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iOS 11 reviewed

arstechnica.com

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Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#211

Post by cromwellian »

The 32-bit deprecation issue points to a larger issue of cultural decay. We can still obtain old Commodore 64s, Nintendos, Gameboys, and other old HW and run old SW on it.

However, the way these walled garden DRM'ed online app stores work, once something is taken out of circulation, it's just GONE. You won't be able to buy an old iPhone 5 10 years from now and go download an old game.

My son really liked this old Simpsons game on the iPhone, but now there's no way to run it, or even find it in the store anymore.

This isn't an Apple specific problem, but I wonder, if future archaeologists will even be able to find anything left of our culture, as it digitally disappears behind upgrades and silos.

One thing I love about the Web, is we can have sites like Archive.org. And I can still view the very first Web page ever in my browser. Spacejam still works!

But what if the first iOS games I loved on my original 2007 era iPhone? Will there be an Archive.org emulator? Unlikely.

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#212

Post by jjtheblunt »

JBReefer wrote: post #31

The new default image/video codec that no other browser supports seems like it's going to be ... interesting. Of course they couldn't use VP9, just like USB-C - this is marginally better, and completely fucks over everyone developing outside the tiny Apple ecosystem.

tiny?

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#213

Post by urspx »

conradev wrote: post #169
darthbanane wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re right it’s an excellent solution to that issue and sometimes it’s exactly what I want. I’m worried about the security aspect because a stock iphone is what you should get if you care about privacy and security yet the UI actively misleads you on the purpose of the toggle. If they wanted a disconnect button they could have designed a new icon for it. Maybe a toast so that people understand what just happened. I…

Apple also randomizes your MAC address when probing to alleviate that privacy concern.

On that note, does anybody know if iOS also sends out your history of wireless network SSIDs to connect to networks, like Android (or some versions of it) does?

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#214

Post by ronnier »

et-al wrote: post #189
potatolicious wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like others have brought up - it isn't a security issue. Since iOS 8 MAC addresses have been randomized until the phone connects to the AP. Your real MAC is not exposed to random listening APs nearby. It's been 3 years since your phone has been giving up its real identity while simply walking around. There may be good reason to want your WiFi radio off (battery?), but the cited privacy issue has been solved on iOS fo…

Unfortunately multiple people here, and study posted today[0], have pointed out that MAC address randomization in iOS is still flawed. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15287100

And remember the wifi hack?

https://www.wired.com/story/broadpwn-wi-fi-vulnerability-ios...

For that reason, I keep my wifi off as much as possible.

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#215

Post by rubatuga »

cromwellian wrote: post #211

The 32-bit deprecation issue points to a larger issue of cultural decay. We can still obtain old Commodore 64s, Nintendos, Gameboys, and other old HW and run old SW on it. However, the way these walled garden DRM'ed online app stores work, once something is taken out of circulation, it's just GONE. You won't be able to buy an old iPhone 5 10 years from now and go download an old game. My son really liked this old Sim…

Why not just keep the iphone, and make a backup of the whole phone? If your phone breaks, then you can always restore the same backup file to a new one.

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#216

Post by shurcooL »

cromwellian wrote: post #211

The 32-bit deprecation issue points to a larger issue of cultural decay. We can still obtain old Commodore 64s, Nintendos, Gameboys, and other old HW and run old SW on it. However, the way these walled garden DRM'ed online app stores work, once something is taken out of circulation, it's just GONE. You won't be able to buy an old iPhone 5 10 years from now and go download an old game. My son really liked this old Sim…

It's best to think of iOS apps exactly as they are, a service. When you buy/download an app, it's not your own, you're using a service in the form of an app.

The app will continue to work as long as it's supported by its developer and Apple doesn't forcibly remove it. If the developer no longer supports it, it's just a matter of time before it'll stop working.

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#217

Post by madeofpalk »

joshuas wrote: post #99
smitherfield wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The arbitrary removal of 32-bit app support could be thought of as a heuristic to clear away abandonware. Which, for obvious reasons (security), Apple would like to have as little of in its App Store as possible. It also lets them aggressively deprecate and remove legacy APIs going forward.

You know. It just occurred due to me, due to your post, how convenient it must be to have every app using your APIs in one place like the app store.

Take it further - they can look at all the apps in their App Store and make decisions like "Okay, lets improve this instruction set in the next ARM processor we make".

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#218

Post by madeofpalk »

ksk wrote: post #184
013a wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it hilarious that every time Apple does anything like this, people complain and Apple still sets record sales. You're fundamentally wrong and Apple knows it. They can rip the headphone jack out. They can deprecate 32 bit apps. They can remove TouchID. They can block installing third party apps. Keep complaining; neither they nor their customers care.

> Keep complaining; neither they nor their customers care. Apple has reversed several business decisions. Error 53, in app purchase gouging through developer fees, allowing apps instead of web apps (after realizing the iphone was pretty useless without apps), allowing bitcoin apps, etc etc. >I find it hilarious that every time Apple does anything like this, people complain and Apple still sets record sales. I hope yo…

> allowing apps instead of web apps

For what it's worth, people who worked on the original iPhone have said that internally Apple knew that 'web apps' were always a stopgap until they could get a native SDK out the door. Time constraints preventing them from shipping one in the first year.

I'm sure Don Melton and/or Nitin Ganatra discussed this on Debug podcast a few years back https://www.imore.com/60-melton-ganatra-episode-iii-shipping...

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#219

Post by MBCook »

bartread wrote: post #71
PopsiclePete wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bane of everyone's existence. No thanks. I'm glad one company at least isn't willing to do that. I've had it up to here with "Windows XP is good enough for me, make your software run on it" types.

On the one hand I agree with you: on the other I quite like the fact that relatively large bodies of code I wrote 12 years ago still run unmodified (albeit in Windows desktop apps that have received updates and enhancements since then). Due to these updates I don't know that they would still run on Windows XP but it's nice that the code hasn't needed to change.

Much of the code needs nothing more than a recompile. It’s just no one is doing that.

To run 32 bit stuff you need copies of all the system libraries. You lose a lot of RAM to that. You have to continue to ensure they don’t have bugs. All for apps that are abandoned.

I totally understand what apple is doing. I bet you a ton of those apps were never updated for iPhone 6 screen shizes either.

Re: iOS 11 reviewed

#220

Post by MBCook »

0x0 wrote: post #207
scarface74 wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of the 64 bit programs can share the same 64 bit libraries. Once you load one 32 bit app it going to take up memory causing the 64 bit programs to killed. There is always a performance hit going from 32 bit to 64 bit processes. There is a hit to performance when running both 64 bit and 32 bit processes on Windows. Why take the hit to support some old 32 bit apps that probably haven't been updated to take advantag…

I think a slight "performance hit" to run essential 32bit apps is better than the "performance hit" of the apps not launching and the data inside them rendered inaccessible. I guess knowing my RAM is unused helps me feel better while I'm wondering which files I've lost to the forever locked away 32bit app containers.

Essential apps that the developer has decided not to update in two years. Not even a simple ‘recompile and submit’ that many apps would require.

The developers of the apps clearly don’t think of them as essential.

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