If you've been accepted to the Palm webOS SDK early access program, or even if you've only just applied, post here!  Tell us what type of application you applied to build (unless it's top-secret, of course), how Palm notified you that you had been accepted, what it's like inside Palm's developer portal, and anything else you are allowed to discuss! (We haven't seen the NDA so we don't know what's covered, but please review it before you post anything.)

Ken I'll tell you everything I know, and that's a whole lot of nothin'. I put in my application as a developer on day one, and apparently building an Alarm Clock for starters isn't enough of a draw for the Developer team to want to include me in the SDK preview. Maybe it's because I put that I was using Linux to develop and they aren't ready for it yet? Anyway, it's got me to be kind of overhyped about the Pre. I've got my app nearly to completion, and if not for a SDK to test on I'd be ready to go.

I'm with you, I applied on day one .. actually within the first 30 minutes of the blog post going out. I told them that I would be writing software to assist law enforcement officers with their job (as I am one and I could use the software myself), however that apparently isn't good enough either. Nor is running a website to garner interest in developing for webOS, which the whole success of the pre depends on. Hmmm.... Oh well guess one day I might be good enough :)

Same thing here.  I applied to day 1 with an idea for a quick-access high school/post-secondary notes management application based off a PalmOS app I have called CourseNotes.  Figured I could jazz it up for the WebOS with homework management with calendar access and notifications of upcoming due assignments, etc..  Still no word from Palm, lol.

A friend of mine also applied, saying he wants to make an RSS reader and has gotten no response from Palm.  Though in all honesty, I could see Palm getting a lot of people submitting similar apps.

Hi, guys --

Your enthusiasm for programming on our new platform has been amazing. If you’ve been frustrated because you haven’t been accepted into the program yet, understand that we’re trying to get people in as fast as we can. The developer community has responded with far more applications than we can accommodate at once. We need to grow slowly to ensure that everyone admitted into the program will receive great support while still leaving us the bandwidth to make the SDK good, solid, and stable by the time we release it to everyone.

As the SDK matures, more people will be admitted into the program as quickly as possible until we can open the doors to everyone. To those of you who haven't been accepted yet, we ask for patience. We want you all building great applications but we need to make sure that when we do let you into the program we can be confident we have the resources to make you successful.

As for developers who have been accepted into the program talking about it, they have agreed to a non-disclosure agreement. That will change in the future, but for now, anyone posting about their experiences with the SDK would risk being removed from the program. There'll be plenty of time for everyone to discuss the SDK with each other when we open it up for everyone -- and we’re as eager for that day as you are.

In the meantime, we will share more information about the program as often as we can. There are some really interesting things happening, so stay tuned!

Chuq

Palm Developer Community Manager

Hi Chuq,

I can only speak for myself, but I'm far from frustrated.  On the contrary, I'm quite excited.  I've been developing for the PalmOS since 2004 and ever since then there's never been this kind of buzz for Palm.  I'm really excited to develop for the WebOS and you guys at Palm have made it very clear it'll be a while before the SDK sees the public light of day (I believe reps @ Palm said public release post-Pre's release), so frankly, the wait into the EAP doesn't bug me.

And thank-you for coming to www.WebOSHelp.net and explaining the situation/reassuring us. As I said to you on twitter, Glad to know you're on Palm's team :)

PS:  Hopefully this won't be your last visit here.  I have a feeling this place is going to rise quite a bit in popularity once the SDK is publicly released.

I'll be around. As things move to being fully available, I want to stay in contact with the various Palm communities and make sure we do what we can so all of us are successful. Right now, things are still pretty quiet but that'll change.

chuq

One thing that's nice about the Pre is that you doesn't require the use of the SDK to build applications for the Palm. Since the browser will be a first class application, that means that if you can build a webpage in a webkit enabled browser, then it's likely that you can build an application that will run on the Pre. So even if I don't get the SDK before the phone, I will still have an alarm clock for the Pre on release day, well assuming that the Pre's browser does support HTML5 as listed in the specs.

