Re: Continuation
Sean Patrick Burke <[email protected]> Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:47:00 -0400
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.mobile.bitpim.devel |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--===============3081905252436828341== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="Apple-Mail=_DC7376D6-4E90-4210-BFD5-ED04BFFD9100" --Apple-Mail=_DC7376D6-4E90-4210-BFD5-ED04BFFD9100 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Timothy, I'm not sure why I am still subscribed to this list, but I imagine = sentimental reasons probably have something to do with it. I used to be = in charge of the Mac builds for the bitpim project, so I suppose I am = qualified to answer your question. I joined the project some time in 2005 for the exclusive (and = self-serving) reason to get my crappy LG phone supported by bitpim. It = was a derivative of a supported phone, so after a Saturday's worth of = reading posts on Howard's forums (which will lower your IQ = significantly) I mashed together an ugly patch and fired it off to Joe = Pham - the main developer. After their Mac builder dropped out I offered = my services and just like that, we were up and running.=20 There was a time when our project was hot - really hot. We would = routinely get posts from forensics experts inside and outside = government. There were also paid offers to develop the package for = certain phone models and even "rush orders." (We need it for a warrant, = etc.). These, as Kurt Vonnegut might have said, were the salad days.=20 Eventually three things happened that brought development to a = screeching halt. First, there was a major version change of python (the = underlying platform in which bitpim is written). This doesn't seem like = it should have been a major problem, but the project had been designed = so long ago that some of the tools we relied upon to build the = executable were getting abandoned. Every time python jumped up a = version, found ourselves having to patch and rebuild another python = module. It was worse on the Mac side since our python build is, ahem, = "centrally planned." Do you remember the scene in the Simpsons where they travel to the = future and Smithers is talking to the frozen head of Montgomery Burns? = Smithers says to the head, "Don't worry sir, we'll have you up and = running just as soon as our scientists find a cure for....37 stab wounds = in the back." In the background, a researcher shouts "We just got 24!" = and everyone rejoices. Bitpim development sometimes felt a lot like = that. =20 The second reason was that there was a sea change from the traditional = clam-shell phone to the smartphone. I don't want to say that the iPhone = or Blackberry killed our project, but it made it less and less relevant. = I can't prove it, but I would hazard the guess that the number one = reason we lost developers (and users!) was that they would switch to a = smartphone. Speaking from personal experience, it was a lot harder for = me to do the work on bitpim when my shiny new iPhone was already syncing = my music, calendar, and contacts. In at least one sense, bitpim has gone = the way of the horse and buggy for most users, save luddites like my = brother - a 29 year old nuclear physicist with a Jitterbug. The third reason is more common to a lot of open source projects; we all = grew up and got jobs. In 2008 I started law school full time, in = addition to work, and that left little time for bitpim. Alan Cox, one of = the original Linux developers, said it best when he said something to = the effect of "I'm now less concerned about race conditions and more = concerned about repotting the plants in my apartment." Open source = development is fun, but it's a young man's game - filled with Mountain = Dew, artificial deadlines, and *many* late nights spent bug tracking. I don't mind saying that my involvement with bitpim was a highlight in = my time as a developer. There was a time when our project was hot - = Verizon and AT&T customer service would recommend us to customers! I = could post snarky things on Howard's forums and people would listen! = Those days are gone. I haven't heard from Joe in several years, although = I'd be interested in knowing what he has been up to all this time.=20 Thus, I suppose the long answer to your question is: "The follow-up = version to 1.0.7 is not being actively developed." Best, Sean Burke Former bitpim developer, now lawyer and potted-plant owner. On Sep 15, 2012, at 4:37 AM, Timothy Seders <[email protected]> wrote: > is there going to be a continuation of bitpim or was 1.0.7 the last = one? > = --------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---- > How fast is your code? > 3 out of 4 devs don\\\'t know how their code performs in production. > Find out how slow your code is with AppDynamics Lite. > http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;262219672;13503038;z? > = http://info.appdynamics.com/FreeJavaPerformanceDownload.html______________= _________________________________ > BitPim-devel mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bitpim-devel --Apple-Mail=_DC7376D6-4E90-4210-BFD5-ED04BFFD9100 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html = charset=3Diso-8859-1"><base href=3D"x-msg://18/"></head><body = style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Timothy,<div>I'm not sure why I = am still subscribed to this list, but I imagine sentimental reasons = probably have something to do with it. I used to be in charge of = the Mac builds for the bitpim project, so I suppose I am qualified to = answer your question.