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Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

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Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#191

Post by dnissley »

mtgx wrote: post #107
at-fates-hands wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually would've thought the MS Windows Phone App Store would be even more fertile ground. Not sure how stringent their policies are, but a quick Google search only turned up a rejected Twitter content scraping app which was rejected. Not to mention if anybody needs more apps, its the Windows Phone App store.

The WP store is a little more relaxed than the iOS app store - but - it still doesn't have any way to sideload any apps, which means it's still up to Microsoft, a single central entity, to decide what apps you can install on your device. The same is true for any Metro apps.

Does the WP SDK give you the ability to sideload apps?

At the very least, WP is different from iOS in that their SDK is provided for free (using the express edition of Visual Studio).

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#192

Post by wtracy »

enraged_camel wrote: post #149

Unlike most of the posters in this thread, I don't think Apple's rejection of the app is political. Most likely, they want to protect themselves against future legal liability, since there is a risk that the US government (specifically the Department of Defense, or Department of Homeland Security) will question the legality of drone tracking programs if they haven't already.

This is a news aggregator. How can that be illegal in the US?

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#193

Post by biafra »

enraged_camel wrote: post #147
cageface wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd rather live in a world where grownups are allowed to make their own choices than in one where daddy decides what's best for everyone.

As long as the full ramifications of said decisions are clear, sure, allow people to make their own. But it's not possible to know at a glance what Android app is malicious and which is not. Even an application that looks legitimate and works legitimately may steal your data behind the curtain without you knowing, which is what usually happens anyway. This is why an approval process for the app store is good. It's tr…

If it looks legitimately and works legitimately it will pass the App store review and steal your data on iOS too. This already happened. And it is impossible for the App store reviewers to find all apps that do this. Even if they had the source code they would still need very skilled people to find malicious apps if someone tried to hide the maliciousness. This problem will never be solved. Even with a review process.

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#194

Post by biafra »

dnissley wrote: post #191
mtgx wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The WP store is a little more relaxed than the iOS app store - but - it still doesn't have any way to sideload any apps, which means it's still up to Microsoft, a single central entity, to decide what apps you can install on your device. The same is true for any Metro apps.

Does the WP SDK give you the ability to sideload apps? At the very least, WP is different from iOS in that their SDK is provided for free (using the express edition of Visual Studio).

No it doesn't. You have to register your phone as one of three with your developer program account which is 79$ per year. The difference to iOS is that your phone is then unlocked for every other developers app signature.

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#195

Post by Steko »

ucee054 wrote: post #176
Steko wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You build your billion dollar app store and you can run it the way you want.

Every comment you have made on this page has been in reply to someone's criticism of the App store's horrid policy . Every riposte you have given has been that Apple have the right to choose their policy. Yes, Apple may have a right to have a horrid policy. But that doesn't make the policy any less horrid . The horridness of the policy is the whole point . You have therefore missed the point every time, with every an…

I'm not missing the point, I'm contesting it. You're assuming the conclusion that the policy is horrid. No, that's what is under debate. I'm fine with the policy of not approving this app.

I'm sorry you came here to here a dittohead fest where everyone echo'd your views and didn't get it.

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#196

Post by Steko »

fpgeek wrote: post #183
Steko wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to live in a world where winning arguments are met with seeing your enemies driven before you and the lamentation of the womenfolk instead of moving goalposts but here we are. "grownups are allowed to make their own choices" Apple didn't force anyone to buy an iphone. It's always been a curated app market. Grownups should take responsibility for their decisions. If you want a wild west app market you should…

> Apple didn't force anyone to buy an iphone. After Apple has sued the top three Android OEMs in the US (Samsung, HTC and Motorola) and more competitors overseas that statement rings more than a little hollow.

Are Android phones not on sale in every telco store and kiosk where you live? Seems like a strawman argument. We all have choices:

You can buy Apple and use the iOS app store, you can buy Apple and jailbreak, you can buy dozens of different Android phones and use a number of different Android stores many of which are curated beyond what Apple does, you can buy WP7 and use that store (also heavily curated), you can buy a Blackberry and use that store (also curated), etc.

