Hello everyone, I have been looking around for some time now. I have also looked at other services which are more expensive. My goal is to write bussiness apps and I really like the idea of self hosting. I am not interested in games because the competition is too stiff. Does BT allow me to connect to a database to pass information back and forth to my app? Are there any plugins that handle this easily? Thanks, Michael

My sense is that there's more money in game development. Competition is fierce on both sides though. At least with business apps, you can get a business to pay you to create the app though. You can do pretty much anything with Buzztouch, since you have the code. Having a ready made plugin is another thing of course. What type of data are you wanting to pass? The online control panel very much works in this way. Data gets sent from the database to your device. That takes lots of different forms though, so it all depends on what you're trying to do.

Hi Joe. The best is to make business apps. You will get your money even with zero downloads. Good choice. Take a look here. You'll get a basic sense of things possible. Take it as an example of what you might be able to do. https://www.buzztouch.com/files/howtos/Posting_Current_Location_to_a_Database_v1.0.pdf Main idea: You can have a php backend which serves your app with info from and to the database.

In either case... Self Hosted Rocks. Buzztouch is positively the most bang for the buck, IMHO. BT allows you to do anything. Caveat being, not everything is available as a plugin (yet). Some assembly required. You may be forced into reading a programming book against your will. I look at BT as sort of a half-baked development environment. And please understand when I say 'half-baked' I'm speaking literally, and do not mean it as a 'slight' of any nature. A LOT of housekeeping and other tasks that you're going to want anyway has already been done for you. But it's a skeleton, and you'll have to finish "baking" it into your own unique product. Very few BT apps look the same, and it's due to the open configurability available in the BT core structure. For 'most' of the basics, add some artwork, some cool icons, and you're off. But the plugin design and structure also allows for some really nice modifications, and unique attributes that, once built and tested, allows you to reuse it in virtually any other app with no more modification than it takes to rename it in the control panel. As with anything, the more complex the app, the more work involved. Database connectivity, whether in a MySQL server parked on the net somewhere, or an SQLite db embedded in your app, the transfer of data from here to wherever is no issue. Keeping in mind of course, that your specific needs will require a bit of work on your part to connect those dots. And just my two cents on games: It doesn't have to be complicated. It just has to be addictive. David mentioned today on a webinar about an extremely popular game: 4 pictures, 1 word. People are downloading it left and right. Take a look at it. It's a great idea that doesn't require a degree from MIT to make. And Buzztouch gives you a jump start in both Android as well as iPhone, so you can cover both markets regardless of your direction. Good Luck and all that. I'm sure I'll see a 'member' badge by your name soon. Cheers! -- Smug

Thank you for all your help. WebNevees: I will definately take a look at that link. Smug: I normally don't play many games, but I do have 4 pictures, 1 word. And yes, it is addictive. I actually thought of BT when I was playing the game and have tried coming up with something on that type of design. Joe Cool

Wow thas was SOON(!) - I mean the member badge thing Smug mentioned! Congrats on your decision JoeCool, good luck on your quest!