Editor’s Corner: John Gøtze

Architect in the Spotlight: Chris Bird

Towards Enterprise Architecture-Infused Organizations
By Bjorn Cumps, Stijn Viaene, Pascal Dussart, Joachim Vanden Brande

The EARScorecard – An Instrument to Assess the Effectiveness of the EA Realization Process
By Leo Pruijt, Raymond Slot, Henk Plessius, and Sjaak Brinkkemper

Physical Design Criteria for an EA Repository
By Rory Darling

Managerial and Ontological Issues in the Development of Enterprise Architecture – Experiences from a Case Study
By Jonas Hedman and Mikael Schonström

Book Review: Intersection: How Enterprise Design Bridges the Gap Between Business, Technology, and People
By Peter Sjølin

For me, this number is particularly special: It is the last number under my editorship. In the Editor’s Corner, I note:

FAREWELL

I have decided to step down as Chief Editor of JEA, and this number will be the last number under my editorship. I have been serving the EA community over 100 peer-reviewed articles over the past three years, and now need to focus more on my own work. It’s been a privilege working with the contributing authors, the reviewers, the editorial board, and the AEA staff.

Thank you.

I decided to step down because I envisioned another direction for JEA than what the AEA management had in mind. I will leave it to AEA to talk about their plans for the future of JEA.

Right Sourcing: Enabling Collaboration is now available for ordering from the publisher (US, UK).

The book puts forward the proposal that the modern enterprise must fundamentally rethink its ‘sourcing equation’ to become or remain viable. By presenting perspectives on sourcing from 21 different contributors, the editors hope to enable and inspire readers to make better-informed decisions.

“Sourcing is a business theme which gets more and more attention. But making the right decisions is not easy. Sourcing is a wicked problem. This book provides valuable insights and concepts that will help to improve decisions with regard to sourcing. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to achieve right sourcing.”
Martin van den Berg
Enterprise Architect, Co-Founder of DYA and author of several books, including “Dynamic Enterprise Architecture: How to Make It Work”.

“Sourcing is becoming an increasingly complex task – one that requires fundamental changes in management thinking, radical new ways in which to communicate and deal with knowledge, and a totally new and different view of all the stakeholders. In this book leading thinkers in this space, do a great job in opening up the reader’s mind to possibilities for alternative solutions that integrate the human aspects in everything we do.”
François Gossieaux
Co-President Human 1.0 and author of “The Hyper-Social Organization”

“What most impressed me about this book is the scope of it’s coverage, and the level of academic rigor behind the analysis. The broad scope makes this relevant to senior executives concerned with strategy, operational executives accountable for results, and technologist on the ground. The academic rigor gives me confidence that the findings and recommendations are sound. This book will be the reference guide for anyone seriously involved in strategic sourcing.”
R. Lemuel Lasher
Global Chief Innovation Officer, CSC

“Thought provoking, occasionally frustrating and timely! As the theory of the firm is “tested” with evolving technology and globalization driving down transaction costs and enabling greater connectivity we’re presented with many different possibilities for business operating models. By exploring the perspectives of organization, economics, technology and people this book provides the reader with a compendium of theory, ideas and practical tips on “Right Sourcing” the business of IT and enabling different business models. The slightly idiosyncratic nature of a book with contributions from different authors only serves to engage the reader in the discussion. I hope the editors find a way to continue this discussion beyond the book!”
Adrian Apthorp
Head of Enterprise Architecture, DHL Express Europe

“The pursuit of sustainable development is one of the greatest challenges of our time. For this to succeed we must transform our current linear economy to a circular one. This calls for better coordination and collaboration between all players in product chains. Right-sourcing people, products and services is becoming an increasingly important topic therefore. This book provides the reader valuable insights and food for thought on right sourcing and collaboration.”
Prof. Dr. H.H.F. Wijffels
Utrecht Sustainability Institute (USI), University of Utrecht, The Netherlands

From EA Voices: The Book:

Dear EA bloggers,

Thanks to you, EA Voices is a great source of enterprise architecture wisdom. Now aggregating blogs and writings by over 100 bloggers, the database is rounding 2 million words, and grows with around 100 posts monthly.

