Thus Spaketh Idd Salim

So many experts. Who do you follow?

Yeah. We all know this. You connect to the net hoping to just check your emails for 5 minutes, read your Twitter TL for 2 minutes and that is that. Start coding. You spend the 7 minutes above and from the TL, you see a link from MrMajani. And another one retweeted by Satchu. One article leads to another, 2 hours later you are still YET to start coding. The thought-processed is already messed up.

Where is that wireframe? Ohh, wait, was this piece of code to be done as a PHP CLI script or Python? You can’t decide now. Your energy is all sapped. But KESHO, uta-focus ile mbaya. Acha leo iishe hivi. Kesho pia ni siku.

And such is the conundrum we find ourselves in. The internet becoming your enemy [Yeah: Had to say that to make the Kenyans feel good. Always blaming everything else for your own ails rather than look deep within oneself and realize the problem is actually... drumrolls... YOU]. Ok, back to reality. Actually, your LACK of DISCIPLINE becoming your enemy.

I was wasting time on the Internet today reading an article on about how to avoid time-wasting distractions on the net and it appears that we all have a common problem. Social networks and information aggregators tend to CONFUSE us, rather than ENLIGHTEN us.

As disciplined programmers, the biggest problem we face is that of information overload, Like I told MoneyAcademy. There are soooooo many decisions to make. All due to information. I know of MySQL gurus who have never heard of PostgreSQL or Oracle, but make you the best, fastest and most robust databases you can ever desire.

Also, unfortunately, I know of a young programmer who knows kidogo-SQL-Server, Kidogo-Oracle and ‘Hata CoughDB na NoSQL Kiasi’. Operating in slut-mode, touching and sucking a little bit of everything, but mastering and marrying none. Such is the sad effect of Information Overload.

The comes decision time. The project needs to be handed in. What do you use as your PHP Framework? The slow and feature-rich Kohana, CakePHP and Symphony or the Super-Fast and Slim Yii, FatFree or DOOPhp frameworks? What database do you use? MySQL, SQL Server, Interbase, PG or Oracle?

What do you host your app on? Apache, Nginx, Lighttpd, Mongrel2 or (GodForbid) IIS (*Shudder!!*) . Do you create a cluster and scale out as needed or do you Virtualize and scale up as needed?

In the end, it all comes to experience. No one solution fits all. There are tried and tested methods, however.

For example, at Symbiotic, we have the following setup:

• A rackspace cloud of Debian (Ubuntu 10.10) Servers and a local setup of Debian (Ubuntu 10.10) Servers. Full Sync, Full redundancy.
• Webserver: Apache 2 (for PHP 5 with eAccelerator, HTTPAuth, Rewrites). Lighttpd (For service CSS, JS, Video, Images). TomCat for JSPs.
• DB : MySQL 5, MemCached, HA Master-Slave setup.
• ++

We use technologies we have fine-tuned and researched on over years to make sure we have the most robust setup.

So the challenge is yours. Master A FEW, or know alot. Kazi kwako.

Back to code…

Wazi

What do you wanna do, now?

Ok. Normally I would not do this. Ati Explain a victory, or why a Benz is better than a Vitz, etc. But behind every successful man are 5 others who wish they were him, and 17 biatches who want to xuk hiz dzik.

A wise man changes his mind. A fool keeps on digging even while in Quick Sand. And by the way, this is NOT sijui IddSalim responding to some gutter press, etc. I am just blogging my thought. Simple as.

I always tell my peoplez, It is one thing to COMPLAIN about something you are not happy with; totally OK, but it is another totally unacceptable thing to be A-LIER and INSULT people just because you are too dumb to conform and get the big picture.

Then comes the haters, wannabes, trash-talkers etc. Gutter press will always have something to talk about. No matter how good you are. No one is perfect, and if you dig enough, there are skeletons in each one of our closets. So as a mature person, you have to decide. Do you want to be a sad loser and focus on the negative of everything and hate on everyone, or do you look at the tears and sweat people put in everyday and APPRECIATE the effort, no matter how little?

I am in no way a part of Shimba Technologies. I actually came to know about MedKenya AT PIVOT25. “Salim, they did this project behind your back?”, I am asked. Maybe. But I am mature enough to see why. To see the quality. And appreciate it. Even if it is not the work of my own hands. Not hate it and get all bitchy about other people’s successes.

Pivot25 Inauguration had 2 main purposes:

1 – To set a precedence to future ICT Developer Events. Let developers know that there are millions to be made here. Know that there is hope and life in code. Know that all you need is a team of 2 or 3 people. 4+ is a crowd. Then a brilliant product. Not Idea. A working and monetizable product.

