Why SDK Development?

I worked for a company that provided virtual tours for real estate agents for the homes that they listed to sell. Near the end of 2007 the company wanted to set itself apart from other companies that were providing virtual tours. The company wanted to provide a tool for real estate agents that would help their prospective buyers take more psychological ownership of the home. This tool later became a product call StyleDesigner, which allowed perspective buyers to customize pictures of the home by changing the colors of the walls, change carpet to hardwood floors, color of trim, and the colors of the cabinets. The company knew they could cut costs and development time if they could purchase software that already provided the masking utilities they needed and then add some custom features to give them the extra edge. They were able to find a company that provided an SDK for them to work with so that they could build their custom product.

There are many other companies like Microsoft, Apple, Bytes Software, and Quick Books that provide SDK's for developers so that they can customize their products and make them flexible so they can communicate with other systems. "Many of our clients have proprietary systems that have been developed over time," explained Joe Herb, general manager of Byte Software. "The SDK will allow those clients to radically streamline their processes by automating tasks that were previously done manually. That, combined with the ability of third-party vendors to integrate their systems directly into BytePro, makes the SDK a key addition to our product line." Byte Software was able to make themselves more marketable because they were able to provide a way for their existing customers and potential customers systems to integrate with other financial institution's systems to provide service to their customers.

Apple's iPhone SDK is one of the most popular SDK's for programmers to become familiar with. It has opened up a new door for companies to reach users in a mobile environment. Apple also provided the SDK on a platform that made it easy for developers to work with to help them build rich programs. Brian Doig, a software developer with Walt Disney said the SDK is "A bag full of awesome . . . you can reach in and find everything you need." Other mobile devices have similar programs, he said, but nothing as easy to use as this. The trick, according to Mike Myer, another Walt Disney developer, is that Apple lets developers debug their apps right on the phone.

SDK's are providing a platform to help take a company's products into ventures that the companies could possibly only dream of, because it helps tie in the customer directly with their products. It is also helping developers work on an existing platforms that they are familiar with so they can provide programs for companies they work for at lower costs, than if they had to build whole custom program themselves instead of just adding on extension to programs that already exist.

Bibliography

Byte's SDK to Ease Integrations [SEATTLE, WA] 16 July 2007, Technology sec.: 14. Print.

"Developers: iPhone Software-Writing Tool is Awesome." Developers: iPhone Software-Writing Tool is Awesome. Popular Science, 9 June 2008. Web. 16 Oct. 2009. .