I wasn’t sure where to put this. I am ultimately interested in finding out when work on the Android version of Scrivener will begin. I understand that this won’t happen until the iOS version is ready (this is one of the major things I like about the Scrivener team: work on one thing at time to make sure it is done right).
So what I would like to ask is if there is any mailing list that users who are interested can be on to receive alters when status updates are placed on the forum by the team about the iOS version (hopefully with a link to the post in the email) so we can keep tabs on the process while continuing with what we have to do. I don’t want to create a lot of work for someone, distracting them from the work they need to be doing. I am only asking if this is something that is available. I couldn’t find anything when I searched the forums, but then I have been know to use the wrong search string before.
If this is available, I would be interested in it, as it would help me to know when to begin looking for announcements of Android development starting.
We’ll definitely be posting information to both our Mac and Windows newsletters once there is something to say about an Android version. To sign up, use the “Keep Up To Date” menu command in your Help menu. This is a low-volume newsletter—basically just large update announcements.
Hopefully quick question on the coming iOS version of scrivener:
I recall seeing somewhere that the iOS version will use dropbox, and only dropbox, for sync. Is that correct as you currently know it?
I’m asking as I’m re-evaluating my workflow and backup/sync solutions and if dropbox is the way scrivener for iOS is going, there’s a point in the dropbox bucket for making them my main solution. Currently I use sugarsync without issue (have been using it to sync my scrivener files for years).
If one wishes to use ’net based synchronisation, they’ll need to use Dropbox initially. Unfortunately iOS cannot use a file system based approach, which is the main benefit of these services in the first place. We must instead code specific networking requests into the software, and those are different for every single service (and not all have the necessary hooks to do so—I don’t think I’ve ever seen a SugarSync compatible iOS program, but I’ve never looked for one, so I could be ignorant of an SDK for it). Down the way we’ll probably be adding broader support for more systems, but since we must hand-code each one of them, we’ve made the decision to go with the one that 99% use, Dropbox, initially.
For everyone else, there will of course be simple file access. Just throw a project into the Scrivener “bucket” using iTunes and it will be available to the portable device. Copy it back out when you’re done to access changes on your computer. With that method, no elaborate networking and complex synchronisation is even necessary.
Hi Ioa, and before anything, just to say you picked one of my very favorite epigrams from John Fowles - in fact I am re-reading Daniel Martin at present.
I’m smiling because I think both you and Mouton are getting a bit cryptic in your old age-with-Scrivener.
She was talking about ‘the framework’ in the answer about right-clicks; even I had a moment to realize this must be Qt she means, where the framework ‘registering [its own] events’ would make sense. You can imagine my reaction before this…
My thought to you is about ‘net-based’ and ‘for everyone else’ in terms of iOS synchronization.
My guess is that you are really talking about the Mac world here as ‘everybody else’, and that ‘net-based’ means for PCs, Androids, etc…
This because iCloud maps in no way except images to PCs, apart from the internal Apple things. Scrivener sets, whether explicit folder structures or in some future internally zipped single file format, of course are a different animal from images. Ergo.
Summer is nice here, and I hope the Northwest theres also.
The Northwest has been, at least around my parts, very nice this summer. 8)
When I said ’net-based sync, I meant stuff like Dropbox, SugarSync, SpiderOak or whatever one chooses to use to keep multiple computers up to date over the Internet. The iOS version itself will be limited, initially, to Dropbox for the reasons I gave above.
Thus, “everybody else”, in this case, is anyone that doesn’t want to use Dropbox (or the ’net in general) for whatever reason. That’s all; nothing to do with platforms. I imagine for most people it won’t be much of a limitation. Personally I prefer just copying projects on and off the device. It works great; no complexity.
So to be clear:
The iOS version will allow one to put a project on Dropbox and load it in Scrivener for iOS. Changes made to that project will be synced with Dropbox.
Any computer capable of installing Dropbox and running a copy of Scrivener that is patched to sync with the iOS version will be able to work with this setup. We’ll be releasing sync-ready versions of Scrivener for both platforms when the iOS version is released.
Enjoy the Daniel Martin re-read. I keep saying it’s time for one of those myself.
Concur just using Dropbox simplifies life, also makes it reliable.
iCloud is apparently trying it again this late September maybe; at least they’re opening up the iPad to allow something of its actual filesystem, which is itself quite a good step forward into the 2010s.
Nice to imagine Northwest summers, had my nice share of them
Just checking in here because I don’t see any other information on iOS for Scrivener. Or Android, which I would also be interested in. I’ve checked the blog and other sources, and the most recent information I’ve seen was posted in August and doesn’t show any expected dates.
What is the current rough estimate for when at least a beta version of Scrivener for iOS will be available? Next month, 2015, ?
Somewhere there is a developer journal - I’d post the link but I can’t remember where I found it. They are currently projecting 2015. I believe it said early 2015.
Thanks for the enthusiasm! We are working hard on it. There have been no new updates because the blog post from August says that it won’t be out until 2015, and we have nothing more to add. And any betas will all be internal as there’s no way of publicly beta-testing iOS software.
I imagine for most people it won’t be much of a limitation. Personally I prefer just copying projects on and off the device. It works great; no complexity.