You need a Serious coder who will create the app and support it, A serious Business Brain who can pitch and give the Judges a TKO and a ka Serious eKYM. Someone to run around the streets or the net researching and getting the facts to back the pitch up. No more room for ‘HelloWord – Click here to see a Messagebox’ Apps. Lazima watu wawe serious.

2 – To take to Silicon Valley the best we have. This year it was Shimba. Clearly. The product, the pitch, the money-matics. They had everything figured. Finally something good. Fruits of Mutinda spending hours and hours every day coding his finger-skin off. Fruits of Mbugua spending hours and hours every day going through videos and publications on how to pitch. What investors want to hear.

In my own view, Whive,  MobileParking and mFarm came closest. Whive was very niche and had low ARPU. But I talked to the team and the future is bright. mFarm was still young. And also, SMS systems will always be frowned upon. The pitch also was a 4 out of 10. mParking was a good idea. But lacked the snazzy ish like maps and also REQUIRED things like CityCouncil collabo etc.

With the combination of CodeBrains and BizBrains, Shimba had it all. It is a team I would want to join. I will root for mParking, mFarm or Whive next year if they are serious enough and focus on their products.

We can debate this all day, but we need an answer to these 2 fundamental questions:

1 – Personna: Who would you rather go and represent Kenya at the Silicon Valley Pitch? A confident, seasoned, respected, Safcom Innovations Board Member, Chairman of MobileMonday Kenya, Founder of Symbiotic, Founder Member of MMEA – Mbugua … or some shaky,  emotional squealer? Pole. Facts. Kubali yaishe.

2 – Product: A revenue sound, urgently-needed solution, all facts about doctor-patient rations (the need), Vision-2030-compliant app like MedKenya, or some half-baked hacks?

So, the lessons

Jana we had the mLab launch. It was all over TV, Radio and also in Gutter press. mLab has the space, the ecosystem, the mentor, the DEVICES and the willingness to make your IDEA an ACTUAL PRODUCT that makes YOU lots of MONEY.

So, the choice is yours:

1 – Go home and cry to mamma because you did not win/qualify.

2 – Open a blog and tukana people all day for traffic.

3 – Grow some balls and come code with us. I am a USD thousanddaire and will be a HundredThousanddaire by Dec. You want that too? Yes? Then come to mLab. Kuja we skuma some code and make some money.

By next Pivot25, have an answer to the following concerns:

Does your app have the LEAST barriers for acceptance and usage? If it requires input from source A, then B then C before it can monetize, achana nayo.

Can it be used by the MAJORITY of people. If you only do Android, no problem, go on. But don’t complain if you cant win grants. Investors look for revenue potential. They won’t invest ati coz YOU penda and believe in YOUR product. Investor si mama yako, unless ni mama yako.

Does it address an EXISTING need? And can it generate MONEY while doing that?

Back to code…

Wazi

Yes. I am better.

It is an interesting time indeed. Just reached home from Qz in Westlands and it is 2:17 AM. Not an ounce of sleep. An interesting day, it was.

Kwanza, Mbugua and Mutinda won (A collabo between Symbiotic and Shimba). Yes. Mezeni wembe. We pocket some USDs. Plus a trip to Silicon Valley. Gunning now to make Shimba the FIRST Kenyan firm to get SV funding.

Hope I can get a spare space and go wakilisha. Angalau nitoke Africa Once. If I can’t, well who cares. If One of us wins, all of us win. Code itaendelea.

As bystanders, we can stand up and applaud the technology, the pitch and the model, or just sit down and hate and bitch about how the winners were ‘favored’. It is your choice. A-lier tells a lie all the time.

I was manning the Google stand on Day 1of2 of Pivot25 after a request from GoogleKenya and I talked about what Opportunities Android offers. I was not talking about ‘How Android Development is Better than J2ME/QT Developers’ or ‘If one needs to switch from QT Dev to Android’. No, just what Android does. Period.

Then comes what Java Mobile and QT does on Symbian and J2ME.

I see alot of ‘developers’ and bloggers massaging their scrotums on how Symbian is Dead or will die by 2016. J2ME is Dead. Nokia Devices are old-school. Android is the new nipple. etc, etc. And I seek to shed some light on this issue. Aiming to answer these questions: “What should a Mobile Developer focus on? Who gives better value in terms of opportunity, support and incentive?“.

From GoogleKenya:

Android phones come with a faster OS. True. A developer has full control of the end-product ad UX. True. Both the OS and SDK/API are open-source. True. Amoled. Maps. MultiThreading. Sexy-Apps etc. But, how many Devices? Max 200k.

From Nokia:

Same old J2ME. Now Develop using C++ code on QT. One standard. Etc. Over 20 M devices (8M+ On data).

But then comes the Dilemma. Who do you choose as a Kenyan Coder between the Aggressive Nokia, and the Aggressive Google? Both sides have good offers. But some cons outweigh the pros.

