Is the End Near for AppLaud Cloud?

AppLaud Cloud by MDS was launched October 2011 and will be shutdown August 31, 2012. I interviewed creator Paul Beusterien about its conception and dissolution.

Libby Baldwin: You had already created the MDS AppLaud Eclipse Plugin for PhoneGap on Android (which is NOT going away). It was well-received. Why did you want to do a cloud version? Paul Beusterien: Some of the feedback I got from early AppLaud Eclipse users was that they loved the PhoneGap project creation wizard, but they hated Eclipse. Many of them would use the wizard and then switch to another environment to develop their app. In the meantime, I had been experimenting with two emerging Cloud IDEs. Eclipse Orion and Cloud 9 IDE. I discovered that many of the pieces needed to construct an IDE were available in open source. So, I thought it would be cool to create a Cloud IDE focused on helping web developers create mobile apps. The idea was not just to add "Cloud" to our line of products. Besides getting away from Eclipse, AppLaud Cloud offers a faster dev cycle, management of tools and SDKs for users, "code anywhere" model, great collaboration potential, and wireless install/debug/emulation of mobile apps. In fact, you helped design and develop the companion app, AppLaud App. LB: Yes, I did. So, how did you conceive of and deliver the Cloud version so quickly?

PB: Lots of open source - Node.js, jQuery UI, PhoneGap, Weinre, Ripple, node-openid. The command line Android API made it easy to integrate with Node.js to run on an AWS instance. LB: So now everyone’s wondering.. Why is it going away? PB: It’s been a great run - over 700 registered users! I learned a lot and it was fun. However, I wasn’t happy with any of the business models we considered for making AppLaud Cloud sustainable. As other cloud IDE solutions emerged, I decided to join a startup that’s attacking the cross-platform mobile challenge from another angle. At Apportable, we’re building a cross-platform Objective-C runtime.

LB: Very cool! In your announcement of its shutdown, you make an open offer for anyone to take over AppLaud Cloud. How would that work?

PB: All of the code is available on github. It’s not a turn-key solution though. Many of the components are getting out of date and the build process was never streamlined. But, I’d be happy to help anyone who wants to give it a shot. They can find me on the AppLaud Cloud mailing list (which will be around for a while).

LB: Thanks, Paul, for putting a great tool out there. Best of luck in your new venture!

Links: AppLaud Cloud Technology and Forum, MDS AppLaud Eclipse Plugin, @PaulBeusterien, @LibbyBaldwin