Apple Smacks Down iCommune

flipsidejones writes "Looks like Apple has killed iCommune. iCommune, as mentioned previously, allows users to share music libraries across a network from within iTunes. It seems the license for the iTunes plugin API does not allow for software-based plugins (only hardware: MP3 players, etc). Apple issued a 'Notice of Breach and Termination of License' to iCommune, who have since pulled the download. Something tells me that they won't be putting it back up anytime soon. Every time I forget about Mac OS X being proprietary, Apple does something to remind me." Well, in fairness, this could happen even if Mac OS X itself weren't proprietary, as iTunes still could be. For that matter, iCommune still is, too. Hm, none of that makes me feel any better ...

Comments

Re:Wow

[The Bungi]

I'm not saying Apple is better than Microsoft, or more or less evil than Microsoft. That's not my point.

My point is, every time Apple does something corporation-ish that is Evil and Stupid (as we understand that sort of thing) everyone just sorta ignores it. It's like "yeah, they're starting to be like [insert corporation name here] BUT hey, they have Darwin and iPod rocks, yipeee!".

I think OS X is incredible although I haven't used it that much - but it's still a closed OS running most closed software produced by a company that is in the business of competing and being profitable.

Who's Evil

[asscroft]

In this case Apple is evil because they are stifling innovation. Someone took the itunes software, wrote a plug in that a) worked, and b) did something cool, and Apple sweeps in and tells them they can't do this.

Can't - they did, it worked, it was cool and now it's gone.

Which means the next thing to happen in this chain of innovation never will.

If Gallelio had been like this we'd never have moved past those shitty ass helicopters he designed. Imagine a world without airplanes, rockets, spaceships, sattelites, helicopters and everything else we've built extending his IP.

selling stuff is fine, holding all of mankind back because you have a law that says you can is evil.

Should Apple be allowed to do this?

[be-fan]

Apple is the OS provider. They really shouldn't be making products (like all the iApps) and bundling them with their OS. Especially when they use legal bullshit to keep people from competing with the iApps.