I think all this wisdom deserves even more attention than the website and apps can offer, and want to put EA Voices in print in the form of a book. I will publish the book, so it’ll be available on Amazon etc (print and digital).

I therefore invite you all to dig in your own blog archives, including all those drafts I know you sit on, and write up a chapter/essay for the book.

1. What theme? As long as it is something of relevance to enterprise architecture, it’s up to you! When we gather the troops some themes may well flesh out.
2. Target group? The primary target group is the enterprise architecture community, including aspiring architects, but possibly also others, such as CxOs.
3. Number of words? Well, up to you, but I suggest shorter essay-ish chapters, so maybe around 2500 words?
4. By when? Soon. Let’s get this thing out sooner than later! How about submission by 1st May?

Want to contribute? Sign up here.

Who can participate? Anyone with a blog that EA Voices indexes. If your blog is not yet in EA Voices, send me a link to it’s feed and I’ll include it. If you don’t have a blog at all yet, just create one at the numerous service out there (wordpress.com etc), and send me the link to its feed. If you don’t want to have a blog, but want to have an EA Voice in the book, just sign up and we will find a solution 

I suggest we use the hashtag #eavoices in open communications about the book.

I hope the bloggers will be interested.

The EA Glossary Android App

In the first post about my first app, I quoted Tim Berners-Lee, who says ”every single web page out there, if you like, is like a computer” with reference to HTML5. I took one single HTML5 web page and turned it into something “like a computer”, namely an app. I mentioned that Gartner talks about hybrid architecture, which “combines the portability of HTML5 Web apps with a native container that facilitates access to native device features.” For reasons I don’t think I’m allowed to share, this first app of mine will not be available in Apple’s App Store.

EA Voices App for iPad and iPhone

In my continued learning about hybrid apps I started a second app initiative: EA Voices, the app. For the EA Voices website, I had recently found a nice responsive HTML5 theme for WordPress. Wrapping that up in an app, as I ended up doing for the initial app prototype, does involve a number of challenges, but clearly also has some advantages. It was of course specifically the mission to get the app into both app stores.

EA Voices Android App

I focused on creating a hybrid app that loads the most recent content from EA Voices, and then allows users to read that or find something else to read “in the app” – which is technically EAVoices.com being loaded. Thus, the complete EA Voices database is available “in the app” – as long as the app is online. Offline functionality out of scope, for now.

I first tried working out a “proper” JSON API approach for loading content in the app, but my technical skills limit forced me to return to good old RSS and javascript based XML parsing. I have not been able to fully align to the WordPress theme on the app index page, which could look nicer than it does now. The finer art of optimizing an app is however beyond this initial exercise. The source code is in GitHub and the app builds are in PhoneGap’s cloud.

Before I spent more time on refining the app, I wanted to know whether it would break any app store policies. The only way to find out, I thought, was to submit a “good enough” app and then wait and see. Fortunately, this app no 2 of mine made it into both Apple’s and Google’s app stores, I am pleased to announce.

Other platforms: Get the PhoneGap builds.

The app is essentially a fully functional appification of EAVoices.com. As an app, it needs some optimization work – it is a bit sluggish to launch. If people start using it, I promise to work on improving it

(I have found the first bug, a missing menu on some platforms, sorry)

I also now embark on my third app initiative. You may well be able to guess what it is, if you know me, but I’ll go under the radar on this for some time.