After that I'll just have to see how ambitious I feel at writing any games before then.

i'm in the same boat as you guys, i'm excited to play around with the SDK as soon as possible, but I don't mind waiting. I know Palm has bigger fish to fry creating a whole ecosystem for WebOS and i'm I excited for them and wishing them the best.

I submitted a request I know in the first minutes of the early access program. But I didn't really expect to get in. I'm going for a very simple location baced 'waypoint' style app that I think could be really usefull if it was integrated well into WebOS.

On another note: Wow! A big welcome to Chuq! a real life Palm employee on WebOShelp! I feel like our little (for now) community here just took a big step toward legitimacy!  Props to Ken and Andrew for all the hard work!

Hi Chuq...thanks for reaching out to eager developers here on webOShelp!  As Jay mentioned, we really appreciate the personal update and the level of communication Palm is maintaining with developers.  I hope it will continue even after Palm experiences explosive growth with the release of the Pre. :)

On another note, I hope you don't mind being labeled as a "webOS Newb" by the forum ranking system.  :P

Anyone gone to the trouble of mocking up any CSS that simulates what the screen might look like?  To placate my desire to get something going (as I, too, still haven't been admitted to the developer program), I've been doing wireframes for the front-end.  It beats duplicating the effort of recreating what will already be available in the SDK and lets me focus on the back-end for now.

I have an SVG that might be useful to those who'd like to do non-HTML wireframes (attached).  Feel free to grab a copy, update, and post with your additions.  E.g., if anyone has seen other application styles, widgets, etc, just clone that SVG an build another.

 -Scott

When we actually get accepted into the dev preview, can we then even say if we have? Like there might be people here who are in on it, and just can't even say that much. *sigh* Damn lawyers.

LOL!

I was accepted into the early SDK program and have 5-6 ideas that are floating around in my head that I want to do.  Developers in the early SDK do have to agree to NDA's, so that is about all I am willing to say other than people are being accepted and Palm is listening and asking for feedback.  I am very pleased by how they are handling everything right now because they really seem to value developers and want us to succeed.

Everything I am going to be working on is built around productivity which is why I will actually be ditching my iPhone on AT&T for a Pre on Sprint.  I am an Evernote fiend that depends on his phone and apps to get me through the day so my ADHD doesn't run me off course.

If Chuq wants to clear up how much we can say about the app process (what type of app we used on our application, how did Palm contact us, etc.), I will share more, but not without Palm's blessing.  I know talking about the SDK is a no, no.

Good luck to everyone on the next round of invites!

Nice to hear from an actual person that was accepted.

My fear at this point is that I'll still be waiting for SDK access by the time it comes out.  Frankly, not being able to develop for the Pre would pretty much kill my already-waning enthusiasm for it -- might as well keep tinkering with my iPod Touch (which isn't half bad on the simulator, and I *love* Objective C, but I seriously don't see how people manage to type on the things for day-to-day use).  But I'll drop XCode approximately one New York minute after I finally get accepted -- I've been sitting on a growing code base that's largely useless without mobile access, and I just can't bring myself to turn it into another boring web application.

 -Scott

I look at it this way: the iPhone took a year to accept native applications.  At least Palm started with this and since things are in JavaScript/HTML/CSS, there is a lot you can do without the SDK.  I doubt we see many non-beta applications that weren't created by one of Palm's partners at launch, so even if you start when the SDK goes public, you are not far behind everyone else.

I think if you like the stuff you have seen so far about webOS and the Pre, you will love it when you get your hands on the device.  At this point I would be more jealous of the "Real Reviewers" that actually get to play with the Pre and write reviews about them.