Everyone knows why Samsung got sued, even Google told them to change their design. Motorola sued Apple first and Apple sued HTC first. Nokia sued everyone before any of that but somehow only Apple is the big bad that's taken away everyone's ability to buy non-Apple phones.

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#197

Post by Steko »

cageface wrote: post #168
Steko wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Predatory? Misleading? Sure. Immoral? I'd say so. But unlike homophobes, I don't agree with censoring speech that I disagree with and forcing my beliefs on other people." Does this even follow? "Predatory" and "misleading" should be enough to remove the app in the first place -- you don't need to assume they removed it because they disagreed with its politics.

One man's "predatory and misleading" is another man's gospel truth. Putting the authority to decide who is right and wrong on these matters in the hands of a single, all-powerful arbiter is just begging for abuse.

"Putting the authority to decide who is right and wrong on these matters in the hands of a single, all-powerful arbiter is just begging for abuse."

For all of society yes but for one company's store, that's just how the free market works. Walmart like Apple and many other merchants decided they didn't want to sell porn in their store. If you're offended by this decision of theirs you are free to take your business elsewhere.

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#198

Post by Nicole060 »

eevilspock wrote: post #7

I think iOS is better than Android. I support the idea of a walled garden in principle (as long as it isn't a monopoly, and in this case it isn't. People can choose Android or others). But the free flow of honest information is fundamental to democracy. This is stupid and gutless editorial censorship on Apple's part (unless there's some detail about this story that I'm missing). I hope someone higher up sees this, re…

"I think iOS is better than Android."

That might've been true during the first few versions of Android but I don't think that's the case nowadays. I sold my iPad 2 and bought a Nexus 7 and I don't really miss anything. I certainly do NOT miss not being able to sideload software outside of an app store, or the lack of customization.

In fact I feel that the interface in Jelly Bean is an improvement over iOS in many ways. And it has stronger cloud support, I particularly like how it sync with my online, public Picasa galleries and the like.

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#199

Post by eevilspock »

fpgeek wrote: post #188
eevilspock wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you seem to propose as an alternative to monarchy is not democracy, but anarchy. No rules sounds great in principle... Even Linux has King Linus. And Android has King Page, Queen Rubin and a host of Lords (Verizon, AT&T, Samsung, etc). Don't kid yourself. Furthermore, we're talking about a product, a phone , not national governments or the sovereignty of citizens over them. Poor strawman.

> Even Linux has King Linus. Once upon a time (a few years ago), King Linus and his nobles weren't terribly happy with many of the technical decisions the Android team made. How did King Linus exercise his sovereignty? Did it stop the Android team from doing what they wanted?

You're missing the point. Linux would never have gotten to the point of being useful for Android if Linus Torvalds didn't have a benevolent dictatorship.

Anyway, if you are truly for freedom, support Apple's freedom to do things its way and Google's to do things its way. You can follow whichever one you want. Or did you want to dictate to me and millions of others that they can't choose a walled-garden such as Apple's if that's what we want?

You want to shove your preferred freedom down our throats?

Re: Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

#200

Post by cageface »

eevilspock wrote: post #199
fpgeek wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even Linux has King Linus. Once upon a time (a few years ago), King Linus and his nobles weren't terribly happy with many of the technical decisions the Android team made. How did King Linus exercise his sovereignty? Did it stop the Android team from doing what they wanted?

You're missing the point. Linux would never have gotten to the point of being useful for Android if Linus Torvalds didn't have a benevolent dictatorship. Anyway, if you are truly for freedom, support Apple's freedom to do things its way and Google's to do things its way. You can follow whichever one you want. Or did you want to dictate to me and millions of others that they can't choose a walled-garden such as Apple'…

You want to shove your preferred freedom down our throats?

Not at all. Make yourself right at home in your cozy walled garden. Just stop using bogus patent suits to drive the products I want to buy off the shelves and compete on features instead.

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