3.3.1 … Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited).It simply does not make sense. Well, it makes sense from their business perspective, but not from the users and developers point of view. Users get less choice for apps, while developers are forced to use a particular environment which they may not be familiar with. Someone said that this is a move to prevent compilation of Flash applications into C (like Facebook has done with HipHop for PHP), a possible solution to get them running on the iPad.
Perception of software development is often confused from many people, so let's extend the metaphor to other fields, showing what would happen if this prohibition would be applied there:
- you're not allowed to edit images that will be displayed by Apple products with Photoshop (ops, Adobe). You shall use the iPencil instead and scan your drawings in a iJpeg, which is like a normal Jpeg but costs a dollar a piece.
- you're not allowed to write your PDF files displayed on Apple products with OpenOffice.org and export them in this format. You must use iWork (this one really exists.)
- you're not allowed to play musical instruments to produce songs that will be stored on the iPod or similar products. You must use GarageBand instead.
Of course I will continue not buying anything from Apple.
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7 comments:
*Yawn* ;-)
While I agree with your dislike of their "development policies" for some of their devices, I am still (and will continue to be) a happy consumer of their notebooks ;)
And I'm actually very happy about their stance against Adobe and Flash ;-) If there is a company I wholeheartedly dislike, its Adobe with their overpriced (yes, that from someone who buys Apple notebooks!!), monopolistic and more often than not even crappy software. That was my rant for the day ;)
What a stupid argument is that?
Today, I unsubscribe to your not so intellectual blog.
I am sure Apple has a good reason for the step they have taken, because they too are aware that they could be dragged to the court for anti-trust, monopolistic practices.
Check this from macrumors. It does make sense.
The primary reason for the change, say sources familiar with Apple's plans, is to support sophisticated new multitasking APIs in iPhone 4.0. The system will now be evaluating apps as they run in order to implement smart multitasking. It can't do this if apps are running within a runtime or are cross compiled with a foreign structure that doesn't behave identically to a native C/C++/Obj-C app.
"[The operating system] can't swap out resources, it can't pause some threads while allowing others to run, it can't selectively notify, etc. Apple needs full access to a properly-compiled app to do the pull off the tricks they are with this new OS," wrote one reader under the name Ktappe.
Fallout From Apple's Exclusion of Flash-to-iPhone Export Continues
You don't need to be a fanboy (or boi) to enjoy great products.
Nice post with a good potion of ironic. I like the iJPEG part :-)
Btw. where stands Apple today without the products of Adobe? In the 90's Photoshop was the killer app that was most used in DPT or Grafic companies, on an Apple computer.
bingo... why do you think they don't allow flash in Ipad?
I completely agree with you on Apple. I have never seen anyone who knows Linux on a good level using Apple.
Though I think that Apple's brainfucking population might be a good thing for developers. The less people know -more software sold.
Apple is more reliable than anything else, they know what and why they are exactly doing this. There might be some purpose behind this restriction and even I don't mind following their this decision for iPhone 4.0.
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