Clone an open source Android app I have to B4A

[Krammig]

I have an Email app that has been developed further from some open source Android code.

I'm looking for an experienced B4A person with preferably Android and VB.net experience as well. Latter not essential.

I would like to ;

a) rebuild this app in B4A
b) add a couple of features above what I have

Stage (a) $500
Stage (b) to be discussed

Code should be tidy with comments for each function
Attractive UI which is probably just what is there already but of it can be improved all the better
Use Classes as much as possible so they can be reused

Given it is pretty much looking at what I have and recoding I think it should be pretty straight forward for one of you guru's to knock over.
Willing to buy 3rd party libraries to help speed up the process.

I would love to hear from anyone who can help and I'm happy to discuss details and answer questions.

cheers
Harry

 

[Roycefer]

How big is this project? How many modules? How many layouts/activities? What libraries does the app use?

 

[RJB]

I have an Email app that has been developed further from some open source Android code.
..................
Harry

Hi,
probably a good idea to share the App or at least some screenshots so that people know what you are asking for?

 

[Krammig]

Yes actually a good idea RJB sorry I didn't do so.

Thanks also for the reply Roy

The base app is called K9 and the source can be downloaded fro GitHub https://github.com/k9mail/k-9

A couple of screen from my app are attached.

I don't know if you can use existing java code as modules and call those from B4A however if so this might make things a lot simpler.

If it is possible to build the B4A app using existing .java files that are pretty much static then I am happy to have those left as is. The main reason for the conversion is so I can more easily add User Functional features and enhance the UI from time to time, basically maintain the app in a B4A environment. The real guts / core of the app for example OAuth, Mime stuff, Transport layer, can all stay in java.

That said, there is also a set of libraries by Chilkat which I am happy to buy if that makes things easier as well. https://www.chilkatsoft.com/products.asp

thanks

 

[DonManfred]

rebuild this app in B4A

Stage (a) $500

The base app is called K9 and the source can be downloaded fro GitHub https://github.com/k9mail/k-9

So you are searching for someone who convert all this into b4a for you? For $500? You can´t be serious.

 

[Krammig]

DonManfred, Can B4A consume normal Java files that are used in an Android App ?

 

[DonManfred]

No. Partially it can work using Inlinejava. But for that what you want to archieve this will not help.

 

[moster67]

You can´t be serious

Depends @DonManfred : if you badly need money, it's good money, especially for someone unemployed who's at home doing nothing. Also for a developer not living in rich countries such US, UK, Germany but perhaps living in an a poorer country where salaries are not high, this could still be serious money....
Just some thoughts...

 

[thedesolatesoul]

Depends @DonManfred : if you badly need money, it's good money, especially for someone unemployed who's at home doing nothing. Also for a developer not living in rich countries such US, UK, Germany but perhaps living in an a poorer country where salaries are not high, this could still be serious money....
Just some thoughts...

Fair enough.
Worth mentioning though the offer still is exploiting a developers desperation or bad living conditions.(in the bigger picture)
Its capitalism but its not really fair.

 

[NJDude]

Actually it comes down to how much you like money, it might not be a lot but you will have it in your pocket

 

[thedesolatesoul]

Actually it comes down to how much you like money, it might not be a lot but you will have it in your pocket

I agree.
Whether your trade your time for x money.
If no one bites (unlikely) then there is room to negotiate.
Btw, HI.

 

[NJDude]

Btw, HI.

Same to you bud.

 

[Star-Dust]

I would like to make two considerations, a technique and an economic one.

Technique: I would say that thanks to the numerous libraries available for B4A it would not be difficult to recreate such a similar application. Also, as indicated above, you can insert entire Java code lines inside the B4A source and this helps a lot. However, it remains a challenging job because it requires a lot of code, modules, many layouts, and tasks. So it translates to many hours.

Let's go for economic evaluation.
I would like to ignore the $ 500 issue, because I agree with those who say it is a little, but also with those who say that for a jobless developer is always better than hunger. The little one is more and more of nothing.

But I ask myself more questions:
If I had time (hypothesis) to do such a project (which is not to translate the Java code into B4A but recreate it in B4A ...) would I sell it to Kramming?
Or would it be more profitable to market it alone?
Once the project has been developed, why should I pass my code?
to someone else who would sell it and earn when I could do it and earn me?

Second observation: I should comment on the code to allow Krammer to learn the B4A and also to know about my B4A cheats I have acquired with experience.
It's not just selling a source application but also a B4A programming course ... Is the offer up to this request?

regards

 

[Krammig]

Thank you all for the comments and feedback, both constructive and non-constructive.

