Not necessarily an exhibition known for its devotion to software engineering excellence, the International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) kicks off next week in Las Vegas with what is arguably a stronger developer-centric theme than at any time in the past.
Whether this is the result of some kind of still-lingering hangover from Steve Ballmer's crazed "developers, developers, developers" rant of old, or is merely a sign of wider programmer recognition is hard to say. What we do know is that CES will feature a Developer University track devoted to the interests of software engineering professionals.
According to the pre-show literature, "Developer University at CES is the venue for OEMs/platform-vendors/service-providers to showcase their platforms, tools, APIs, and SDKs to developers. The event will cover TV apps, device APIs, third-party APIs, web apps, desktop apps, mobile apps and more."
The code-centricity doesn't stop there; press reports suggest that there will also be a new working group devoted specifically to the interests of mobile application developers this year. Jon Potter, the former executive director of the U.S. Digital Media Association, will oversee the cabal of like-minded individual developers and other interested parties.
With an initial focus on operating systems restricted to Apple iOS, Android, and RIM's BlackBerry platform, the group will aim to recruit thousands of mobile developers, and is also planning further country-wide meetings after the Las Vegas show.
In addition to providing access to product-testing facilities, the mobile group will also seek to lobby governments on issues relating to mobile technology (such as piracy, intellectual property, and patents) to keep the maximum number of development channels open for programmers going forward.
