Opinions and Questions on Costs

[aol]

Will Express Signed application be approved? If not how about Certified Signed? As I remember in the current Nokia Download service you needed have Nokia Signed...

[say2paul]

Will Express Signed application be approved? If not how about Certified Signed? As I remember in the current Nokia Download service you needed have Nokia Signed...

As OVI is a publishing platform, I think Express Signed applications will do.. but it would be good if a person from OVI team comment here!

[OviExpert]

For Applications, the following presents our policy:

• Symbian submissions should be pre-tested and fulfill Symbian Signed Certification requirements
• Java application submissions should be pre-tested and fulfill Java Verified requirements - title, application
• Java and Symbian applications must be signed appropriately, no signing related warning messages are allowed at any circumstances


Express signing of Symbian applications does meet this criteria.

[say2paul]

For Applications, the following presents our policy:

• Symbian submissions should be pre-tested and fulfill Symbian Signed Certification requirements
• Java application submissions should be pre-tested and fulfill Java Verified requirements - title, application
• Java and Symbian applications must be signed appropriately, no signing related warning messages are allowed at any circumstances


Express signing of Symbian applications does meet this criteria.

Thanks pcstanton, this solved our purpose.

[ltomuta]

For Applications, the following presents our policy:

• Symbian submissions should be pre-tested and fulfill Symbian Signed Certification requirements
...

Express signing of Symbian applications does meet this criteria.

Actually, sorry to say, there is no warranty that an Expressed Signed application fulfills the Symbian Signed testing criteria.

[eartle]

Hello,

I am looking into getting my freeware application Symbian-signed so that I can put it on the Ovi App Store and also add some nice features that require signing. After reading a few out of date documents about using a freeware publisher id and getting someone else to sign your app for you for free (what happened to this?), it seems that express signed is the only option for freeware applications to get Symbian-signed. It therefore looks to me like freeware applications are banned from the ovi app store. This seems to be a bit of an oversight and a big shame as there are a lot of innovative freeware apps out there.

Please let me know if I have got this wrong, or if I just haven't found the correct link for freeware certified signing.

Cheers!

Michael

EDIT: Just realised that you also have to pay $20 a go for express signed. Not really for freeware either then.

[ltomuta]

Ok, let's clarify the things a bit: freeware means an application given away for free and not an application which was developed for free.

To begin with you invest your time and knowledge in it and that "costs" money. Then, in order to certify your application you need a Published ID and that a) costs money and b) can only be obtained by companies.

Now, assuming that you solve the Published ID problem (either get one or find a company to "sponsor" you and sign the app in its name) you have two certification paths: express signed and certified signed. Which one to chose it is a matter of a) cost, b) capabilities and c) time spent in testing stage.

By no means the Express Signed is the freeware solution. It might be cheaper but is not free, it might be more flexible but breaking the rules when using it brings penalty.

Furthermore, even if Express Signed is accepted by the Ovi Store you might not be able to use it (capabilities) or you might choose not to use it (i.e. the sponsor might not trust you enough and would prefer to spend the testing money to ensure that your app is of good quality).

So, take the free out of the equation as it is irrelevant, the certification requirements and testing criteria are the same for all apps. The only way your app can be free is if you do not care about the costs or if your app is sponsored/ad-supported.

An overview of signing options with costs and limitations can be found at http://blogs.forum.nokia.com/blog/lu...symbian-signed

[biskero]

Ciao

is express sign allowed for Flash Lite content?
Alessandro

[CHAPLIN]

Ok, let's clarify the things a bit: freeware means an application given away for free and not an application which was developed for free.

To begin with you invest your time and knowledge in it and that "costs" money. Then, in order to certify your application you need a Published ID and that a) costs money and b) can only be obtained by companies.

Now, assuming that you solve the Published ID problem (either get one or find a company to "sponsor" you and sign the app in its name) you have two certification paths: express signed and certified signed. Which one to chose it is a matter of a) cost, b) capabilities and c) time spent in testing stage.

By no means the Express Signed is the freeware solution. It might be cheaper but is not free, it might be more flexible but breaking the rules when using it brings penalty.

Furthermore, even if Express Signed is accepted by the Ovi Store you might not be able to use it (capabilities) or you might choose not to use it (i.e. the sponsor might not trust you enough and would prefer to spend the testing money to ensure that your app is of good quality).

So, take the free out of the equation as it is irrelevant, the certification requirements and testing criteria are the same for all apps. The only way your app can be free is if you do not care about the costs or if your app is sponsored/ad-supported.

An overview of signing options with costs and limitations can be found at http://blogs.forum.nokia.com/blog/lu...symbian-signed

I agree with you, and Nokia has created MOSH for those purposes I guess.. Isn't it?!


http://Nokia-Blog.net

[davidmaxwaterman]

For Applications,

and for content? Do they have to be in sis files to be sold on Ovi, or can they be plain files with a MIME type that can be launched from the phone's browser (assuming a player is installed).

Max.

[tamhanna]

Hello folks,
I just wantzed to use this as an opportunity to vent a bit about Nokias totally useless and annoying (from my point of view) restriction on only companies being allowed to develop S60 apps (as you can't get a publisher ID otherwise).

Even the folks at Apple manage to let individuals into their store, and do so for 100$...while we pay 200$ to the folks at TrustCenter who then demand all kinds of web browser management crap in order to get a certificate.

OK, I might be able to get in using the UID of the ad agency of my wife...but personally feel VERY VERY annoyed by this crap. If LocaNote Lite werent ready, I would be more than willing to stop development for S60 now for good.

I mean, WTF? Who do the folks behind this think that they are?

All the best
Tam Hanna

[tamhanna]

P.S. Any developer wanting to join in in a press release from my company shedding some lioght onto this? I guess that sufficient media attention could get these policies changed VERY fast!

[johnhtl]

I made a similar post called "Cost of publishing to OVI".

One of the argument I saw against developing for iPhone is that you have to buy a MAC and that cost $. But I think this is not an issue. We are comparing the publishing services not hardware. Apple does the signing, approval, etc... for $99; for life I believe. Nokia: $200/yr + $20 per submission.

Don't forget the $20 for EACH submission ($20 for trial software, $20 full software). And now there's Jave Verified as well.

I guess the pricing does go against individual developers.

Am I missing any other costs? Why can't Nokia issues the certificate as well?

[johnhtl]

To be fair, Nokia seems to be very hard at work playing catch up with other phone manufacturers, not just Apple. It's funny that a computer company like Apple could have created such a popular phone. The Symbian platform is a huge market and there are thousands of application out there already. The problem is that they are scattered everywhere. OVI will help gather them all in one convenient market place for consumer. OVI should also be a central place where developers, big and small, to publish their content.

You know creative software is what will drive most consumer to a handset. Cellphones are no longer just a phone. People wants contents and LOTS of it!

Why make publishing to OVI such a confusing and costly effort? Other similar services already laid the ground work follow it and better it.

What is your goal Nokia? Your profit is down, your market share is being eaten up.

[jimgilmour1]

Link to another thread on Costs to read
http://discussion.forum.nokia.com/fo...d.php?t=165108