</div><div><br></div><div>I joined the project some = time in 2005 for the exclusive (and self-serving) reason to get my = crappy LG phone supported by bitpim. It was a derivative of a supported = phone, so after a Saturday's worth of reading posts on Howard's forums = (which will lower your IQ significantly) I mashed together an ugly patch = and fired it off to Joe Pham - the main developer. After their Mac = builder dropped out I offered my services and just like that, we were up = and running. </div><div><br></div><div>There was a time when our = project was hot - really hot. We would routinely get posts from = forensics experts inside and outside government. There were also = paid offers to develop the package for certain phone models and even = "rush orders." (We need it for a warrant, etc.). These, as Kurt Vonnegut = might have said, were the salad = days. </div><div><br></div><div>Eventually three things happened = that brought development to a screeching halt. First, there was a = major version change of python (the underlying platform in which bitpim = is written). This doesn't seem like it should have been a major problem, = but the project had been designed so long ago that some of the tools we = relied upon to build the executable were getting abandoned. Every time = python jumped up a version, found ourselves having to patch and rebuild = another python module. It was worse on the Mac side since our python = build is, ahem, "centrally planned."</div><div><br></div><div>Do you = remember the scene in the Simpsons where they travel to the future and = Smithers is talking to the frozen head of Montgomery Burns? Smithers = says to the head, "Don't worry sir, we'll have you up and running just = as soon as our scientists find a cure for....37 stab wounds in the = back." In the background, a researcher shouts "We just got 24!" and = everyone rejoices. Bitpim development sometimes felt a lot like that. = </div><div><br></div><div>The second reason was that there was a = sea change from the traditional clam-shell phone to the smartphone. I = don't want to say that the iPhone or Blackberry killed our project, but = it made it less and less relevant. I can't prove it, but I would hazard = the guess that the number one reason we lost developers (and users!) was = that they would switch to a smartphone. Speaking from personal = experience, it was a lot harder for me to do the work on bitpim when my = shiny new iPhone was already syncing my music, calendar, and contacts. = In at least one sense, bitpim has gone the way of the horse and buggy = for most users, save luddites like my brother - a 29 year old nuclear = physicist with a Jitterbug.</div><div><br></div><div>The third reason is = more common to a lot of open source projects; we all grew up and got = jobs. In 2008 I started law school full time, in addition to work, and = that left little time for bitpim. Alan Cox, one of the original Linux = developers, said it best when he said something to the effect of "I'm = now less concerned about race conditions and more concerned about = repotting the plants in my apartment." Open source development is fun, = but it's a young man's game - filled with Mountain Dew, artificial = deadlines, and *many* late nights spent bug = tracking.</div><div><br></div><div>I don't mind saying that my = involvement with bitpim was a highlight in my time as a developer. There = was a time when our project was hot - Verizon and AT&T customer = service would recommend us to customers! I could post snarky things on = Howard's forums and people would listen! Those days are gone. I haven't = heard from Joe in several years, although I'd be interested in knowing = what he has been up to all this = time. </div><div><br></div><div>Thus, I suppose the long answer to = your question is: "The follow-up version to 1.0.7 is not being actively = developed."</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Sean = Burke</div><div>Former bitpim developer, now lawyer and potted-plant = owner.</div><div><br></div><div><div><div>On Sep 15, 2012, at 4:37 AM, = Timothy Seders <<a = href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>> = wrote:</div><br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote = type=3D"cite"><div bgcolor=3D"#ffffff" style=3D"font-family: Helvetica; = font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; = font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; = orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: = none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; = "><div><font face=3D"Arial" size=3D"2">is there going to be a = continuation of bitpim or was 1.0.7 the last = one?</font></div>---------------------------------------------------------= ---------------------<br>How fast is your code?<br>3 out of 4 devs = don\\\'t know how their code performs in production.<br>Find out how = slow your code is with AppDynamics Lite.<br><a = href=3D"http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;262219672;13503038;z?">http://ad.dou= bleclick.net/clk;262219672;13503038;z?</a><br><a = href=3D"http://info.appdynamics.com/FreeJavaPerformanceDownload.html______= _________________________________________">http://info.appdynamics.com/Fre= eJavaPerformanceDownload.html_____________________________________________= __</a><br>BitPim-devel mailing list<br><a = href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]= ceforge.net</a><br><a = href=3D"https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bitpim-devel">https:/= /lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bitpim-devel</a><br></div></blockquo= te></div><br></div></body></html>= --Apple-Mail=_DC7376D6-4E90-4210-BFD5-ED04BFFD9100-- --===============3081905252436828341== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ How fast is your code? 3 out of 4 devs don\\\'t know how their code performs in production. Find out how slow your code is with AppDynamics Lite. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;262219672;13503038;z? http://info.appdynamics.com/FreeJavaPerformanceDownload.html --===============3081905252436828341== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ BitPim-devel mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/bitpim-devel --===============3081905252436828341==--