Cross compiler = Apps can be coded once and with minor adjustments can run on a plethora of devices. Native compiler = Apps on iDevices only.
If you want to protect your high margin profits, what option would you pick? Knowing that your competition doesn't give a shit about high margins (just look at all the 0$ android smartphones with contracts vs 200$ iPhone with same contracts, at least in Canada)?
If people have the majority of the apps developped for AppStore available on BB, Android or WM7 phones, what stops them from switching?
To prevent horrible, battery-sucking shovelware from showing up on the iPhone/iPad.
You never looked in the AppStore right? For every decent app there are at least 500 garbage apps out there.
Apple does not want its users having unsatisfactory experiences playing their Flash games, and then subsequently blaming Apple for the bad UI.
Because iTunes for Windows and the plethora of crapware in AppStore is such an amazing user experience?
You can debate the morality of what Apple is doing (personally, I think it sucks) but the reasons are pretty clear
Apple is lying why they don't want to allow cross compilers. The reason is simple: lock in users to maintain the very high profit margins on iDevices. Nothing to do with quality of cross compiled and/or flash apps nor user experience.
That sure helps with application defined 16 x 16 pixel ToolStripButton objects that drop down when you click a tiny arrow, or something silly as the close tab button on (insert tabbed document supporting application). On the plus side, hey, I get some gigantic text in my face with huge menus and gigantic window frames just to waste even more desktop real estate, yet my gripe that apps aren't written for touch screens still stands. Seriously, ever tried using a touch screen PC running windows without touching a fricking mouse and/or keyboard? When you do that, fire up Android/ChromeOS/iPhoneOS device and use the device. And then tell me Windows 7 touch interface needs only a bump in text and window frame size.
I have an MSI Wind all in one touch screen PC running Windows 7, and I understand perfectly why HP dumped Windows 7: it wasn't built for touch interfaces, period. The simple task of logging into the touch screen PC is a monster task, stuff like right click is clumsy, some gestures are all right but it's not made for touch screen. Also, a lot of interface elements are just too damn tiny, good luck selecting a tiny arrow from a drop down button that is about 22 x 22 pixels with arrow being about maybe 4 pixels. We pretty much stopped using the touch interface for our kitchen computer and just have a wireless mouse close by, and we don't do complex tasks on it, mainly some web surfing, online videos and XBMC.
I am pretty sure HP had other reasons too, possible battery life, need for more memory and storage, but I think the main reason for the dump was the awful interface. When you compare Windows 7 touch interface with other OSes, it is like comparing a Russian Lada (Win7) to a Bugatti Veyron (iPhone/Chrome/Android/WebOS).
He got modded down because he is clueless. Apple App Store was never intended to be profitable. That said, the high markup on iDevices makes up for it. Yes there are a huge number of games on App Store but its there to fuel the iDevice sales so that people won't have any incentives to switch to Android or WM7 (when it's out). Apple can say: Hey! We got 200k Apps! Buy our iDevices because if you go with Android they got only 50k!
It's all about keep selling high markup iDevices. To achieve that they need to make sure to have a lock-in. Lock in is achieved by making sure developers only code for your platform. Ballmer's "Developers! Developers! Developers!" might have been funny, but that is exactly what Apple is aiming for. Video lock-in won't work because it's H.264 and other big players can/will just as well sell H.264 format videos.
When 40% or so your profit comes from iDevices, and a fraction of that from AppStore and/or iTunes, you want to protect your iDevice markup. If Apple allows cross compilers, guess what? People won't be 'loyal' to Apple and will migrate to Android, BB or WM7 devices because their apps are on those platforms as well. The iPhone becomes a commodity, and Apple's profits crater. It's about software lock-in and not about content lock in.
I definitely agree with you, non IE browser or non Windows OS is the best way to go and of course not running as root (whatever OS you pick). However, even if GP switches his family to let's say Firefox, and they still run the PC as administrators, one drive by Flash or Java install and the PC is hosed. IMO, with current market share of Windows and the way people use it (as administrators), the single most effective way to cutting out infection vectors is not running your PC as admin. Even bigshot security fellows agree.
