ten7

I need to write a native app that runs on recent flavors of Windows which can talk to a hosted API service and make changes to the local PC. It's a very simple set of tasks that need to be completed, but I'm at a loss for where to start. The last time I compiled something for Windows was using Visual Basic 6 and Windows XP -- things have changed since then. Any pointers are welcome!

I run a small interactive shop in Minneapolis (TEN7.com) and we work with designers all the time. We've required them to provide layered Photoshop files to us so that we can create the designs, both in Desktop and Mobile. It's worked great. We've never encountered a designer for whom this is an issue.

We're now working with someone who has basically accused us of being out of touch, saying that "Most designers I know do not think of Photoshop as a "design" program. A lot that I talk to prefer to do layouts in indesign and then present pdf files with multiple layout versions to clients." Basically, she's designed everything in InDesign, used that to show mocks to our mutual client, and then she recreates them in PSD for "the developers".

As far as I am concerned, this is idiotic. Just use Photoshop to begin with, and you're done.

What I really want to know is whether I'm the crazy one? So, community poll... what do the designers you work with provide to you? Photoshop? InDesign? Fireworks? Illustrator? Something else? HELP!

It's a pain to read and contribute to HN using a phone. Adding fairly minimal CSS styles to the site can't be terribly difficult to very simply optimize display on mobile.

Why hasn't it been done? Is it en route?

Web Dev Shops (and Creative Agencies) are everywhere, but I am yet to see a company that focuses on developing APIs for clients. Sure, it is most often part of the development of a mobile app, but what about smallish companies that want to make their data (whatever it is) available more programmatically. For example, a large restaurant chain might want to make its menu more accessible; or a non-profit foundation may want to make its data more accessible. Thoughts?