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Avoid the Apple App Store

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Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#131

Post by jamil7 »

badsectoracula wrote: post #104
jamil7 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would this look like practically? Say I want to port an iOS app to mobile linux? I know it's early days but what does the toolchain and distribution look like?

Aside from perhaps using some GNUstep classes for the non-visual parts, you'd need to separate the application's logic from its OS integration and then use whatever library you want to target. One way to go for it would be to make your app use Qt (which is also available on Linux) instead of iOS-specific functionality and then port that Qt app to Linux. But whatever you do, if your app is made for iOS (or any other s…

Thanks for the info, from a quick look it also seems as if some people have managed to get simple Flutter apps running so that looks promising.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#132

Post by dcow »

eps wrote: post #82
jonatanheyman wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's your opinion on the Minesweeper clones? Shouldn't they be allowed on the App Store? What about Scrabble? Or Tetris? Also - like the post says - the app is in Swedish with a Swedish dictionary. Wordle is unplayable for anyone who doesn't speak English. Point taken about the wording though, I've updated the blog post to say: "I figured I could make a Swedish Wordle-style game myself"

If Minesweeper, Scrabble or Tetris were the whirlwind phenomenon similar to Wordle, of which you made a clone trying to ride their coattails and had it rejected, then your question would've been relevant. But they are not, so it's just a random question only tangentially related and an answer that has very little to do with your situation.

The fact that Wordle is currently popular has nothing to do with the logic of the situation.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#133

Post by mrtranscendence »

Humdeee wrote: post #128
dcow wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the developer made a very clear case as to why they do not have a simple copycat experience. Please read the essay.

No, it's not a clear case. That's what the discussion is about. It's overemphasizing the differing features, and Apple seems to also think so. What you and OP think is evidently not what Apple and many other thinks. Please at least attempt to understand another perspective.

But there’s nothing illegal per se about duplicating the gameplay of Wordle. It should only be an issue when, say, assets are stolen, or if the developers use the similarity to Wordle to trick users into making in-app purchases.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#134

Post by sharkjacobs »

brightball wrote: post #90
vinceguidry wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think Apple is doing this because they care about you, gentle user, then you will get burned, eventually, probably really badly, and you won't even have any kind of inkling as to why or how you could have avoided it. Behind the cutesy facade is a rapacious, consumer-hostile monster. The facade is paper-thin, and it's only a matter of time until you rub it the wrong way and it flakes off, then the monster will…

Yep. I still can’t find several games that I purchased before simply because they are no longer in the App Store. There was a really solid iOS version of Final Fantasy VI/III, almost the entire catalog of games from Origin8 seems to be missing too. Would love to get them again but can’t for some reason.

> There was a really solid iOS version of Final Fantasy VI/III

Square stopped selling those in anticipation of upcoming remastered versions, but if you already bought them you can still download and install them, you can find them in "Purchased" in the App Store

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#135

Post by dcow »

CogitoCogito wrote: post #117
ninth_ant wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banning low-effort clones would make the App Store a better experience for me as a consumer. So the fact that Apple rejected this wordle clone makes me like the App Store more, not less. Obviously Apple isn’t 100% successful given the screenshot of other clones allowed in, but I hope they improve — not weaken — that process of weeding them out.

How could this be termed a low-effort clone when it's a different language?

With additional features and when no official app store Wordle app even exists. People need to read the essay.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#136

Post by theshrike79 »

pbronez wrote: post #52
openknot wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to own a Galaxy Tab S3, and it became horribly slow (a Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus released just the next year in 2018 was faster) after barely more than two years of use. This isn't an isolated case, as there are threads on Reddit documenting slowdowns (with more recent models) due to software updates [0][1]. In contrast, users report the iPad reliably lasting at least 5 years without noticeable slowdowns [2]. The…

It's hard to argue with Apple's specific design choices (locked down App Store) while also complaining that the competitor's device fails to deliver the same quality and experience. Apple's design choices around stuff like the app store are part of the package they use to deliver that superior experience. That's the tradeoff. IMHO, the solution is iOS on mobile, Windows on desktop and Linux on the server.

The old adage goes: macOS for work, windows for games, linux for servers :)

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#137

Post by ryandrake »

eps wrote: post #5

Well, this does look like a straight Wordle copy. It is also disingenious to say that's a copy of Lingo, when it's bloody obvious it's a Wordle clone. The fact that other clones were approved by Apple points at another issue.

> The fact that other clones were approved by Apple points at another issue.

It's also irrelevant when evaluating whether OP's app is also a clone. If 100 cars on the highway are speeding and I happen to be the one that gets pulled over, the judge isn't going to care that the cop didn't pull over the other 99 drivers.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#138

Post by Humdeee »

mrtranscendence wrote: post #129
Humdeee wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reigning in copycat developers is not a bad thing for the consumer base. Have an original idea and one with more effort than what could be summarized in a youtube tutorial and I don't see why they would reject. I don't want to discredit OP's 'hackathon' night of coding, but making a blog post because you paid the annual $100 and Apple rejects your mud that you threw at the wall hoping it would stick is why I like bei…

I don’t mind the App Store removing shameless copies. But games with distinct features (eg offering Swedish) and which don’t use anyone else’s intellectual property should probably not face such an uphill battle. Further, they only pay such attention to Wordle clones because they were publicly called out on it. Other clones, even ones that violate IP laws, still get a free pass. And it’s not as if they’ve stopped all…

I agree with this. I don't understand why some make it and some don't. I've said in a different comment that I believe if OP rolled the dice with a new app that didn't have copycat reject history, he has a decent chance to get it approved IMO.

Re: Avoid the Apple App Store

#139

Post by dcow »

endisneigh wrote: post #127

Make web apps. It’s that simple. People complain about the play store and the Apple App Store yet continue to submit apps there that don’t even require native functionality. Wordle went from web app to sold in what, two months? Native apps aren’t required. Make web apps and we need to unite and figure out a common distribution method. When a critical mass is reached - Google in particular - is incentivized to help ga…

The ops app actually does use native features. You can’t set timer reminders in a web app.
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