An infected account is magnitudes easier to deal with than an infected PC. Just nuke the account, create a new one and voilà! Problem solved. Plus the majority of malware is still written by the assumption that user has administrator rights. Not saying it won't change in the future... I am guessing once the easy admin access is gone, maybe malware writers will focus on privilege escalation.
because they kept getting new spyware every month.
They shouldn't run their PCs as administrators. So changing browser didn't really solve anything, the moment Opera is targeted by hackers, you are back to square one. Remove the ability of your family to run Windows as administrators and they can use whatever browser they want and they'll be much safer.
Why does everyone think this has anything to do with technical issues? This is all about lock in, 100% pure business move.
Apple doesn't want cross compilers because that makes the iPhone just another smartphone because everyone and their dogs will be writing code for smartphones, not iPhones exclusively. Apple has to maintain the image of the iPhone to be unique, not just the 'PC' of smartphones. If cross compiling is allowed, and a person is fed up with the iPhone, nothing stops him/her/it to switch to a WM7, RIM or Android phone. Why? Because the software is probably available on those systems. Now, if some developers will stay iPhone exclusive because of the hassle of maintaining two codebases (One CS5 cross compilable and one Apple approved), people will have harder time to migrate to other platforms because their precious software only runs on iPhone OS. Why don't people switch to Linux en masse? MS Office + DirectX. Apple wants the exact same platform lock in for smarphones as the one Microsoft has achieved for PCs.
Führer Jobs is shit scared of Android, that's why the new draconian developer restrictions (and HTC patent suits), not because some [insert technical excuse here]. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view) Adobe is going to be collateral damage unless Flash on Android/ChromeOS takes off heavily. Jobs wants to stop the Android momentum at all cost, because if he doesn't, iPhone will be the 'Mac' and Android will be the 'PC'.
I read about the the technology behind it, but I don't see why Opera made all this hoopla about a crippled browser other than trying to pick a fight with Apple and look like the victim. Poor little Opera being bullied by big bad Apple! IMO, it was nothing but a failed PR stunt. As a user I see no reason to use Opera Mini over Safari Mobile on iPhone. None.
If it was about control then they wouldn't be promoting Flash's replacement for the iPad and iPhone. It really is about performance.
Apple has learned the hard way the platform lock in Microsoft was able to achieve. This is the main reason Flash and Flash compiled into Obj-C will never be allowed on iPhone. Performance and other technical excuses are just that, lame excuses. Apple doesn't want apps that can be either ported easily to other handhelds (CS5) or already run on other handhelds (Java or Flash). If they allow this, nothing will stop people from ditching their iPhones when their contracts expire and get an Android or WP7 phone, because the developers would develop cross platform and people would be able to jump ship easy. It's all about lock in.
So why all the "Oh no! Evil Overlord Jobs will never approve it!" hype? They made such a big deal about the approval process of this app, it even included a press release. WTF? What does it bring to the table when you got something like Safari Mobile on the iPhone already?
But what Opera Mini does helps greatly anyway as far as "faster, more pleasant browsing" goes; that's one of its selling points.
More pleasant? I don't that word means what you think it means. I loaded up GMail on Opera Mini and I almost threw up. You know, I would expect from a browser company that strives for openness and whatnot to at least include a browser capable of doing javascript properly. Oh and yes, it's faster... because it doesn't have proper javascript support!
Avoid the waste of time downloading it, Opera Mini is a monkey feces.
What killed PC gaming is more and more titles becoming carbon copies of each other with little room for "being different".
How is this different from console games? Most major console games are either this year's version of last year's sports game or a 3D action/adventure game. I see console games today as the over saturated RTS market of PC games at the turn of the century. There are a few interesting games, but most of the time I walk into EB Games and stare at the wall of games, I have hard time finding one that I would bother trying. Mind you, it's the same thing for PC games. When you take a step back and look objectively (other than better graphics, sound), what's the difference between Tomb Raider (circa 1997) and God of War III? Or Syndicate and Valkyria Chronicles? Or Galactic Civilizations (OS2 version) and Civilization V? Or Warcraft I and Supreme Commander 2? Or [insert old school RPG] and [insert new RPG]? Or [insert old school FPS] and [insert new FPS]? Nothing, same stuff but better graphics, sounds and very minor game tweaks, be that PC or console.
