Janet Tu's article for The Seattle Times this weekend is an interesting piece, showing a number of hurdles that Microsoft has to overcome to help developers with their Windows Phone applications. Speaking to Hadi Partovi, Moprise, Pangea Software, and PaperKarma, the developers explained their experiences with Windows Phone. Microsoft are getting some areas right, but there are a number of points that clearly need addressed.

Tu writes:

Windows Phone holds less than 2 percent of the worldwide smartphone market and less than 4 percent of the U.S. market. Microsoft recognizes the problem and is paying creators of popular apps to develop versions for Windows Phone, as well as offering incentives such as free phones. The company is also hosting a two-day Windows Phone Developer Summit next month in San Francisco to help mobile app developers learn more about the platform. If Windows Phone is to succeed as a platform, a lot depends on how those developers think about it. Here are some of their thoughts about Windows Phone.

There is a huge chicken and egg situation here, but it's perhaps not as balanced as some pundits think. Applications will drive purchases of Windows Phone, but it's not a critical factor. For developers though, the adoption of Windows Phone and the addressable market is critical. With Windows 8 on the way, it's going to be interesting to watch Microsoft's approach to the developer question