Firstly let me say I am 63 yo, have been in IT for 43 years from IBM through to CIO and COO of public companies, have a range of specialist technology platforms under my skin. I am on the older side of life and do not have the energy or the skill to handle these more current technologies, but I still love technology.

I am impressed with B4A however I just do not know how to utilize this in practice, too old to start learing this from scratch but still astute enough to update end modify from a working app, and thus the posting here so I could also learn from the result.

As to those who are rubbishing my suggestion of $500 I say - Whoaaaaaa This was not mean to be an insult to anyone, nor slave labor. It was based on a few factors. @thedesolatesoul - No - I am not Exploiting anyone !!

a) I have had a number of apps apps created in the past by contractors obtained on various sites such as Elance etc. for prices that would indicate $500 would be Ok.
b) I was thinking (with limited knowledge) that not a great deal of B4A work would be required, mainly UI, as the rest would be current Java classes. My mistake.
c) I was also basing this on someone here being interested in some hobby side work for some extra cash.
d) I was assuming, clearly incorrectly, that if I was unrealistic with the suggested price, it would be discuss with me in a mature manner.
e) As I have done in the past, I would also consider a sharing of profits with the developer. Some people are willing to do this, some prefer simple cash.

regards

 

[Star-Dust]

Dear Kramming, none of the comments you've read in favor of or against the proposal you offer are making a judgment on you.

As is often the case in this forum, it was arguing about it in an academic way by hypothesis, as always do developers ... it will be a professional deformation ... analyze the pros and cons of each aspect, I did not perceive a lack of respect for you or your experience and / or IT skills.

Then, of course, each one colors the words with their own language and personality.

Regards

P.S. Even though we bring our experience as a developer in the new languages we learn, each language has its features and experiences a different one.
A 50-year experience on C ++ (or in the IT world) will help you a lot but it does not make you a great B4A developer. You must then make your language experience and get familiar with its features.

 

[Star-Dust]

Depends @DonManfred : if you badly need money, it's good money, especially for someone unemployed who's at home doing nothing. Also for a developer not living in rich countries such US, UK, Germany but perhaps living in an a poorer country where salaries are not high, this could still be serious money....
Just some thoughts...

You should also add italy among the poor countries

 

[thedesolatesoul]

Hi Krammig,
My comment wasnt a dig against you. It was a reply to another comment.
Appologies.

 

[Cableguy]

My 2cents.

@Krammig I too felt how you feel about those comments on how "disproportionate" the offer is, and that it is an insult.

The Pro-Devs have a huge tendency to forget that most users that make such requests usually have no real insight about what is a reasonable offer.

So don't get too offended by those comments.

I, for one, if I had the skills, I would gladly discuss the conversion with you.

As someone said earlier, the dev who will (the job is still open, lets us not forget it), could also propose a different financial arrangement, so that both could profit from.

 

[ilan]

I agree with cableguy. Everyone here is free to post a job offer and also the price he is ready to pay for it. You can decide if its interesting for u or not. I believe that 500$ is a good starting price for an app or wrapper and if it is to complex u can always write your price in the thread.

It would interest me to know how much such a job would cost in your opinion?

 

[thedesolatesoul]

To take this thread in a positive direction.
I'm not interested in doing this port but I thought I'd just write out some considerations in how you would look at porting k9 and the problems involved.

Step 0: Define goals. What is the reason for porting k9, and where will new features be added. (Is it a UI re-design, or adding some proprietary email features). This is important so you know which paths of the code will be changed and which parts can be abstracted out.

Step 0: Look at the license (Apache 2) in this case and understand its terms. Talk to the maintainers of the repo, if needed.

Step 1: Is abstraction possible or are there intertwined code that doesnt allow this. How many files and how many LoC will need to be modified, just to make the abstraction (without adding any new code). This part really involves understanding the architecture of the java project.

Step 2: How to automate the setup, so any new updates on the github repo can be pulled easily into this project without breaking too much stuff.

Step 3: Which parts of the code are vital but not available in B4A. Are there compile switches required, is proguard required. Does it depend on an obscure library that wont work without porting. Are there manifest requirements. Are there resource requirements. Are these all supported by B4A? Will B4A be able to play nice with Fragments?

Step 4: Porting independent library parts to B4A that are required. Then writing the B4A code to do the interface with java code, and resolving dependencies.

Step 5: Re-writing a feature or writing new features (new UI etc). Some features will require re-writing the libraries we abstracted out because they are coupled.

As a rough estimate the repo has 160K lines of code (very rough).

I think without reaching Step3 its not possible to provide a good idea of how much it will cost. Anyone can pull out a number out of the air, but it wont be accurate until Step3.

The other question is time. Will a reliable developer stay on this project for a long time without abandoning at some point. You will get developers who are either inexperienced or desperate or cheap, and end up paying out of your pocket for that.