And yet, your post seems to show that advertising was working on you:
. Perfect. The ad gave you knowledge of a product you were unaware of before. That's the whole point of advertising.
I remember Google going from small startup to a gigantic behemoth because they spewed forth a metric fuckton of irrelevant and highly annoying ads in flash.
Take this an anecdote or whatever, just for the kicks I whitelisted Ars Technica.
For about 100 or so page loads: - The majority of the ads are for GQ magazine. I didn't even know what the fuck that was before clicking on the link. And no Ars, I don't give a shit what the fuck Kobe Bryant is wearing neither do I care how Pierce Brosnan is having more fun that me. Also, why am I bombarded with GQ ads in the hardware section of the site? - I had 3 annoying Gilette ads about their Fusion razor. Full blown flash with sound. How is this relevant to a tech/geek site? Ars, I really don't care what razor a douchebag steroid abusing baseball player uses. No really, I don't. - I get a metric fuckton of ads for Wired magazine, already on their RSS feed, more irrelevant ads. - I got about 10 or so Microsoft ads about some 'Business Synergy Client Focused' gobbledygook. What the shit? Oh and it's animated flash bogging down my machine. - I got about 5 or so ads that didn't load completely, I can't even make out what the fuck they are. Trying to connect to some backwater adserver, great way to make sure the page will take years to load.
Why can't I get ads I would be even remotely interested in? Gadgets deals, hardware deals, game deals, interesting bands, interesting books... you know... geek stuff? I don't care about fucking GQ, I am not "GQ", never will be.
Slashdot Mirror
I guess you didn't bother checking out this or this.
Do I have to draw a picture? Again?
Cross compiler = Apps can be coded once and with minor adjustments can run on a plethora of devices.
Native compiler = Apps on iDevices only.
If you want to protect your high margin profits, what option would you pick? Knowing that your competition doesn't give a shit about high margins (just look at all the 0$ android smartphones with contracts vs 200$ iPhone with same contracts, at least in Canada)?
If people have the majority of the apps developped for AppStore available on BB, Android or WM7 phones, what stops them from switching?
Nothing. And this is what Apple is afraid of.
Slightly off topic ... MediaMonkey, one of the best music organizers. Check it out, especially if you think iTunes sucks.
To prevent horrible, battery-sucking shovelware from showing up on the iPhone/iPad.
You never looked in the AppStore right? For every decent app there are at least 500 garbage apps out there.
Apple does not want its users having unsatisfactory experiences playing their Flash games, and then subsequently blaming Apple for the bad UI.
Because iTunes for Windows and the plethora of crapware in AppStore is such an amazing user experience?
You can debate the morality of what Apple is doing (personally, I think it sucks) but the reasons are pretty clear
Apple is lying why they don't want to allow cross compilers. The reason is simple: lock in users to maintain the very high profit margins on iDevices. Nothing to do with quality of cross compiled and/or flash apps nor user experience.
Disclosure: I have an iPhone 3Gs.
That sure helps with application defined 16 x 16 pixel ToolStripButton objects that drop down when you click a tiny arrow, or something silly as the close tab button on (insert tabbed document supporting application). On the plus side, hey, I get some gigantic text in my face with huge menus and gigantic window frames just to waste even more desktop real estate, yet my gripe that apps aren't written for touch screens still stands. Seriously, ever tried using a touch screen PC running windows without touching a fricking mouse and/or keyboard? When you do that, fire up Android/ChromeOS/iPhoneOS device and use the device. And then tell me Windows 7 touch interface needs only a bump in text and window frame size.
I have an MSI Wind all in one touch screen PC running Windows 7, and I understand perfectly why HP dumped Windows 7: it wasn't built for touch interfaces, period. The simple task of logging into the touch screen PC is a monster task, stuff like right click is clumsy, some gestures are all right but it's not made for touch screen. Also, a lot of interface elements are just too damn tiny, good luck selecting a tiny arrow from a drop down button that is about 22 x 22 pixels with arrow being about maybe 4 pixels. We pretty much stopped using the touch interface for our kitchen computer and just have a wireless mouse close by, and we don't do complex tasks on it, mainly some web surfing, online videos and XBMC.
