On May 25, 1:17 pm, DanH <danhi...@ieee.org> wrote: > Usually the platform will coast along under the momentum of existing > apps and users for awhile, but sooner or later the costs make it more > feasible (for both vendor and customer) to dump the old and switch > rather than to keep going. Some vendors (not to be named) "finesse" > this issue by forcing users to change platforms at regular intervals, > others, thanks to good initial design (or sometimes just clever > emulation), are able to advance their platforms while still > maintaining compatibility with apps that are 30 years old. But I > don't see the basis for either in Android.
What you're describing has nothing to do with Android as a technology. It's policy on the part of the creator. If you haven't watched the keynote speech from Google I/O, you should, because you'd know that Google has created a consortium of carriers and hardware manufacturers that agree to keep their versions of Android "fresh" and supported for 18 months after initial release. Beyond that, the presumption is that the devices become unsupported and die, and the version of Android eventually dies with it. Then you upgrade (and you probably wanted to anyway). Not too much different than Google's competition, I'd say, except there needed to be an agreement between the hardware and software folks. Google's primary competition needs no such agreement. The mobile space is moving so rapidly, I don't know HOW anyone could plan 30 years out for a platform, let alone 5 years out. If a company took the time to plan for something that stayed relevant for 5 years without constant updates, they would probably never release a product. Agile in, waterfall out. Doug -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Developers" group. To post to this group, send email to android-developers@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-developers+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers?hl=en
