jLuger.de - Google App Innovator (beta)

There are two magazines that I'm reading regularly:  Javamagazin and c't. The first one focuses on professional developers and project manager that are working on java based projects while the second one targets advanced computer users. Both have this month an article about Google App Innovator. A tool were you should be able to create programs for the Android platform via drag&drop of building blogs. These building blogs remind of colored pieces of a puzzle. If you want to know more about it you can read Googles homepage. The interesting part about the articles is their conclusion.

The conclusion of the Javamagazin reads as it is a cool new tool because

• Similar tools cost money while this one is free
• It allows everybody to create programs
• Thanks to that easiness the number of programs in the android market will increase and may outnumber the ones in Apple's AppStore.
• It's good for creating prototypes.
• You can use it to create small programs for home usage.

The conclusion of the c't reads as it is a cool idea badly done because

• You still need to know how to program. If you don't know how to to order commands to create a program flow the tool won't help you.
• Limited debug support
• Even for simple programs like for a calculator you need so many pieces of a puzzle that you will loose track of things
• The created program can not be exported as java code but only as YAIL (something scheme based)

To be fair the Javamagazin has also stated several constraints. Even some of the c't list. But that was before the conclusion and it always sounded like "No problem. We will fix it in a later version."

I can't help but it reads as if the Javamagazin author has only done a quick review. This is also aided through the fact that the c't writes that it has created a small calculator program and that they show also screenshots of it. You read nothing about a self made sample program in the Javamagazin and the screenshots there are taken from a newly started program and a sample application from Google.

Despite that I'm disappointed a little bit by the Javamagazin there is also an interesting notice about the marketing power of Google. They create a new program that isn't even ready for shipping (as I'm writing this they labeled it beta) and yet they get 2+3 pages in two magazines for free describing the product.