Wednesday, February 4, 2015

WhirlyGlobe For Android

A few months ago I ported the Maply part of WhirlyGlobe-Maply to Android.  It's in shipping apps!  Now it's WhirlyGlobe's turn.

What my desk looks like right now.  Except no plushy thing.


Let's see who's paying for the port.

Bad weather looks awesome.

Dark Sky


Dark Sky is the most prominent app using WhirlyGlobe-Maply today.  They've been good users and great clients (e.g. they pay on time).  I'm pleased to have them taking the lead on this one.

Their users have been clamoring for an Android version, so this is a necessary step.

WhirlyGlobe Android Port


With the Maply rendering engine already there, WhirlyGlobe shouldn't be too bad.

I've already scoped out the hardware, got my ARM and x86 devices and dealt with versions back to 4.0.  I've also experienced the flow of Android development and made my peace with it... by increasing my engineering estimates.

The client comes first on the port, but we're doing this in the open.  Because open source.  You can always grab the develop_3_0 branch and have at it.  After this launches I'll look into making it easier to install.  And, you know, documentation.

What's Next


I've been very busy on two big client apps, the port, and a bunch of other stuff.  Those will launch in the next few months.  As always, I'd love to hear about your apps too.

The new site has gone over really well, particularly the documentation, so more of that is in the works.

WhirlyGlobe-Maply 2.4 is shambling toward release, perhaps in March.  I suspect that'll be the last version before 3.0 and the great Android/iOS unification.  We'll see.