iPhone SDK Agreement Shuts Out HyperCard Clone

Halo1 writes "Demonstrating it's not just about Flash, Apple has officially rejected for the first time another alternative iPhone development environment following its controversial iPhone SDK Agreement changes. Even though RunRev proposed to retool its HyperCard-style development environment to directly expose all of the iPhone OS's APIs, Steve Jobs still rejected its proposal. The strength of RunRev's business case, with a large-scale iPad deployment project in education hinging on the availability of its tool, does not bode well for projects that have less commercial clout. Salient point: at last February's shareholders' meeting, Jobs went on the record saying that something like HyperCard on the iPad would be great, 'but someone would have to create it.'"

Comments

DRM, restrictions, outcry

[sopssa]

Just imagine the outcry if Microsoft banned all other development environments than Visual Studio and .NET from Windows. It would be hit with lawsuits and there would be tons of stories and tens of thousands of comments dissing MS on slashdot.

People also always cry about how consoles are locked down. Slashdotters cry about DRM, restrictions and not giving them control of the devices they buy.

But suddenly when it's Apple it's all ok. Why the hell?

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

It was a similar situation with 3G, copy and paste, and a plethora of other features that were added well after the fact. The fanboys claimed that they didn't want all of that. 3G drained the battery, copy and paste complicated the UI, etc. It's all about the Reality Distortion Field being pumped up to levels of recockulousness.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[Amarantine]

Just imagine the outcry if Microsoft banned all other development environments than Visual Studio and .NET from Windows. It would be hit with lawsuits and there would be tons of stories and tens of thousands of comments dissing MS on slashdot.

Well, good thing this isn't about desktop OS's, then, isn't it? In fact, coding for OS X is free and unrestricted, just as with Windows. On the other hand... You know that for Windows Mobile 7, apps need Microsoft's approval, don't you?

People also always cry about how consoles are locked down. Slashdotters cry about DRM, restrictions and not giving them control of the devices they buy.

But suddenly when it's Apple it's all ok. Why the hell?

Actually, i find it's the other way around. Nobody blinks an eye when Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo brings out a new line of consoles, vendor locked-in to the max, only running apps that require their approval and signature, a process which costs tens of thousands $$. But if Apple does it for their iPhone, bring out the tar and feathers!

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[rsborg]

Just imagine the outcry if Microsoft banned all other development environments than Visual Studio... But suddenly when it's Apple it's all ok. Why the hell?

First, Apple is not a convicted monopolist like Microsoft, second, I don't think this move is cool either, but it's totally legal.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[BlueKitties]

The problem is that the iPhone and iPad are becoming more or less general computing platforms. This isn't a matter of locking down a single, narrow media device, but a broad multi-purpose system. The iPad is a hell-ouv-lot more than a game console -- it has the potential to completely replace a laptop, depending on the user's needs. Apple is getting a foot-hold on our everyday computing needs, so when they lock down such devices they gain an unbelievable amount of control. If tomorrow, we all switched to Apple devices, we would literally have a technology Big Brother. It's not just a buzz phrase at this point, it's how Apple operates. They think they know best, and they are willing to use their power to get their way. Now, that doesn't mean it would be the end of the world or anything, but it would be a sad day for the tech industry. But hey, we can argue all we want online, I vote with my wallet (i.e. I will never buy anything with an Apple logo.) That is, at least, until I don't have much choice.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

Damn! The PC is irrelevant? When did this happen? Is it too late to sell all of mine? "Cloud Computing", slates, pads, etc. are all simply the latest flavors of the week. If you truly believe that the PC is going to become a niche product then I have a bridge in Alaska to sell to you.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

I don't give a damn if I need Apple's permission to sell apps in their store. As has been beaten to death here, it is their store. My problem is with them restricting 3rd party installations. If Windows takes the same route with Mobile 7 and doesn't allow manual installs then they'll be just as evil as Apple. This is tantamount to you being told that you can only purchase MP3s from iTunes despite the fact that your device is perfectly capable of handling music from a variety of sources. Jobs is simply afraid that if he gives consumers a choice it will undermine the lock-in that he is trying so desperately to complete.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

Would I be allowed to drive slowly down a street taking pictures of kids at a park as long as I wasn't a convicted pedophile? I don't care about Microsoft's past, what I care about is the frightening path that Apple is trying to force technology to follow in the present and the future.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[LWATCDR]

Actually I don't really care.
Apple isn't a monopoly and makes some really good stuff.
As a developer I don't care as I can pick what platform I want to work on.

I gave up passionately caring about a platform when the Amiga failed to get any traction when it was better in every way than the PC was.

Apple, Microsoft, Google, HP, Intel, and AMD are all just companies that I buy products from when I like them. They do not pay my bills.

Software patents "There should be no such thing" I care about.
The DMCA "stupid and harmful" I care about.
The RIAA and MPAA acting like an arm of the government I care about.

Apple telling people they can not sell iPorn or write in Flash for the iPhone? Who cares? Pick a different platform folks. These rules do not have the force of law and really have nothing to do with your rights or freedoms.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[Anonymous Coward]

they're lack of a monopoly is what makes it legal but it doesn't make it any more right

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[Mordok-DestroyerOfWo]

The problem is that in order to create a modern polished device, typically a large amount of money is needed for engineers and patent lawyers (don't even get me started on that). The only entities with those sorts of resources are the Microsofts and Apples of the world. I'm not asking Apple to open the floodgates and allow anybody to sell from their app store. All I'm asking is for them to let the consumer make the decision instead of unilaterally laying down the law.

Re:DRM, restrictions, outcry

[speculatrix]

there were plenty of good 3G chipsets around at the time where battery life would have been fine; I suspect that Apple's requirement for IP licensing and any lockdown mechanisms meant there wasn't a suitable 3G chipset.

Jobs wants 'hypercard' on the iPhone? Yeah right.

[Bearhouse]

Jobs went on the record saying that something like HyperCard on the iPad would be great, 'but someone would have to create it'.

This being the same Steve Jobs that effectively killed the original Apple Hypercard back in 2000?

Maybe that should have read, "something like HyperCard on the iPad would be great, but we would have to create it, otherwise it clearly would not be insanely great..."

Convicted Monopolist My Arse

[manekineko2]

I hate it when people trot out that tired convicted monopolist argument.

So if tomorrow the Supreme Court found Apple to be a monopolist with regards to smartphones (setting aside all plausibility arguments as to such, this is a hypothetical), I presume that would make you say what Apple is doing is wrong?

I somehow doubt that would be the case for most people that raise the convicted monopolist argument.

Legality is not the same as morality.

Long view

[manekineko2]

If we were all guaranteed with a crystal ball that Apple would forever remain a niche player and that the iPhone/iPad mobile ecosystem would not become the dominant paradigm of mobile computing, then I would agree with you. However, given Apple's current trajectory, this conclusion is by no means clear to me. So in the meantime, I am trying to prevent that from happening, but raising attention to the bad things that would happen if Apple's current growth continues unimpeded.

This is about rights and freedoms. Freedom of choice is meaningless if when the time comes to make a choice, there is only one thing to choose from.

Re:InformationWeek on Windows Phone 7's app store

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Android probably never will go down that route, and as a result, no matter how successful Android phones become in the market, Android apps will never be as successful as iPhone apps.

not true, Android Marketplace?

The only problem is convincing developers there's a market there, or that developing for generic devices with any number of different features is a good idea.