<? DriftLogic ¿>

I'll give the internet credit, it took two full days to really start tearing into AppEngine.

From screams of vendor lockin ( here and here) to purists calling the framework a pollution of python and django (here and here) criticism has been swift and some times rather vicious.

The size of Google has made people start to put on tinfoil hats with every new product. Considering the scope of AppEngine, it's not that surprising that it gets conspiracy theories right from the start.

But stepping back from calling Google the new evil empire for a second, lets look another quick look at how developers can use AppEngine to get their products off the ground.

Even with it's stripped down APIs and lack of automated processes, AppEngine does serve to provide ANY developer a capable platform for launching an application with no capital to speak of. You could use it for an effective proof of concept, or a test bed for ideas, and for the moment, that's what it's there for. Google is effectively giving everyone space to play with ideas, with little or no investment beyond time. There is some lockin due to the sandbox they're letting you play in and the lack of monitary commitment on your part, but if it's a concern, wrap the Google-unique SDKs. Build it so you can switch out locked in parts should you go portable. It requires some fore-thought and maybe some extra grunt work, but in the end, you have a more portable app.

AppEngine is aimed at solo or small group developers with a vision and some time. It's not a real alternative to Amazon or proper hosting for cash backed startups or established companies. It's an incubator, a chance for small devs to come up with an idea, put it in the wild, and see what happens. Should you be writing a product with the thought to make it big, some extra design forethought is required in terms of wrappers, but that's it.

Not to mention that it's also a beta. A very limited beta at 10,000 devs with 3 apps each. Amazon EC2 is still considered beta and they're still working on providing tools some people consider essential (persistant storage).

If you get an AppEngine account, use it as intended for the moment, as a no-commitment playground for ideas.