Develop apps.

[LucaMs]

What are we doing?

We should ask ourself why a great developer like Erel does not develop apps.

We should take a look to an app developed by one of the best programmers (probably the best) on this site, @Informatix' Diktatour.
For all I "know", it was developed by a (small?) team and had no downloads (paid version).

Why we still trying to develop apps? Hobby? Nice hobby, you can become crazy, often.

It is very likely that we are deluded fools.
Mainly, old stoned deluded fool developers, like me.

 

[ilan]

Not correct.

First: we love it.

Second: we love it a lot !

Third: @Informatix (fred) is not only making great games he is creating awesome libs. And i believe he did few $ from it. He said many times that he is not doing it for the money, he has a great job, he just like it. But anyway he is earning also few $ from donations.

There are lot of guys here that earn from their hard work making libs (like @DonManfred that want to get rid from all his donators mails , just kiddin manfred ) but you can see that people who create and work hard also make money. Physics says "from nothing comes nothing" so dont expect that you will get rich from 1 or 2 apps (libs).

I have donated at least 200$ to different members here but i also sold few project (about 600$ and did in 3 years "few" $ only from b4x) so i can only thank google.com that lead me to this side when i was looking for vb to android .

@Monty Phyton: always look on the bright side of life.. whistle, whistle,...

 

[JordiCP]

Also, money does not only come from market or donations, although I agree (and admire their work) that there are people here getting nice incomes from both.

Developing apps for private customers is also a way to earn money from B4x. I mix my "nonsense" apps (which don't give me money yet, and perhaps will never do) with other requested apps which are projects by themselves or are a necessary part of a bigger project, and they are part of my "professional" incomes.

So, perhaps when coming into this world, one can think that Android market or Job offers section is the only way to monetize B4A, but there is more.

 

[ilan]

Yes thats true @JordiCP people see your apps on the market and send you a job request. Lot of people contact me that way. Even if your apps sucks google play is a good "business card".

I developed in the last 3 years more the 50 apps and still cannot order a new yacht but i learned a lot and am learning every day.

I like what i do and you never know what app will be the one so we keep trying.

Today i believe i will finish my last app Pixel_Studio and start an iSpriteKit b4i game.

Then another 2 b4i apps (convert from b4a to b4i) and then a libgdx box2d b4a game.

All mockups are finished just need to code

 

[sorex]

for me it's mainly a hobby but sometimes I get a donation or small job offer which is nice and most of the times enough to pay back my licences.

I'm trying to get something released aswell altho I'm not having high hopes on earning with it but you never know

I also use B4J a lot these days for personal tools (convertors, packers, ...) where I tend to use VBScript before.

 

[mangojack]

And pretty much the same here .. mainly a hobby putting together a mountain of personal apps / tools and fulfilling the odd special request (for a very small return).

But for me its certainly more than that .. I still get a kick from learning new things which stumbling on b4x has allowed me to do.
After VB6 sailed over the horizon and flailing at serious vb.net I thought it was time to die.

And as @sorex alluded to .. maybe one day I'll get one of those apps out of the drawer .. dress it up and make a killing.

Its Just coming up with that "One of a kind , Special app" ... I new I was too slow when @Douglas Farias beat me to the "Best Farting Sounds"

Meanwhile , after a mishap at home (and told no work for 6 Months) I have been sitting staring at this monitor with serious writers block !
Maybe it will be better when they ween me off the morphine !

 

[LucaMs]

First: we love it.

Second: we love it a lot !

It is clear that the loves end, marriages become divorces

Third: @Informatix (fred) is not only making great games he is creating awesome libs. And i believe he did few $ from it.

But anyway he is earning also few $ from donations.

I suppose not enough to repay his work.

Anyway, I'm talking about apps and specifically apps for markets.

There are lot of guys here that earn from their hard work making libs (like @DonManfred that

Exactly, DonManfred does not develp apps (nor for Google Play). He knows...#1!


I should answer globally

 

[LucaMs]

Well, my situation is very particular (and I do not want to depress people).

I will spend the little strength that I still have to develop a "promising app" (but I'm almost certain that this market promises but it does not keep its promises).

Then I will abandon this world.

 

[KMatle]

Making great colours doesn't mean you want to be a great painter When I see the most downloaded apps (like "fake caller/broken screen" -> 10 Mio.) I'm close to throw away my Laptop.

