people into your products.

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  26. No good guy, no bad guy by tepples · · Score: 1

    I didn't say it did. I was just trying to quash the misconception that Apple invented the requirement of $99 per year to rent the ability to run applications that you compiled on hardware that you own.

  27. Maemo has got well over 1000 native apps by UpnAtom · · Score: 1

    You can even run Android's Angry Birds on top now. It's been able to run WebOS games for ages.

    Someone ported Homeworld a month ago. Opera Software are still updating Opera Mini. Someone's written a RAW camera app from the ground up.

    In spite of Elop's attempt to [i]kill[/i] the platform, Maemo has the most committed developers I've ever seen.

  28. Nokia has NOT suspended a Free Developer Program by rkerris · · Score: 1

    Hi Nokia has not suspended our free developer program, we ADDED to it: the Premium Developer Program (PDP) providing ~$1500 value for $99 (US). We have also been investing in other areas for Developers. I suggest checking out : http://www.developer.nokia.com/ for more information. Ping us, if you have questions - Thanks, Richard @richardkerris

  29. History repeats again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This looks just like microsoft its pulling one more intuit
    1) Say, lets do mutual profit partnering
    2) Prospect the key people and knowledge from partner
    3) Distract and refocus to microsoft roadmap the whole effort
    4) After desired info collected, reduce commitment
    5) Announce internal alternative roadmap excluding partner
    6) Drop debilitated partner because of poor results

    How much until rumored microsoft phone hardware confirms a reality.
    But i guess the nokia directives where hoping a sybase, central point, stacker... repetition instead when they called elop

  30. Brilliant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No developers , no applications, no sales.
    Even Microsoft gives software for free (C#, etc) , oh and Oracle too (ok, somewhat limited regarding database, nevertheless developers can learn, evaluate, test, develop).
    So Nokia thinks independent developers will buy development tools? I think they're dreaming and/or have some beans counters MBAs.

    1. Re:Brilliant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your knowledge and understanding of what Nokia does with and for developers is obviously limited at this post (and not much of the comments either). Which is to say, both are null.

  31. Why the Radio Erevan jokes are never old ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A Radio Erevan listener writes in to ask: "Is it true that Nokia has cancelled its free developer programs and instituted a new one, for which it charges $99 in total disregard for the needs of its developer community?"

    Radio Erevan responds: "Yes, this is correct. With small corrections:
            - Nokia's developers can register and access all developer resources (tools, SDKs, documentation, discussion boards in which Nokia experts provide free support and guidance). For FREE.
          - Nokia's developers can join Nokia's application publishing program (i.e Nokia Store) at the cost of 1€ (one euro)
          - The "free" programs cancelled by Nokia were a) not free and b) not accessible (by invitation only)
          - The new $99 program is practically free since in includes an already existing program membership cost (Microsoft's developer program, required for Store access) and in plus adds more real benefits which, if anything, lower the overall cost for developers while giving them access to premium tools and services.
            So yes, we'll have to agree, Nokia does not care about its developer community ..."