February 2014 – Paris, France

Important dates

• Pre-submission deadline for an optional abstract: July 31, 2013
• Submission deadline : September 15, 2013
• Acceptance notice for contributions: September 30, 2013
• Submission deadline of final version for Proceedings: November 6, 2013
• Conference: February, 2014
• “Best papers” awards: February, 2014

Scientific Mission
Since the 70’s, information systems are penetrating all organizations at a more and more fast pace. After the automation of administrative tasks, followed by the computerization of the core business processes, the Internet arrival opened a new era of communication and information sharing.

This new phenomenon does however not only impact companies, but the modern society in its whole. The development of the domestic use of computers, that started with the personal computer at the end of the 80’s, was tremendously increased by the Internet which connected all citizens both together and with various organizations and sources of information. This revolution continues nowadays with mobile terminals and new personal uses which are at the heart of what is called today, the Digital World.

The new digital challenges are clearly based on the dynamics of progress of three basic information & communication technology (data storage, information processing, communication networks) that are now mature. As a consequence, making the technological advances closer to the new uses that they daily allow, becomes a newcentral issue of the emerging Digital World. The competitiveness of modern enterprises will in particular rely more and more on the ability to create new digital value chains, using their technical infrastructure and their information systems which are clearly key to be able to face these new challenges.

We thus understand that the development of digital technology imposes to permanently be able of integrating coherently a strategic vision (business models), an end-users vision (digital practices and uses) and a technological vision (technology capabilities and limitations) to deliver efficiently digital services to the largest number. This is exactly the key purpose of Enterprise Architecture that intends to define coherent integrated models covering these various visions.

We therefore believe that it is crucial to create a meeting at international level, opened to all academic researchers and professional practitioners who are interested in the design and the governance of digital systems from an Enterprise Architecture perspective. The “Digital Enterprise Design & Management (DED&M)” conference meets exactly this objective. It aims to become the key place for international debates, meetings and exchanges on the Enterprise Architecture dimension of the digital business. Our event namely intends to put digital issues at the heart of its program, but also to bring together all business and technological stakeholders of the Digital Enterprise.

This is why the DED&M conference scope integrates both the digital customer & business dimensions (new digital customers behaviors, digital strategies, proposal and distribution of digital value, digital marketing, digital resources management and governance, digital corporate partnerships, etc.) and the underlying technological dimension (information & communication technology, information systems architecture, database & software engineering, systems and networks engineering, etc.).

The scope of the conference covers the following topics:

Digital economy

• Culture & digital uses,
• Digital strategies,
• Models of the digital economy,
• Digital property,
• Digital customers,
• Marketing & digital distribution,
• Extended digital enterprise
• Activities & digital resources,
• Norms & standards.

Digital corporate governance

• Governance public & interprofessional,
• Consortia, industrial policy & sectorial regulation,
• Governance of information systems,
• Strategic alignment,
• Digital transformation of enterprises,
• Tracks & digital master plans,
• Management of portfolios of digital projects.

Architecture & engineering of digital business

• Enterprise architecture,
• Urban development of information systems,
• Architectural modeling (business, functional, application & technical architecture processes),
• Collaborative architecture of organizations,
• Management of programs & digital projects
• Interoperability of information systems,
• Metrics of complexity & quality

TEAR 2013 – 8th Trends in Enterprise Architecture Research Workshop

*** Deadline for submissions: April 15, 2013 ***

Motivation

The international TEAR workshop series brings together Enterprise Architecture (EA) researchers from different research communities and provides a forum to present EA research results and to discuss future EA research directions.

The field of Enterprise Architecture (EA) has gained considerable attention over the last of years. EA is important because organisations need to adapt increasingly fast to changing customer requirements and business goals. This need influences the entire chain of activities of an enterprise, from business processes to IT support. Moreover, a change in a particular part of the overall architecture may influence many other parts of the architecture. For example, when a new product is introduced, business processes for production, sales and after-sales need to be adapted. It might be necessary to change applications, or even adapt the IT infrastructure. Each of these fields will have its own (partial) architectures. To keep the enterprise architecture coherent and aligned with the business goals, the relations between these different architectures must be explicit, and a change should be carried through methodically in all architectures. In contrast to traditional architecture management approaches such as IT architecture, software architecture or IS architecture, EA explicitly incorporates “pure” business-related artifacts in addition to traditional IS/IT artifacts. For Enterprise Architecture the focus is on the overall enterprise and concerns its organization, its components, the relationship between components and principles governing its design and evolution.