Indeed.  Sadly, I'm very much a server guy (Unix/Linux).  So, I'm looking forward to having a lot of the UI eye-candy done for me.  I get this for free on the Apple platforms (buttons, text boxes, and a wonderful code integration system in Interface Builder).  Rolling your own decent-looking CSS, even with the advent of JQuery and its themes, is still mighty painful.  I really want to focus on the data ("he said like Martha Stewart, who just wanted to focus on her salad" :P )

 -Scott

Well I think once the SDK is out, it will be the second best platform to develop on behind the iPhone.  The only reason the iPhone has the lead is because it has over a year to beef up it's SDK and has the market share.  I am looking forward to programming on a new platform and not just following the iFart crowd.

That being said...I am also taking notes when I see something in one of my app ideas that could be ported to the iPhone.  A developer's gotta eat, right?

Indeed!  But I'm inclined to do my part to level the playing field out there, and give the Pre dibs on new apps.  The iPhone has been lacking decent competition for a while, and I applaud the platform-agnostic approach of the Pre (even though I use a Mac as my primary platform).

 -Scott

Any apps I do will go to webOS first.  I want that platform to grow and am excited to be a part of it. 

I do all of my development on my unibody Macbook and hate it when I have to go to work and use some 3-year old Dells.

Right now, the basica answer is "nothing". It's best to look at this as being a startup in stealth mode, because that's pretty much what it is. I'm working on what we need to have ready when that changes, and trust me, we all want to get to that point. The quiet isn't because we don't want people to have this stuff, it's that we feel it has to be at a certain level of quality so that developers have a chance of succeeding with it, not just using it.

chuq

Thanks Chuq!  It really goes a long way that you are monitoring the development sites and the community like you are.  I know that it makes me feel secure that I am choosing to spend my development time on webOS instead of the iPhone OS or another mobile platform.

It is better to get everything done right at the start so that you are not changing things that may also change our code behavior.  I have faith that you and your team will do a great job with the initial release and taking feedback once the SDK is public and updating it as we all learn together.  Keep up the great work.  I can't wait to get my hands on the Pre.

This seems relevant to this thread:

Success Of the Palm Pre May Depend On Developers:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/bizfeed/165229/success_of_the_palm_pre_may_depend_on_developers.html (http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/blogs/bizfeed/165229/success_of_the_palm_pre_may_depend_on_developers.html)

Any news on expanded access to the SDK, Chuq (especially now that the device release date has been announced)?  I know my app submission wasn't the most glamourous, but I know how to beat the crap out of a third-party SDK :)

 -Scott

Why should we even wait for the SDK? To you guys that have the SDK, congrats, your
ideas were better received than mine and were accepted. I hope you do well.

I was pretty excited about developing for the Pre after seeing it in January. But
Palm has done their best to damper most of my enthusiasm. The thing that may have
done me in as a Pre developer is learning today that some developers have had the
SDK since December.

Palm... why should I continue to wait for the SDK that some people have had for over
five months now and are going to have a huge head start in any apps that I might want
to develop. It makes NO sense for me to invest any time in developing any app where
the playing field is so un-fair. When the SDK is released I could spent 3 months on
an app and release it only to be undercut the next day by a developer who has spent 9 months
with the SDK and added 6 more months of features. It makes NO sense for me to
invest any time. You guys have really screwed this up for developers. The only
smart move is to release the SDK NOW and salvage what you can. If the SDK is held
up more than a week or two more I'm done with Palm.

Clearly Palm you just don't get it and I might add... your track record is not great the
last few years, you need to be doing things better.

I'm going to play devil's advocate for a moment.  Some thoughts to consider:

