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Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

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Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#11

Post by jsz0 »

sachinag wrote: post #2

The iPhone is a terrible platform for the vast, vast majority of developers. The process of getting on board, promotion, and success is a total black hole. First movers such as ngmoco and Tapulous have done well; people with better apps - for free - have failed. Maaaaaaaybe 3.0 makes it easier for niche plays to work; certainly, as far as I can tell, add-on payments aren't supported in Palm's marketplace. I do think…

Or perhaps people really just don't care that much? You'd think if it was so terrible people would not develop for it. The fact it continues to grow and arguably flourish is a pretty good indication there's more good than bad.

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#12

Post by [deleted] »

jsz0 wrote: post #11
sachinag wrote: post #2

The iPhone is a terrible platform for the vast, vast majority of developers. The process of getting on board, promotion, and success is a total black hole. First movers such as ngmoco and Tapulous have done well; people with better apps - for free - have failed. Maaaaaaaybe 3.0 makes it easier for niche plays to work; certainly, as far as I can tell, add-on payments aren't supported in Palm's marketplace. I do think…

Or perhaps people really just don't care that much? You'd think if it was so terrible people would not develop for it. The fact it continues to grow and arguably flourish is a pretty good indication there's more good than bad.

[deleted]

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#13

Post by rbanffy »

jodrellblank wrote: post #8
zacharypinter wrote: post #6

I have no objection to Apple running an official App Store with strict rules for compliance. I don't even mind that they take a cut of the profits. However, I find it utterly reprehensible that Apple doesn't allow developers to distribute their applications on their own. iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased.

iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased. Why? It's such an entrenched idea, but you don't get to rewrite paragraphs of books, or scenes in films, or suits in a pack of playing cards or the firmware in your alarm clock. The iPhone is sold as is, why should we expect to use it any differently?

There is a fundamental difference. It's not like rewriting parts of your book, but about preventing you from using your book as a monitor stand when you no longer want to read it.

The iPhone and iPod Touch are, unlike the average alarm clock, single purpose machines implemented on top of general purpose ones. I see many good reasons to want to change the firmware, use your own iPhone on your carrier and pay full price for unlocked units. If it's yours you should be allowed to do anything with it.

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#14

Post by GHFigs »

zacharypinter wrote: post #6

I have no objection to Apple running an official App Store with strict rules for compliance. I don't even mind that they take a cut of the profits. However, I find it utterly reprehensible that Apple doesn't allow developers to distribute their applications on their own. iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased.

iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased.

They can. It is the iPhone OS, which they do not own, that does not support this.

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#15

Post by thras »

jodrellblank wrote: post #8
zacharypinter wrote: post #6

I have no objection to Apple running an official App Store with strict rules for compliance. I don't even mind that they take a cut of the profits. However, I find it utterly reprehensible that Apple doesn't allow developers to distribute their applications on their own. iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased.

iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased. Why? It's such an entrenched idea, but you don't get to rewrite paragraphs of books, or scenes in films, or suits in a pack of playing cards or the firmware in your alarm clock. The iPhone is sold as is, why should we expect to use it any differently?

Come on. Playing card companies don't spend money and time to restrict the "playing card platform." Alarm clocks don't even have firmware to restrict and alarm clock companies don't care one way or another if their users take them apart and mess with the circuit boards.

Apple, on the other hand, has worked pretty damn hard to restrict their customers from being able to install their own software. That is very much a "fuck you" direct from Steve Jobs.

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#16

Post by Zev »

sachinag wrote: post #2

The iPhone is a terrible platform for the vast, vast majority of developers. The process of getting on board, promotion, and success is a total black hole. First movers such as ngmoco and Tapulous have done well; people with better apps - for free - have failed. Maaaaaaaybe 3.0 makes it easier for niche plays to work; certainly, as far as I can tell, add-on payments aren't supported in Palm's marketplace. I do think…

But they act like jerks.

With the exception of the session that is mentioned in this article, I'm going to have to disagree.

To counter with my own anecdote in here, I work on a few apps (mac and iphone) and every time I went down to a lab to talk to an engineer directly, I was able to get help and have my problem solved. Issues ranged from bugs in Apple's code (with 10.6, and will be fixed by release) to App Portal/App ID issues, to bugs in my own code.

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#17

Post by [deleted] »

jodrellblank wrote: post #8
zacharypinter wrote: post #6

I have no objection to Apple running an official App Store with strict rules for compliance. I don't even mind that they take a cut of the profits. However, I find it utterly reprehensible that Apple doesn't allow developers to distribute their applications on their own. iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased.

iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased. Why? It's such an entrenched idea, but you don't get to rewrite paragraphs of books, or scenes in films, or suits in a pack of playing cards or the firmware in your alarm clock. The iPhone is sold as is, why should we expect to use it any differently?

[deleted]

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#18

Post by Zev »

tlrobinson wrote: post #9
madair wrote: post #3

Isn't making an NDA for a conference talk about publishing to the app store quite a big fat fuck you too? Seriously, how much more of this Apple-flagellation are you peeps gonna accept?!?? (Yes _flagellation_.)

I think most (if not all) talks at WWDC are covered by NDA, and have been in recent memory. It's just Apple's style.

Indeed. IIRC, even Stump the Experts was covered by NDA this year — and that definitely doesn't cover anything new.

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#19

Post by zacharypinter »

jodrellblank wrote: post #8
zacharypinter wrote: post #6

I have no objection to Apple running an official App Store with strict rules for compliance. I don't even mind that they take a cut of the profits. However, I find it utterly reprehensible that Apple doesn't allow developers to distribute their applications on their own. iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased.

iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased. Why? It's such an entrenched idea, but you don't get to rewrite paragraphs of books, or scenes in films, or suits in a pack of playing cards or the firmware in your alarm clock. The iPhone is sold as is, why should we expect to use it any differently?

That's a valid question.

I tend to take it as a given, considering that the iPhone is essentially a miniature computer and the past decade or so has thrived on customizable, hackable personal computers.

Apple has always wanted to assert extra control on the products they ship. With Mac's, they've controlled the hardware. Now they're trying to control the software. Imagine a version of OS X where every application had to be approved. Does that not strike you as horribly wrong? I wouldn't want to use an operating system with those restrictions, though I imagine the best response to such an OS would be to not purchase it.

Re: Apple’s WWDC-Closing ‘Fuck You’ to iPhone Developers

#20

Post by GHFigs »

rbanffy wrote: post #13
jodrellblank wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iPhone owners should be able to install whatever they want on the device they purchased. Why? It's such an entrenched idea, but you don't get to rewrite paragraphs of books, or scenes in films, or suits in a pack of playing cards or the firmware in your alarm clock. The iPhone is sold as is, why should we expect to use it any differently?

There is a fundamental difference. It's not like rewriting parts of your book, but about preventing you from using your book as a monitor stand when you no longer want to read it. The iPhone and iPod Touch are, unlike the average alarm clock, single purpose machines implemented on top of general purpose ones. I see many good reasons to want to change the firmware, use your own iPhone on your carrier and pay full pric…

It's not like rewriting parts of your book, but about preventing you from using your book as a monitor stand when you no longer want to read it.

Bad example. Apple does nothing to prevent you from using an iPhone as a monitor stand, doorstop, hammer, frisbee, or whatever else. The limitations that people complain about all have to do with the software, which like the contents of the book, you do not own.

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