In previous years the emergence of service oriented design paradigms (e.g. Service-oriented Architecture, SoA) contributed to the relevance of EA. The need to design business services and IT services and align them forced companies to pay more attention to business architectures. The growing complexity of existing application landscapes lead to increased attention to application architectures at the same time. To better align business and IS architectures a number of major companies started to establish EA efforts after introducing the service-oriented
architecture style.

Until recently, practitioners, consulting firms and tool vendors have been leading in the development of the EA discipline. Research on EA has been taking place in relatively isolated communities. The main objective of this workshop series is to bring these different communities of EA researchers together and to identify future directions for EA research. Important questions concern research methodology and the interaction between research and EA practice.

Topics

• Case studies on EA
• Combining BPM and EA
• Drivers and obstacles of EA dissemination (e.g. agility, flexibility, strategic planning, usage resistance)
• EA and e-government
• EA and organizational theory
• EA and system development
• EA business cases
• EA communication and marketing
• EA for small and medium-sized companies
• EA governance and integration into corporate/IT governance
• EA in university and executive education
• EA reference models, meta models and frameworks
• EA usage in corporate strategic planning
• EA usage potentials for the networked enterprise
• Enterprise modeling, EA and MDA
• Modeling of EA dynamics
• Evolution of an EA
• Incorporation of knowledge management and software engineering in EA
• Managing complexity in EA
• Maturity models for EA artifacts and processes
• Measurement, metrics, analysis, and evaluation of EA artifacts and processes
• Methodologies for EA research
• Processes and patterns for EA development, mastering, communication and enforcement
• Research theory and practices in EA context
• Quality of EA models (analysability, understandability)
• Tool support for EA
• Viewpoints in EA

Publication

We solicit two types of papers:

• Short papers (5 pages) discussing controversial issues in the field or describing interesting or thought-provoking ideas that are not yet fully developed; and
• Full papers (8-10 pages) describing innovative and significant original research relevant to TEAR as described in the topics section.

Papers submitted for consideration must not have been published elsewhere and must not be under review or submitted for review elsewhere during the duration of consideration.
All submissions MUST conform to the two-column format of IEEE Computer Society conference proceedings and include the author’s name, affiliation, and contact details.
Papers must be submitted as PDF files using EasyChair All papers will be refereed by at least two members of the international program committee.
The papers accepted for the EDOC 2013 Workshops will be published in proceedings by the IEEE Computer Society Press and included in the IEEE Xplore and the IEEE Computer Society Digital Library. At least one of the authors for each accepted paper must register for the main conference (there will be no workshop-only registration at EDOC 2013) and present their papers at the workshop. The IEEE reserves the right to exclude a paper from distribution after the workshop (e.g., removal from IEEE Xplore) if the paper is not presented at the workshop.
We are planning to invite the authors of the best papers to submit enhanced versions of their work for a special issue on a journal.

Important Dates

Paper Submission Deadline: April 15, 2013
Paper Notification to Authors: May 31, 2013
Dates 9 or 10 Sept 2013: (TBA)
Co-Chairs

João Paulo A. Almeida, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Brazil
Mathias Ekstedt, Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden
James Lapalme, École de technologie supérieure, Canada

Steering Committee

Stephan Aier, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Mathias Ekstedt, Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden
Marc M. Lankhorst, Novay Enschede, The Netherlands
Erik Proper, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands and Public Research Centre – Henri Tudor, Luxembourg
Robert Winter, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

Program Committee (TBA)

This double-issue will be sent to the printer on Monday, and soon become available digitally to members of the Association of Enterprise Architects. Yes, everyone can join the association, regardless of certification; just join as associate or affiliate — or as a student if you are such (then it’s free!).

