Each new generation of computing brings new ways to develop applications. Success stories become patterns, which become application platforms. Great platforms enable great applications. But in the past, “lock-in” has often been the price paid for embracing platforms. This must not happen again.
In the cloud era, platforms will be delivered as a service. Operating the platform as a service promises to greatly simplify the lives of developers and let us all focus our energy on building great applications.
Our mission is to enable you to build and run great cloud applications that delight users. Many developers take certain principles for granted, like choice, openness and portability. We will honor these by providing a robust platform with excellent support, without the risk of lock-in.
To mark this commitment we offer the following Bill of Rights for Cloud Developers:
- The Right to Code
- The right to code without unreasonable distractions is inalienable. We should not be prevented from using the most effective technologies for the task at hand and exploring new technologies.
- The Right to Build Applications (and Only Applications)
- Let us be judged by the applications that we build and not be held responsible for other people’s code. Life is too short to cobble together middleware and service it in perpetuity.
- The Right to Cloud Portability
- The choice of clouds shall not be infringed, today or in the future. If an application works in one cloud or on our laptop, it should work in any cloud and not require learning a new deployment model.
- The Right to a Choice of Frameworks
- Our choice of programming frameworks for the cloud should not be restricted. Non-standard versions of frameworks are at best a distraction and should not be inflicted.
- The Right to a Choice of Application Services
- Different applications have different needs and we are the best judges of those needs. We insist on choosing which databases, messaging systems, web services and other building blocks are most appropriate.
- The Right to Platform Transparency
- Simplicity is not an excuse for opacity. Our platform should not be hidden from us if we choose to look under the hood. Failures do happen and we must be able to inspect the system to repair them.
- The Right to Emigrate
- Our right to leave shall never be blocked. We may take all of our code and all of our data.
- The Right of Ownership
- My code and my data are unequivocally mine. Control over who sees either must be provided. We expect to be able to choose our own means of data protection.
- The Right to Be Left Alone
- All of our applications should be isolated from one another, protected from malicious intrusion and the unintended side effects of other developers’ mistakes.
- The Right to Open Source
- We shall enjoy the right to work with open source technologies, including the ability to contribute to projects we use.