Open Signed – allows a maximum of 1000 certificates (as opposed to the previous 100 certificates) to be signed by the programmer and shipped out on a one to one basis. Initally used so developers could sort out beta testers without sending potentially buggy applications through testing, this has been opened up so that small business users, open source groups and communities can make use of the system.
Certified Signed is the closest to the existing process – where an application is tested by an independent house and applications can access the ‘sensitive’ functions on the phone. A quick check round the recommended testing houses on the Symbian Signed web pages gave the current costs for this as… Sogeti HT (560 euros for first, 280 euros for subsequent); NSTL (250 Euros); MphasIS (185 Euros for first, 150 Euros for subsequent).
Express Signed is the new program announced today and is targeted at applications that don’t use the seven sensitive API’s as noted by Symbian. Programmers with a Publisher ID will be able to self-sign an application for a much reduced price (Symbian are quoting in the region of $20). This is actually a pretty smart move – the majority of applications, and certainly those at the leisure/gaming end of the market will welcome a reduced testing regime – and it should also encompass themes as well.
If you don’t have a publisher ID, it appears that MphasIS is offering a price for passive applications, which ranges from 40 Euros (1-5 signings) down to 25 Euros (50-100 signings) and a jolly ‘contact us if you are doing over 100 signings.’
While the small print will be worth going over, the new Express Signed program is a good way forward. While the industry and commentators have acknowledged the need of something like the Symbian Signed program to ‘protect the user/networks/IT support help desks’, the actual Symbian Signed program has had a rocky road on the way to acceptance. The changes detailed today, mostly derived for talking to the users of the service and interested parties, are another step forward to reduce the cost and complexity of Symbian Signed, and should be applauded.
Ewan Spence