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Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

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Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#31

Post by saagarjha »

aaaaaaaaaab wrote: post #18

The Shortcuts devs seems to have taken the "act now, apologize later" approach. Another funny solution is how they implemented the "Add to Home screen" functionality: when you select "Add to Home screen" in the Shortcuts app, it opens a data:// URL in Safari, and you have to add it from there :D

> Another funny solution is how they implemented the "Add to Home screen" functionality: when you select "Add to Home screen" in the Shortcuts app, it opens a data:// URL in Safari, and you have to add it from there :D

Because, presumably, they do not have access to the private API to bypass this step yet–for third party apps the only way to add things to the homescreen is through Safari.

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#33

Post by beaconstudios »

huhtenberg wrote: post #29
fredley wrote: post #3

It's cool that Apple's using your stuff, it's not cool they're not giving you attribution. I'd add a JGuitar url and copyright notice to all your images, so that this is displayed in Apple's results, and also call a lawyer.

Apple essentially repackaged this guy's work, used it to enhance their own product in a way that all but eliminates any need to ever visit his website or even know it exists. Excellent.

not only that - he was grateful for them to do so!

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#34

Post by aaaaaaaaaab »

saagarjha wrote: post #31
aaaaaaaaaab wrote: post #18

The Shortcuts devs seems to have taken the "act now, apologize later" approach. Another funny solution is how they implemented the "Add to Home screen" functionality: when you select "Add to Home screen" in the Shortcuts app, it opens a data:// URL in Safari, and you have to add it from there :D

> Another funny solution is how they implemented the "Add to Home screen" functionality: when you select "Add to Home screen" in the Shortcuts app, it opens a data:// URL in Safari, and you have to add it from there :D Because, presumably, they do not have access to the private API to bypass this step yet–for third party apps the only way to add things to the homescreen is through Safari.

But Shortcuts is a first-party app. The developer is listed as "Apple" in the AppStore.

It used to be a third-party app called Workflow, but Apple acquired them early 2017. They had plenty of time to replace the Safari workaround with the proper private API.

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#35

Post by aaaaaaaaaab »

pelario wrote: post #26
aaaaaaaaaab wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As others have pointed out ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18038182 ) the Shortcuts app is a slightly rebranded version of the Workflow app that was acquihired by Apple early 2017. Looks like they launched Shortcuts without vetting their content.

In which sense does this fact make it better ? Not only weird, but to me this feels a careless attitude...

Absolutely. I didn't want to sound like an apologist! Just wanted to shed some light on how it might have made it into production.

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#36

Post by simonh »

batteryhorse wrote: post #2

If I were you I'd send them a cease and desist letter

That's assuming he wants them to cease and desist. Apparently he doesn't and thinks it's really cool.

Just because you can do a thing, it does not necessarily follow that one must do that thing.

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#37

Post by yAnonymous »

geoah wrote: post #6
fredley wrote: post #3

It's cool that Apple's using your stuff, it's not cool they're not giving you attribution. I'd add a JGuitar url and copyright notice to all your images, so that this is displayed in Apple's results, and also call a lawyer.

I really don't get why people suggest lawyers and c&d letters as step 1. Yes apple could have done this better and they should -- but why not just have a chat with apple before you go nuclear?

>I really don't get why people suggest lawyers and c&d letters as step 1.

Because that's exactly what Apple would do if you used their stuff without permission?

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#38

Post by robertlagrant »

aequitas wrote: post #10
geoah wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't get why people suggest lawyers and c&d letters as step 1. Yes apple could have done this better and they should -- but why not just have a chat with apple before you go nuclear?

I think a lot of people feel that if it was the other way around (people using Apple copyrighted material) they would get a lawyer on their ass in no time. However it is debatable since Apple is 'only' providing a template/example which the user must actively turn into a 'shortcut' to have this functionality. Or at least that's how I understand this feature works. Then again, I think Apple surely could do a better jo…

> However it is debatable since Apple is 'only' providing a template/example which the user must actively turn into a 'shortcut' to have this functionality. Or at least that's how I understand this feature works.

According to the linked site, this is a premade shortcut that Apple supplied, not something the user needs to create. Just click install and it works, was how I read it.

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#39

Post by atticmanatee »

pelario wrote: post #26
aaaaaaaaaab wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As others have pointed out ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18038182 ) the Shortcuts app is a slightly rebranded version of the Workflow app that was acquihired by Apple early 2017. Looks like they launched Shortcuts without vetting their content.

In which sense does this fact make it better ? Not only weird, but to me this feels a careless attitude...

Shortcuts/Workflow is just a out systems-like programming tool to interact with the web. That just like saying "how can Apple allow Xcode to download link from the internet."

Re: Thanks for the Surprise Integration with My Website, Apple

#40

Post by bryanrasmussen »

pelario wrote: post #26
aaaaaaaaaab wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As others have pointed out ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18038182 ) the Shortcuts app is a slightly rebranded version of the Workflow app that was acquihired by Apple early 2017. Looks like they launched Shortcuts without vetting their content.

In which sense does this fact make it better ? Not only weird, but to me this feels a careless attitude...

It turns out that corporations are not people, but are instead made up of people, and some of those people - especially when working together with lots of other people on projects - are prone to making stupid mistakes that make the corporation itself look stupid even though knowledge of what was being done might not have been purposefully present anywhere among the people responsible for the error.

I mean I've worked on projects where somebody got in some content and I said - hey you should probably vet that content and they said oh, oh I think it's okay because of X, and I said well are you sure because, well ok I'll check I asked and they said they think X is fine. Ok well whatever, I'm sure not going to fight over this thing for the next two weeks just to end up looking like a jerk at the end.

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