Like “plastics,” as McGuire blurts out to young Benjamin in “The Graduate,” we’re always on The lookout for The next big thing to shake. The past decade has been dominated by mobile phones. The next decade will be dominated by Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Flutter and Fuchsia — two simple words that will fuel the next revolution in mobile phones and the Internet of things. They are the technologies that allow these devices to transform your daily life and generate billions of dollars in revenue for businesses large and small every year.
As a software developer with more than 30 years of experience and a member of Forbes’ New York Business Council, I am often asked two basic questions. “Should we set up our own IT department or develop overseas or outsource”, and “What development language should I choose and what is the next emerging technology”? Well, the answer is Flutter and Fuchsia. Expect to see these two words everywhere in 2019, and now you have a chance to jump the gun.
Flutter is Google’s new development platform that allows developers to write apps for Apple’s iPhone/iPad iOS platform and Google’s Android phones/tablets in one simple language. There have been several other similar attempts with some success, but Google finally solved the mobile development problem with Flutter. It’s open source and free, perfect for students and other developers on a budget. My advice is to download and use it immediately, it will be the best investment you can make in yourself or your company.
Next up is Fuchsia, which has embarked on this journey of building new systems based on Google’s experience with Android and Chrome OS. Operating systems are at the heart of the devices you use every day, such as iOS for mobile devices, OSX for computers, Microsoft’s Windows and Google’s Android and Chrome OS. Why would a company want to create an entirely new operating system in today’s environment? The answer is simple: the Internet of things. There are thousands of iot devices starting to fit into our daily lives: Amazon’s Alexa, Tesla’s self-driving cars, smart temperature control devices, and even smart locks for homes.
Fuchsia is based on the microkernel microkernel, which is small but powerful. It was originally powered by Linux, on which Android and ChromeOS rely, but Google is now ditching Linux to create a microkernel operating system that can run on general-purpose devices — from embedded and internet-of-things devices to smartphones, tablets and PCS. I believe their plan is to install Fuchsia in billions of iot devices in the next five years. The secret sauce is Fuchsia’s user interface and application, both written with Flutter. Flutter can not only simplify application development, but also be used to develop future systems for mobile and iot devices.
There are many reasons for overseas development or outsourcing, such as improving efficiency, saving time and reducing costs. Over the past decade, the most important reason companies chose to outsource was the lack of mobile app development skills internally. Training native mobile developers for iOS and Android typically takes two years and $100,000 in salary and education, an investment few companies are willing to make. However, there are also significant risks to offshore or outsourcing teams. It turns out that quality compromises, communication time and additional travel costs wipe out most of the benefits. Flutter will greatly improve the prospects of internal development and startups for years to come.
Flutter is easy to learn and you can even teach yourself without prior coding experience. There may be a learning curve for novice programmers, but anyone with a modicum of experience will be up and running in two months, not two years. That’s why I say learning now is a real opportunity for businesses and startups. Flutter’s ease of learning and use will give you the opportunity to get ahead in the fast-paced technology space.
Open Source China