 

[MikeH]

What would you do if you had a £1m app? If you love coding, you'd still be coding.

Well guess what, you are now coding, so why do you need the $1m?

 

[LucaMs]

Making great colours doesn't mean you want to be a great painter When I see the most downloaded apps (like "fake caller/broken screen" -> 10 Mio.) I'm close to throw away my Laptop.

I forgot that I have an (almost) ready "fake something" app; after:

I will spend the little strength that I still have to develop a "promising app" (but I'm almost certain that this market promises but it does not keep its promises).

if not it will be appreciated enough, i will publish also this stupid app

 

[Lahksman]

I think there are only a few ways to earn a few bucks creating apps.

1. Get lucky. Somehow your app gets popular en you earn some money
2. Create a sh*tload of apps and load them up with commercials to earn a few bucks
3. Develop custom apps. This is the most labor intensive way, but in my opinion the most profitable.

 

[melonZgz]

I still haven't published anything yet, but I'd like to publish my first game in a month. So I've been reading some forums and articles about this.
Developing a good app (game) means nothing if you don't do some marketing
You can get reviews and installs from other developers (there are forums and webs for that), but you need to spread the word, maybe starting a paid campaign where you´ll have to pay for each install.
You have to do some ASO. Make a good icon (hire somebody to do it for you if you aren't a designer) and good screenshots. Make also a good description, so that people can find your app when they search for something.
As a single developer, I think it's better to make a lot of simple games than focusing in only one.
And of course your game should be addictive, no bugs and good graphics.

 

[EnriqueGonzalez]

I developed 2 apps, they were not successful, not even a bit. But with the experience i had developing them i managed to get a job based on B4x products. And for me and my family it is the best it could have happened to me ever.

as my old father once said to me: "the more things you know, the less probability you have to starve"

 

[susu]

For me, it was just my hobby at the beginning but when I realized I could earn a lot of money from making apps, it was my main job. It's 3-4 years ago when there're not too many Android developers in my country. Now I don't spend time to make new app (last year I just publish only 2 apps) I just fix old apps that still making money. My earning is just around $100-$200/month but I have more time for my real-life business.

Nowadays it's really hard to earn a lot of money from making app but I believe there's still a chance for small developers like us. Just look at Flappy Bird, calm down and keep coding!

 

[LucaMs]

as my old father once said to me: "the more things you know, the less probability you have to starve"

as I (old not father) once said to me: "the more things you learn, the more probability you will forget"


P.S.
I must stop denigrating my memory. Yesterday I found out that, after 30 years, I recalled that "pharmacy" in German is "Apotheke"

 

[Daestrum]

For me bespoke programs are the way to go. Write a program specifically to someone's needs and the returns are ridiculous.
One program, a booking system, took me no more than 30 hours coding (not for Android or even in Java) - remuneration £5k.
If they want changes they get them for free providing I have time and I feel like doing it
They also refer you to others that have similar requirements. A Win-Win situation.
(Although I do turn down requests for similar systems as once I finish a project I get bored with it.)

 

[LucaMs]

For me bespoke programs are the way to go.

If someone needs a "bespoke program" and if it is an Android app, he must be an ignoramus in this matter, otherwise he will choose a Java programmer, not a B4A programmer unfortunately.

 

[Roycefer]

Why do you think that? An experienced programmer working in B4A is easily 2x or 3x more productive than when working in Java/Android. That is the entire idea behind a rapid application development system like B4A. Another strength of B4A is that the output of B4A development will be nearly functionally identical to the output of Java/Android development. The advantages are even greater with B4J.

I think it is very wise of people to come to the B4X forums looking to post job offers. It's a great way to get a (potentially) solid product at a competitive price.

 

[LucaMs]

Why do you think that? An experienced programmer working in B4A is easily 2x or 3x more productive than when working in Java/Android.

I also thought this; now I am not very sure of this. This is true for those who know VB (.Net) and do not know Java.

People who know Java and Eclipse or Android Studio also has the advantage of not needing wrappers for code found on Github (wrappers that in the future may need updates).

That is the entire idea behind a rapid application development system like B4A

Do you think that Eclipse and Android Studio are not RAD?

I love B4X, first of all for this forum and, almost always , for its creator; I know VB.Net, then B4X is wonderful for me.

But I think that the real strenght is B4X, where X stands for: one language - "one IDE" for many platforms.
To understand this, the client must be very well informed, in contrast to what I have written in my previous post.