Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content' • Hacker News Board

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#21

Post by vetinari » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:34 PM UTC

jmull wrote: post #12

pentae wrote: post #2

Ahh the app store. It's just like the internet, except the websites are mini apps, and a mega corporation gets to control whats on it. And takes 30% of everything you make. Brilliant.

I'm not sure why anyone argues against Apple's 30% cut like this. It's app developers who make the determination whether the cost is worth the benefit. As you point out, there are alternatives. Why do you think developers have massively and overwhelmingly opted-in?

Exactly, similarly, I'm not sure why anyone argues against the troll watching the bridge. It's the travelers who make the determination whether the price is worth crossing the bridge.

After all, there are alternatives to bridges, why do the travelers opt to pay the fee?

-- Obviously, /s

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#22

Post by pjc50 » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:35 PM UTC

jmull wrote: post #12

pentae wrote: post #2

Ahh the app store. It's just like the internet, except the websites are mini apps, and a mega corporation gets to control whats on it. And takes 30% of everything you make. Brilliant.

I'm not sure why anyone argues against Apple's 30% cut like this. It's app developers who make the determination whether the cost is worth the benefit. As you point out, there are alternatives. Why do you think developers have massively and overwhelmingly opted-in?

Please explain how developers can ship native iOS apps outside of the store?

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#23

Post by cma » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:36 PM UTC

jmull wrote: post #12

pentae wrote: post #2

Ahh the app store. It's just like the internet, except the websites are mini apps, and a mega corporation gets to control whats on it. And takes 30% of everything you make. Brilliant.

I'm not sure why anyone argues against Apple's 30% cut like this. It's app developers who make the determination whether the cost is worth the benefit. As you point out, there are alternatives. Why do you think developers have massively and overwhelmingly opted-in?

Because of network effects outside of anyone's control?

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#24

Post by djsumdog » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:36 PM UTC

jmull wrote: post #12

pentae wrote: post #2

Ahh the app store. It's just like the internet, except the websites are mini apps, and a mega corporation gets to control whats on it. And takes 30% of everything you make. Brilliant.

I'm not sure why anyone argues against Apple's 30% cut like this. It's app developers who make the determination whether the cost is worth the benefit. As you point out, there are alternatives. Why do you think developers have massively and overwhelmingly opted-in?

> are alternatives

Are there? Really? No, they're not. No one who isn't in tech is going to install F-droid. Few people will uninstall untrusted sources, or even know what that is. Fewer Apple users than ever jailbreak their phones.

For over 90% of the market, no, there are no alternatives (other than a mobile website). Due to the non-standard nature of ARM and SoC/binary drivers, we don't even have a real alternative OS for old Android devices that's universal like most Linux distros on the PC in the 90s (although PostmarketOS is making some huge strides in this area).

30% is an insane cut. Bandcamp sells music with a 15% cut, literally half of Amazon/Google/Apple. I always prefer it because I know the band gets more money and I get a higher quality version of the song without a patent encumbered codec (FLAC and OGG downloads are supported).

But no, there are no real alternatives. AppStore/Play are bastardizations of the software repo concept from Linux.

If Google Play was a real package managers, it'd keep standardize shared jar files across apps (dependencies to reduce massive app size) either by mirroring maven repos and signing dependencies or creating their own system, and they'd also allow for easily adding 3rd party app trees.

Both Apple and Google are closed walled gardens, where everything you need has to be contained in your bloated package, and where their corporate overlords get final approval of what is in and out.

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#25

Post by pastastickers » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:37 PM UTC

jbigelow76 wrote: post #19

pastastickers wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how much does it cost to build and maintain your own domain, storage, delivery/updates infrastructure and billing system? Oh, and how about marketing for your app?

The app stores market your app for you? Ha!

Apple’s ‘App of the Day’ featuring boosts downloads by 1747%, games by 792%[1]

[1] https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/24/apples-app-of-the-day-feat...

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#26

Post by vinay427 » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:37 PM UTC

danpalmer wrote: post #6

pentae wrote: post #2

Ahh the app store. It's just like the internet, except the websites are mini apps, and a mega corporation gets to control whats on it. And takes 30% of everything you make. Brilliant.

Ahh the App Store. It's just like the Play Store, except no viruses, far fewer scam apps, and there's a legitimate and thriving market for paid apps.

The app stores you mentioned are inextricably to their respective operating systems. The problems with the Play Store are a compromise I'm willing to deal with so I can easily install apps using alternative app stores or none at all.

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#27

Post by ceejayoz » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:38 PM UTC

pjc50 wrote: post #22

jmull wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure why anyone argues against Apple's 30% cut like this. It's app developers who make the determination whether the cost is worth the benefit. As you point out, there are alternatives. Why do you think developers have massively and overwhelmingly opted-in?

Please explain how developers can ship native iOS apps outside of the store?

I think the point was they're free not to ship iOS apps.

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#28

Post by thanatropism » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:38 PM UTC

Every social network has a "weird" subset. "Weird facebook" is circularly-referencing visual memes. Weird Telegram is people who mix their Deleuze and Bataille and come up with something like the Andy Kaufmann version of witchcraft mysticism.

I mean, it's awesome.

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#29

Post by djsumdog » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:39 PM UTC

kevin_b_er wrote: post #18

Secure communication is not possible on iOS because Apple does not permit it. This is an accurate statement. Apple demands that Telegram be able to monitor and block "inappropriate" content. Therefor, secure communication is impossible on iOS. Apple has further demanded that developers of communications services spy on their users by "monitoring" them. Tell me again how Apple supposedly respects privacy?

Are there no end-to-end encrypted communication apps in the Apple store/iOS? I know it's an option (that no one uses) in Facebook.

It's kinda ironic since Apple refused to break encryption on their own devices for the FBI.

Re: Telegram removed from the App Store for 'inappropriate content'

#30

Post by zeveb » Thu, Feb 01, 2018, 3:42 PM UTC

jmull wrote: post #12

pentae wrote: post #2

Ahh the app store. It's just like the internet, except the websites are mini apps, and a mega corporation gets to control whats on it. And takes 30% of everything you make. Brilliant.

I'm not sure why anyone argues against Apple's 30% cut like this. It's app developers who make the determination whether the cost is worth the benefit. As you point out, there are alternatives. Why do you think developers have massively and overwhelmingly opted-in?

> As you point out, there are alternatives.

Not if you want to build a secure system which runs on an iPhone, there aren't. JavaScript crypto is fundamentally insecure; the only secure option is a native client.