Comments on: Can I Be A Professional Mobile Developer? (iOS / Android)

By: What is Mobile Development? - Simple Programmer

What is Mobile Development? - Simple Programmer — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 22:08:14 +0000

[…] quite possible, at least at the time of writing this book, to become exclusively a mobile application developer, both independently and working for someone […]

By: Kestrel Blackmore

Kestrel Blackmore — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 01:52:00 +0000

In reply to Mark Freedman.

Definitely an understanding of HTTP is a must. Also you are correct on needing to have a good well rounded understanding of different techs.

Having said that imagine never having to keep up with the every changing HTML/CSS/Javascript… oh the bliss!

By: Mark Freedman

Mark Freedman — Tue, 22 Jul 2014 18:12:00 +0000

Maybe someone can avoid learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, but lack of understanding HTTP could be very limiting. Many mobile apps (business apps and otherwise) require communicating with APIs (RESTful, SOAP, POX, even simple JSON) over HTTP. Very few apps stand alone, and most corporate mobile apps supplement a web app. Besides, many corporations want the same developers who work on their web apps to also work on mobile versions. They often avoid building native mobile versions to save time, training, and money, and to leverage the HTML already written for their web apps, using technologies such as Cordova (PhoneGap, etc.), instead.

I strongly feel that these days, your value as a developer is stunted without a more well-rounded understanding of the ecosystem most apps (mobile and otherwise) now participate in. As a specialized developer, you don’t need to be an expert in everything, but you do need to understand many of these (what I would consider — basic) general concepts.