Mobile Innovation

A software development kit (SDK or "devkit") is typically a set of development tools that allows a software engineer to create applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.

It may be something as simple as an application programming interface in the form of some files to interface to a particular programming language or include sophisticated hardware to communicate with a certain embedded system. Common tools include debugging aids and other utilities often presented in an IDE. SDKs also frequently include sample code and supporting technical notes or other supporting documentation to help clarify points from the primary reference material.

A software engineer typically receives the SDK from the target system developer. Often the SDK can be downloaded directly via the Internet. Many SDKs are provided for free to encourage developers to use the system or language. Sometimes this is used as a marketing tool. For example, Foo Products might provide the Widget SDK for free to encourage people to use it. In turn, more people will be encouraged to buy more of their widgets since they can program them for free.

SDKs may have attached licenses that make them unsuitable for building software intended to be developed under an incompatible license. For example, a proprietary SDK will likely be incompatible with free software development, while a GPL licensed SDK will likely be incompatible with proprietary software development. LGPL SDKs are typically safe for proprietary development.

An SDK for an operating system add-on (for instance, QuickTime for Mac OS) may include the add-on software itself, to be used for development purposes, if not necessarily for redistribution. An interesting situation arises here between platforms where it is possible to develop applications that can at least start up on a system configuration without the add-on installed, and use a Gestalt-style run-time environment query to determine if the add-on is present, and ones where the application will simply fail to start. In other words, it is possible to build a single binary that will run on configurations with and without the add-on present, albeit operating with reduced functionality in the latter situation.

Providers of SDKs for specific systems or subsystems may sometimes substitute a more specific term instead of software. For instance, both Microsoft and Apple provide driver development kits (DDK) for developing device drivers.

Examples

The following are common software development kits:

* The Net Beans SDK from SUN Microsystems
* The Eclipse SDK from the Eclipse Foundation IBM
* The Flex SDK from Adobe
* The iPhone SDK from Apple
* The Java SDK from Sun Microsystems
* The Android SDK from Google
* The Microsoft Platform SDK from Microsoft
* The Qt SDK from Qt Software
* The Source SDK from Valve

Source

Posted by Mobile Innovation at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Telecom Industry has been waiting to see what Google is going to do with it rumored phone system. This actually is very good news for the everyone except maybe Apple. The fear had been they would develop their own phone and take away more market share just as Apple has.

If the rumors are true the Google phone will not be a phone but a platform within phones made by others and open to all. So the question becomes who will use it and why is Google going for an open platform. It makes sense for Google, they are not in the hardware business but in the advertising business, the more people who see their searches and pages of information the more they can make from this service. So the smart thing to do is get the technology into as many phones as possible. By providing an open system they are moving in that direction. I see a lot of the handset makers jumping onto this bandwagon, it provides something new and different, something everyone but Apple needs right now, it could also help spur sales of new phones equipped with this technology. The same goes for the services providers, not only a new feature but also more data downloading time on the network. So overall a big plus for them. Now the question remains what about Apple? If this new system from Google requires a hardware change then they will have problems that everyone else will love. People will not be willing to spend to upgrade the new iPhone. Maybe this is what the industry has been hoping for.

Source

Posted by Mobile Innovation at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)