Case study on symbian OS programming practices in a middleware project

Abstract

In this case study, we provide practical guidelines for Symbian OS software development by analyzing our experiences from a three-year mobile software research project focused on the creation of networking middleware and collaborative applications. The practices that we either conducted in the project or conceived in retrospect are summarized, and re-applicable patterns of activity in development work are identified. Based on the observations, guidelines for essential design and implementation activities are derived and potential pitfalls are addressed through example cases to provide experience-backed information for Symbian OS software developers. Among other things, the guidelines advocate the use of platform-independent solutions, the minimization of project dependencies, and the representation of complex activity sequences in a human-readable form as a routine practice. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2008.