• It's not a democracy.  You might feel some entitlement because open-source technologies are being used, because the PalmOS and iPhone SDKs are already available, and because other developers have had access for a while; none of these are really relevant.  The fact remains that Palm is a for-profit corporation whose loyalties are to the shareholder and its employees (in that order).  If they feel like giving the SDK to their partners or developers with demonstrated performance before they offer it to the unwashed masses, that's ther perogative.  I'll be the first to admit that this doesn't make me very happy, but I also realize, "it's not about me."  Developers are still a tiny minority of the prospective customer base.  Remember that they're hoping to sell millions of these devices and support those millions with a staff of a few thousand (if that).  Even if there were one developer for each and every one of the iPhone's applications (about 40,000 at last count), that would still be a miniscule percentage of the customer base.  Developers may help make the product a success, but they're obviously hoping to have some very key applications in the pipeline to drive early sales before the flood gates for applications like "baby shaker" open.
• In that vein, developers are difficult to support.  We consume a lot of resources, and the small-time ones really don't do much to drive device demand.  I had an idea for an application that I thought would be fun to develop and maintain, but I really don't see anyone buying a Prē just for my little app.  If anything, I'd simply hoped to get in early because I love doing development.
• I still strongly suspect there's something we all don't know yet.  There could be an embarrassing flaw in the platform (e.g., something that causes a crash or a security hole), and the SDK may make that apparent.  That'd be a pretty good reason for secrecy when you know your future is dependent on the success of this single product.
• A brighter possibility might be a surprise that Palm is hoping to keep under wraps until launch day (e.g., something a simple as "8GB?  Try 32GB!").  I've often wondered if that's why it's been impossible for reviewers to get a device, and why Palm staff won't keep their hands away from the device during demos.  Frankly, if I had one and I saw that, I'd probably keep my mouth shut, too -- it's coming out way too late for Apple to do anything about it.  I'm sure smarter people than me have already considered this.

Whether you like it or not, no one has the full picture but Palm.  I think they know what's riding on this, and I really don't think they're stupid (quite the contrary).  I think they may not have the secrecy game mastered, though.  I can only hope that all will be revealed in a couple of weeks, and that I might be lucky enough to get my grubbies on the SDK a little sooner than that!

 -Scott

All comments read and appreciated .. but I think the developer dissatisfaction would have been COMPLETELY avoided by providing a believable but tentative SDK general release date. ANYTHING but the massive silence which has followed the "early limited release" fanfare.

There have been small and indefinite comments here and there but nothing substantive. Major "developus interruptus" and a horrible idea when you want to claim "valuing developers". The information vacuum makes getting the Pre a complete gamble for anyone with development interest and not in the Blessed Few to be accepted.

I guess there's Them ... the valued few .. and the rest of us. Will this two-tier approach continue with only private releases of SDK updates, etc.?

Will I be buying a Pre? Yes .. I have to make this gamble to test a phone I hope will have a viable SDK as a platform for my own business development. Do I feel "vauled"?? Hell no....

Wouldn't it be a shame if all the buyers and developers took Palm's approach and remained in "stealth mode" during the rollout .. never showing up with substance,i.e., cash .. but CLAIMING enthusiasm for Palm and the Pre?

Ken:
Like some of the other people in this forum, I too applied on day #1, and then even REAPPLIED a few days ago with a different idea for an application, and I am still waiting to be accepted (or denied).

Why DID I apply?  As a frustrated iPhone developer, I was hoping that this platform would be easier to deal with, since I am a full time webmaster and was excited to find that I could get away from the "pain in the butt" Objective-C language that one has to master even before someone can even show "Hello World" on the screen.

I am hoping that once the device is released, that Palm will open the SDK to all.

Dan Uff

I applied through my company, which is the largest magazine publication company in the U.S . What surprises us mostly is the lack of applications at release, we would of expected a little more push for app development pre-release.  However, until the official release of the SDK we will be eagerly keep our eyes on what comes out.

I'm just here to add to the litany of people who applied within 24hr of the announcement, and are sorely disappointed at the lack of response here after release of the hardware.      I recognize they're a business etc etc, but acting as if independent developers don't matter is a huge 180 from the PalmOS days, and quite a disappointment.   

 I can honestly say if the SDK was out, or at least announced with a solid release date, I would have been in the stores this past weekend trying to get my hands on a Pre, and immediately home trying to get code running on it.     As is, my enthusiasm for the device is rapidly waning.  My treo is still running fine.  I'm not going to go out and drop $300 on a device I can't code for.