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Kickstarter is known for giving startups the boost they need to get going. And independent developers will now get similar help by getting access to the functional programming used to create the app.
Kickstarter announced recently the company had released open source iOS and Android. The announcement was made on the company’s official company blog.
Kickstarter launched in 2009, but an official mobile app didn’t come around for some time. The site now has an Android and iOS version, and the company is doing one better by open sourcing the code for these native apps.
Basically if you want to delve in the back end of the app and see how it works, or see what you can come up with, you can go to its Android or iOS Github page. Those pages have a number of repositories for more inspiration, just in case you need to find your creative side.
While there is a trend towards open-source in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, having an app with this much development readily available is a gold mine. A lot of work has gone into these apps, and lifting the curtain up and letting everyone see how it was all done is a teaching and learning opportunity.
One of the features Kickstarter engineers are proud of is a screenshots directory that holds nearly 500 screenshots of various screens in every language, device and edge-case stat, but of course there are many more.
This and other insights can be used by developers to create their own app. At least that is one of the goals.
The idea to open source the code, according to the blog, came when Kickstarter became a Public Benefit Corporation, in September of last year. So this could be seen as giving back to developers that don’t quite have the resources to create a fully functional app. But it also raises the option of more third party provided features. And these would enhance the experience for startups seeking to create a new project for the community.
Image: Kickstarter