The content of JEA 2012-4 + 2013-1

Editor’s Corner
John Gøtze introduces this double-issue.

Architect in the Spotlight: Niels Rishede Terkelsen
John Gøtze interviews Niels Rishede Terkelsen.

Quality Attributes for Enterprise Architecture Processes
Eetu Niemi
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is created, maintained, and managed through EA processes. While the quality of these processes is perceived to ultimately impact the realization of benefits from the EA approach, it has been considered in relatively few studies. Specific aspects of EA processes such as EA frameworks have been extensively studied, but there is no common understanding of the attributes that make up EA processes of high quality. In this exploratory case study, data from 14 themed interviews of EA stakeholders is utilized to identify 15 quality attributes for EA processes. These are then supplemented and validated by comparison to the hitherto existing state of research. The results provide a comprehensive framework for understanding EA process quality. They can be used to identify areas for development and define metrics for further improvement of the EA practice, and as a basis for further research.

The Complex Adaptive Architecture Method
John Chi-Zong Wu
This article proposes a Complex Adaptive Architecture (CAA) method to architect an organic enterprise. It presents a complicated concept in a simple 3×3 matrix bonded by three architecture theories and a three-tiered architecture approach. CAA recognizes that SOA and Cloud Computing is a horizontal architecture practice which cannot be accomplished with the traditional top-down approach. The horizontal architecture consists of the discipline of learning from the experience of others, the discipline of engineering of re-use and consolidation, and the discipline to facilitate buy-in from stakeholders. CAA also discovers that the business community is making decisions based on influence relation rather than structural relation. Coherence Architecture theory is based on enterprise influence modeling and coherence modeling for the purpose of supporting enterprise strategic planning and decision-making. The Coherence Architecture consists of the discipline of influence modeling and the discipline of analogical reasoning. CAA embraces continuous change with a three-tiered architecture approach. The initial tier is the Notional Architecture which serves much like a master plan in city planning. The second tier is the Segment Architecture to close the business performance gaps due to change. The third tier is the daily Enterprise Architecture (EA) to enable an agile solution architecture.

Tripartite Approach to Enterprise Architecture
Janne J. Korhonen and Jouko Poutanen
The discipline of Enterprise Architecture (EA) is still relatively immature and incoherent. The discourse is rather fragmented and lacking a shared vocabulary. To shed some light on the situation, some schools of thought on EA have been suggested, each with its distinct concerns and set of assumptions. In this article, we aim to bring more structure and clarity to EA discourse. Not only do we review the identified types and schools of EA, but we also attempt to make sense of the underlying structural and metaphysical underpinnings of the field and to ground EA in theory. As per our analysis, requisite architecture methods and tools are contingent on the level of complexity. In particular, while best practices and linear techniques are applicable in a contained operational scope, they fall severely short in addressing complex problems pertaining to non-linear discontinuities inherent in the increasingly interconnected and global business environment. On the other hand, we view that an ideal scope of an architecture “work system” is bounded by a maximum number of people able to create a shared meaning. Accordingly, we propose that architectural work in an enterprise be divided into three distinct yet interlinked architectures: Technical, Socio-Technical, and Ecosystemic. Each of these architectures is selfregulated, based on different ontological and epistemological assumptions, has its own vertical scope, and requires its own distinct methods and tools.

