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If you are a software developer, you can now make money regardless of which coding language you know.
A developer can develop an app and make money on those apps that a user uses on a PC, notebook, phone or a tablet.
As Apple’s iOS and Android eat into Microsoft’s market’s share, the Redmond giant for the first time has made a move that would enable any software developer to code in programming languages such as Java, HTML5 or PHP. This would kick-start its push towards the launch of Windows 8 in October, which the company hopes will be a game-changer in the world of computing. The company has 3,500 developers ranging from college kids to 30-year-olds who are working on apps that could help individuals and enterprises benefit from technology across PCs, laptops and mobile phones.
“With this initiative, we are looking at the right apps instead of the number of apps and giving developers access to international markets,” said Stephen Landes, GM and Developer Evangelist, Microsoft. Traditionally, an app developer made money on aligning with a particular programming language, like Java. Further, the programmer needed to know other programming languages to write codes for different devices such as PCs or phones.
Keeping rivals at bay
Industry watchers feel that this move of Microsoft is an attempt to woo developers into its ecosystem as a lot of them have moved to competitors such as Apple and Android. According to analysts, India has about 1.2 million software developers.
“Apps are critical for its ecosystem as Apple and Android are snapping at its heels,” said an analyst from an international research group who does not wish to be named. Already, fourth year college student Sanjay Kamath is working on a next generation online maps app that would help in customising maps search. Similarly, Keshav Karunakar of start-up PathPartner Technologies has developed an app for a Windows 8 phone that will help access Internet radio stations globally onto a phone. The selected app developers would get a chance to put their apps on the Windows apps store.
> venkatesh.ganesh@thehindu.co.in
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