What Nokia Says:

Put your App in the Ovi Store and we will make sure you are visible, advertised (Billboard, TV, Print, Radio and Web) and paid for the development. We support the able. No developer contests.

What Google Says:

Unlike Nokia, we will foster development from the heart, not just have a coder develop because we ‘stuffed’ money into their pockets. We will then hold a developer contest and reward the best apps. No media. No pay to non-winners.

What Kenyan developers Say:

We don’t want/need developer contests. We need someone to give us a picture of success. What happens to those who don’t win the developer contests? They wither and die. Nokia addresses this issue by treating every App independently. And they pay well. Nokia is seen as Pay+Success+Support. Google is seen as Bullish and arrogant in this case. The message being : ‘Win the contest or suffer’. This needs to change.

So, ofcourse, Nokia beats Google handsdown. A developer once told me : “So what Android has all these super powers?! How many people can use my App? How does Google support me as a developer? Just Contests? No advertising, no pay, no Incentives”.

So Questions:

• Do you want the new and shiny, or the tried and tested?
• Do you want to develop for 8M users in Kenya, or 100k Users.
• Can you really code ama you want to use some fancy AppGenerators like a small girl.
• Do you want a long-term partner, or a short term stint?

I am just reporting. Isikuwe Ohh, Salim hapendi Google, Ohh, Nokia wamelipa Salim, Ohh, Salim hapendi color green ya Safaricom ama Andoid. I don’t hate anyone. I am a TechnoSlut. I don’t blog just for traffic. I am not A-Lier. I spaketh the trutheth.

Back to code.

Wazi.

Persistence: No matter what!

Word of the day: ‘Persistence‘. And you will eventually get there. One thing will eventually lead to another.

I got the right model to talk to a BIG corporate without seaming weak and needy, while AT THE SAME TIME, not insulting people and seeming confrontational, from Books like The 33 Strategies of War, The 48 Laws of Power and my personal best: As a Man Thinketh.

As James Allen says :

“A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.”

This is a story of a coder’s journey through the mashes. Misunderstood and denied of a business opportunity, but choosing the right channels to air your reason for grievancies.

Being mature about conflicts and resolving them amicably. Sometimes, writing a blog post and looking for a mbugua, too, muendo, kachwanya, linnet or linda to read through before posting. Listening to one telling you : “Hii ni personal insult that will lead to nothing. Toa. Phrase it like this.”. Not hoarding blog traffic by hurling insults to people you WILL need in your life; and making your miserable life even more miserable. Making big enemies in a small town.

My journey with Safaricom Mpesa and my alleged ‘Hacker’ tag has been a torrid one. The details are public. I won’t dwell on them. But finally, the issue is being resolved. Call it finally getting the attention of the right people. Call it banging the door politely until it opens or breaks. Call it respecting the fact that you are dealing with humans with emotions (and not robots) on the other end and NOT insulting people. Not making everything a personal personal attack and bitching online like a menstruating prostitute. Not using your blog to castigate and slander upon people trying hard to make a change in the society, whilst you have done NOTHING of note, to-date. The internet is a MEANS not an END.

If you use the Internet to make enemies, to start a one-man army, To report baseless facts and numbers based on pure Sicilian vendetta and conjecture, then surely, yours is a path of doom. You find yourself alone. You find yourself now needing to create multiple-email accounts and commenting on your own blog so as to make your posts credible and seem to be getting traffic. A sad little, lonely, impactless meaningless life. All your efforts, even good and genuine ones will ‘fichiwa white’.

Allen Tells us:

“If you would perfect your body, guard your mind. If you would renew your body, beautify your mind. Thoughts of malice, envy, disappointment, despondency, rob the body of its health and grace. A sour face does not come by chance; it is made by sour thoughts. Wrinkles that mar are drawn by folly, passion, pride.

I know a woman of ninety-six who has the bright, innocent face of a girl. I know a man well under middle age whose face is drawn into inharmonious contours. The one is the result of a sweet and sunny disposition; the other is the outcome of passion and discontent.

As you cannot have a sweet and wholesome abode unless you admit the air and sunshine freely into your rooms, so a strong body and a bright, happy, or serene countenance can only result from the free admittance into the mind of thoughts of joy and good will and serenity.”

Coming soon to an Internet near you:

• A final and conclusive Free Mpesa Paybill API for everyone.
• Moca – Reloaded.
• More value add for developers and content owners.

All because of mature, responsible, persistent BUT non-pussy blogging.

Tafakari hayo.

PS: Yes, I heard the usual estate dog barking yesterday. But I will hurl no stones at it. It’s life is hard enough already. Thus adviseth my learned crew.

Back to code…

Wazi