How to publish Maemo apps?

[Sasler]

I can see that there finally is a possibility to publish for Maemo in Ovi Store! However, I do have a few questions on how to do it:

1. Does Ovi Store use some kind of autobuilder as in maemo.org repository?
2. Should the actual installable Debian file or a Debian source package like in Maemo Extras Assistant be submitted?
3. In addition to submitting the separate icon(s), should it be included in the Debian file as in maemo.org repository?
4. Should the app be "optified" manually or use the auto setting in the optify file in debian directory like in maemo.org repository?
5. When will it be possible to submit paid content for Maemo?

Cheers

[Sasler]

Hmm... Not much info available, it seems.

Well since I got so many responses with my previous questions, let me ask two more:

1. How are application updates handled? Will the end user get a automatic notification like in maemo.org repository?
2. Is it possible to give some kind of promotion code to customers and thus enable them to get a free copy?

[petrib]

1. How are application updates handled? Will the end user get a automatic notification like in maemo.org repository?
2. Is it possible to give some kind of promotion code to customers and thus enable them to get a free copy?

In Ovi Store:

- No autmatic notifications of updates in Ovi Store as things are today

- No promotion codes/discounts in Ovi Store as things are today, as far as I'm aware. If you want to give an app to someone for free, you can just give/send it using separate channels.

When these things will be addressed by Nokia remains to be seen. Typical Nokia behaviour is: You'll know when such a version is released (could be next week, could be next month, could be next year). It'd be nice, if there was some published roadmap/timeline for when such things are planned to be ready, but...

[Sasler]

In Ovi Store:

- No autmatic notifications of updates in Ovi Store as things are today

- No promotion codes/discounts in Ovi Store as things are today, as far as I'm aware. If you want to give an app to someone for free, you can just give/send it using separate channels.

When these things will be addressed by Nokia remains to be seen. Typical Nokia behaviour is: You'll know when such a version is released (could be next week, could be next month, could be next year). It'd be nice, if there was some published roadmap/timeline for when such things are planned to be ready, but...

Thanks

Does this mean that if I release a new version, the end users need to buy it again if they want the latest version?

[petrib]

Thanks

Does this mean that if I release a new version, the end users need to buy it again if they want the latest version?

They need to uninstall it, download it again, and reinstall. Ovi Store has some level of support for keeping track of purchased apps, so you don't need to pay again for the same device/user.

[stegemann]

They need to uninstall it, download it again, and reinstall. Ovi Store has some level of support for keeping track of purchased apps, so you don't need to pay again for the same device/user.

Okay but if my app for example uses a SQLite database to save the data, then the user data will be removed if they need to uninstall the app for each new version? How can I solve this so the user can keep the data and still update for free to the next version?

[Sasler]

Okay but if my app for example uses a SQLite database to save the data, then the user data will be removed if they need to uninstall the app for each new version? How can I solve this so the user can keep the data and still update for free to the next version?

I have the same issue. Is this perhaps only a Symbian thing, since Maemo, or Linux, doesn't usually require an uninstallation for updating.

[petrib]

Symbian doesn't require uninstalling before upgrading/reinstalling, either.

If I'm not mistaken, it is just that Ovi Store knows when you've installed an app, and doesn't allow you to redownload and reinstall it or a newer version until/unless it is first removed. Though, I haven't needed to redownload/reinstall anything from Ovi Store myself (and originally it didn't have such functionality at all).

[stegemann]

Though, I haven't needed to redownload/reinstall anything from Ovi Store myself (and originally it didn't have such functionality at all).

But what if a user pay and download my application and then I send a new version to Ovi Store with an important bug bix. Then the user need to redownload the app to get the new version. But that will need him to first remove the app and he will lose the data?

So to sum up: You can't send a new version to an end user in a way that they don't lose data stored in the app?!