Why Tim Bray Went to Google
The reason I’m here is mostly Android. Which seems to me about as unambiguously a good thing as the tangled wrinkly human texture of the Net can sustain just now. Here’s why:
- It’s not good to be on the Net at all times, but it’s very good to have the Net available at all times.
- Google needs, and is committed to, Android; it’s not just a hobby.
- The Android user experience is very good and, more important, getting better fast.
- It’s developer-friendly; the barriers to entry are very low for the several million people on the planet who are comfy with the java programming language.
- The APIs are pretty good in my experience, and even more important, complete. Near as I can tell, there’s nothing interesting the phones can do that’s not exposed through some API or other.
- Anyone can build any hardware they want around the Android software; no approval required.
- Anyone can sell any program they write via the Android Market; no approval required.
- It’s open-source.
- The smartphone arena where Android plays is extra interesting right now, with space for radical experimentation both on the technology and business fronts.
- The mobile space has had a huge impact in the emerging economies of the less-developed world and I think that’s just getting started. I want to be part of that story and Android seems like the right software platform for it.
- I’ll enjoy competing with Apple.
Ben Fry has some related thoughts in his post On needing approval for what we create, and losing control over how it’s distributed.