With all the recent interest in app generators by Microsoft, I’m wondering whether there is going to be a run on app-kiddies (kick back to “script kiddies” who plagued the internet a decade or so ago): Application builders who don’t have a clue how to write an application but seem to be able to coble together a number of applications, that all look surprisingly similar, using generators.
The two app generators I’m referring to are:
Windows Phone App Studio
“Take your app from idea to Windows Phone in record time”
Microsoft Project Siena (Beta)
“Unleash your expertise and imagination”
Having checked out the capabilities of these generators I don’t feel that my job as a Windows platform developer is in jeopardy. In fact, I think these generators allow would-be app creators to get started with the basics. Once they hit the limitations of the tools, that’s when they can come to us to fill out the gaps. This is a great way to test a concept, or two, before over-investing in any particular idea.