Enterprise Architecture Valuation and Metrics: A Survey-Based Research Study
Brian H. Cameron and Eric McMillan
Enterprise Architecture (EA) is increasingly being adopted and utilized by all types of organizations (Fri 2007; Jung 2009; Kappelman et al. 2008). Despite its growing popularity, the challenge facing many organizations is how to measure and provide evidence of the value that EA provides to an enterprise (Boster et al. 2000; Plessius et al. 2012). This challenge includes determining the best ways to effectively evaluate and measure the impact EA has on an enterprise. To provide some insight into this problem, this article provides an overview of the means used to measure the value of EA within organizations. This article seeks to accomplish four tasks. First, to demonstrate that EA value measurement is a challenge that needs to be addressed within organizations. Second, to highlight the variety of methods and measures that organizations currently use in their attempts to measure the value of EA. Third, to provide insight into the reported challenges facing organizations involved in the process of measuring the value of EA. Fourth, to propose a conceptual model for EA value measurement that can be utilized by organizations who have implemented EA. To provide support and evidence for all four of these tasks, we present the results from a survey that contains the responses from 276 participants whose job roles and responsibilities directly reflected working in EA within their organizations.

Analyzing the Current Trends in Enterprise Architecture Frameworks
Brian H. Cameron and Eric McMillan
Analyzing the Current Trends in Enterprise Architecture FrameworksBrian H. Cameron and Eric McMillanAbstractEnterprise Architecture (EA) is gaining additional visibility and importance, and it is attaining higher levels of influence within many organizations today (Brownet al. 2010). As the importance and stature of EA grows, so too does the number of frameworks proposed to support the work of EA. This proliferation has led to an increasing challenge within organizations to develop a process for selecting the correct framework that best fits their unique needs, culture, and goals. Traditionally, EA frameworks have been used to facilitate alignment (Kaplan & Norton 2006) between the strategic goals and direction of the organization and the IT that supports the business units within the organization. This alignment process is a critical component to support the continued growth and success of a firm (Cuenca et al. 2010; Pombinho et al. 2012; Singh & Woo 2009). Despite several research studies that focused on a direct comparison of EA frameworks (Alghamdi 2009; McCarthy 2006; Tang et al. 2004; Urbaczewski & Mrdalj 2006a), there have been few studies aimed at capturing the information needed to support organizations in their decision-making process when selecting an EA framework (Armour et al. 1999). Also, as the usage of frameworks continues to mature within organizations, there has been little research conducted that documents the trends of both the usage and maturity of using frameworks within organizations. This research compares the attributes of various EA frameworks and provides a method to assist organizations in their efforts to choose an EA framework for their organization. The basis of this research is a survey that contains the responses from 276 participants whose job roles and responsibilities directly reflected working in EA within their organizations. This research was conducted in collaboration with leading EA industry associations, and the survey results provide a view of the current landscape of EA framework usage by a wide range of respondents worldwide and throughout many different organizations. The aim is that the inferences drawn from this survey will help support recommendations on a process that can be used to assist with the selection of an EA framework by organizations.

Extracting Real-World Value Out of EA
Thomas Mowbray and Taiwan Allen
Many, if not most, US Federal Departments and agencies continue to spend millions of dollars annually on Enterprise Architecture (EA). Few government organizations extract anything of value from their EAs. For a large government agency, the authors matured the EA program with an integrated repository that supports executive decision-makers with actionable, fact-based enterprise viewpoints. The integrated repository and best practice EA methods are being successfully applied to Information Technology (IT) lifecycle governance, portfolio management, strategic planning, and complex multi-program analyses.

Enterprise Architecture Implementation Governance: Managing Meaning and Action
Mark Dale
Existing approaches to the problems in the governance of Enterprise Architecture (EA) implementation are characterized largely as unambiguous and objective. Using the case study of a large Australian financial services organization, one such approach is examined critically. Existing governance approaches espouse generic solutions such as new governance structures, architectural modularity, decision-making models, frameworks, inter-organizational relations, and evolutionary rather than big-bang approaches. This study draws on the machine, organism, and brain metaphors from Morgan’s Images of Organizations (1986, 1997, 2006) to capture the contradictory and competing images and assumptions associated with the governance of an EA implementation and the social behaviors they imply. Findings from this case study suggest that the current emphasis on technical solutions is an oversight and that a broader approach, one that encompasses a partnership of technical and qualitative approaches, is required. Metaphors can be used to provide important insights into the attitudes and behaviors of Enterprise Architects toward their stakeholders and the assumptions they make about the social context of an EA implementation. It will be shown that metaphors provide Enterprise Architects with context-sensitive tools that allow them to fully appreciate the complex social world of an EA implementation.

Leveraging Enterprise Architecture for Reform and Modernization
Ahsan Rauf
The core of Enterprise Architecture (EA) work focuses on the improvement of businesses and transforming them into business desired states. Transformation through EA work requires heavy investment and necessitates the commitment of the organization’s executives. Dubai Customs is one of the most important Dubai Government Departments responsible for ensuring that the economy of Dubai is protected against fraudulent and dangerous goods (socially and commercially) by streamlining trade and goods clearance processes. Dubai Customs is also responsible for collecting revenue, and tracking and trending trade data to other Government Departments, Federal Agencies, and Ministries on behalf of Dubai Government. This case study highlights how Dubai Customs decided to build a sound EA to help them achieve their business goals.

That’s it. 

My app experiment now includes a build for iOS, and the app has been tested on my iPads. However, a certificate/mobileprovision file is needed to install the app on iPad/iPhone (and must be done through iTunes). I have submitted the app to the Apple App Store, where it is now under review.

Getting the Android app into Google Play was a bit easier, and the EA Glossary app is now available there:

Assuming the iOS app is accepted in the App Store, I will declare mission accomplished.

The mission was for me to learn about native apps, and I have worked with both iOS and Android so I learned more than one architecture.  I started out setting up both platforms and went through installing both XCode and Eclipse, and learning how to create certificates, profiles, etc. on the two platforms.

I hereby apply what Gartner calls hybrid architecture, which “combines the portability of HTML5 Web apps with a native container that facilitates access to native device features”.  Gartner says:

Mobility has always been a separate topic for IT professionals, but it is now influencing mainstream strategies and tactics in the wider areas of technology enablement and enterprise architectures. … Increasingly, enterprises are finding that they need to support multiple platforms, especially as the [bring your own device] BYOD trend gains momentum.

More than 50 percent of mobile apps deployed by 2016 will be hybrid, Gartner predicts.

Every single web page out there, if you like, is like a computer.
Tim Berners-Lee

Modern web technologies (HTML5, CSS, Javascript) allow us to build advanced solutions.

Although not that advanced, a service like EA Glossary is in fact just one single web page, i.e. one HTML5 document. With a bunch of supporting stuff, primarily jQueryMobile, it is ”like a computer”.

I created the website some years ago so I could refer students and others to it. I turned it into a mobile-friendly web app last year.

For a while now, I have been playing around with the idea of turning it into a set of native apps (for iPhone, iPad, Android, etc). I basically want to learn more about what it takes to build native apps, and EA Glossary seemed a good place to start.

Instead of digging into just one native platform, I went looking for a solution that supports multiple platforms, as I would want apps for both iOS, Android and if possible Microsoft and others. And works on both tablets and smartphones. And works offline.

I decided to use PhoneGap, an open source framework for quickly building cross-platform mobile apps using HTML5, Javascript and CSS. Or rather, I use Phonegap Build, where the compiling is done in the cloud.

And so: Get EA Glossary Native Apps for Android, Blackberry, Symbian, webOS and Windows Phone.

The iOS app is as yet unavailable and still work-in-progress. I have signed up for Apple’s iOS Developer Program, but await confirmation, and cannot build an app until I get a signing key. The Android app has been signed. The Blackberry not so, as I have not looked into that. The other apps cannot be signed.

The apps are not in an app store, so you must set your devise to accept untrusted apps.

If your devise supports QR codes (get an app for that) just scan the QR code here:

If anyone is interested in joining me in making this app even better, the source is in GitHub.