I am pretty sure HP had other reasons too, possible battery life, need for more memory and storage, but I think the main reason for the dump was the awful interface. When you compare Windows 7 touch interface with other OSes, it is like comparing a Russian Lada (Win7) to a Bugatti Veyron (iPhone/Chrome/Android/WebOS).
Yes barely.
He got modded down because he is clueless. Apple App Store was never intended to be profitable. That said, the high markup on iDevices makes up for it. Yes there are a huge number of games on App Store but its there to fuel the iDevice sales so that people won't have any incentives to switch to Android or WM7 (when it's out). Apple can say: Hey! We got 200k Apps! Buy our iDevices because if you go with Android they got only 50k!
It's all about keep selling high markup iDevices. To achieve that they need to make sure to have a lock-in. Lock in is achieved by making sure developers only code for your platform. Ballmer's "Developers! Developers! Developers!" might have been funny, but that is exactly what Apple is aiming for. Video lock-in won't work because it's H.264 and other big players can/will just as well sell H.264 format videos.
When 40% or so your profit comes from iDevices, and a fraction of that from AppStore and/or iTunes, you want to protect your iDevice markup. If Apple allows cross compilers, guess what? People won't be 'loyal' to Apple and will migrate to Android, BB or WM7 devices because their apps are on those platforms as well. The iPhone becomes a commodity, and Apple's profits crater. It's about software lock-in and not about content lock in.
I definitely agree with you, non IE browser or non Windows OS is the best way to go and of course not running as root (whatever OS you pick). However, even if GP switches his family to let's say Firefox, and they still run the PC as administrators, one drive by Flash or Java install and the PC is hosed. IMO, with current market share of Windows and the way people use it (as administrators), the single most effective way to cutting out infection vectors is not running your PC as admin. Even bigshot security fellows agree.
An infected account is magnitudes easier to deal with than an infected PC. Just nuke the account, create a new one and voilà! Problem solved. Plus the majority of malware is still written by the assumption that user has administrator rights. Not saying it won't change in the future ... I am guessing once the easy admin access is gone, maybe malware writers will focus on privilege escalation.
because they kept getting new spyware every month.
They shouldn't run their PCs as administrators. So changing browser didn't really solve anything, the moment Opera is targeted by hackers, you are back to square one. Remove the ability of your family to run Windows as administrators and they can use whatever browser they want and they'll be much safer.
Yes you can.
Why does everyone think this has anything to do with technical issues? This is all about lock in, 100% pure business move.
Apple doesn't want cross compilers because that makes the iPhone just another smartphone because everyone and their dogs will be writing code for smartphones, not iPhones exclusively. Apple has to maintain the image of the iPhone to be unique, not just the 'PC' of smartphones. If cross compiling is allowed, and a person is fed up with the iPhone, nothing stops him/her/it to switch to a WM7, RIM or Android phone. Why? Because the software is probably available on those systems. Now, if some developers will stay iPhone exclusive because of the hassle of maintaining two codebases (One CS5 cross compilable and one Apple approved), people will have harder time to migrate to other platforms because their precious software only runs on iPhone OS. Why don't people switch to Linux en masse? MS Office + DirectX. Apple wants the exact same platform lock in for smarphones as the one Microsoft has achieved for PCs.
Führer Jobs is shit scared of Android, that's why the new draconian developer restrictions (and HTC patent suits), not because some [insert technical excuse here]. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view) Adobe is going to be collateral damage unless Flash on Android/ChromeOS takes off heavily. Jobs wants to stop the Android momentum at all cost, because if he doesn't, iPhone will be the 'Mac' and Android will be the 'PC'.
Disclosure: I have an iPhone 3GS.
Sue Sony for PS3 lockdown too. And Nintendo for Wii lockdown and Microsoft for XBox 360 and future WP7 phones and so on.
I read about the the technology behind it, but I don't see why Opera made all this hoopla about a crippled browser other than trying to pick a fight with Apple and look like the victim. Poor little Opera being bullied by big bad Apple! IMO, it was nothing but a failed PR stunt. As a user I see no reason to use Opera Mini over Safari Mobile on iPhone. None.
If it was about control then they wouldn't be promoting Flash's replacement for the iPad and iPhone. It really is about performance.
Apple has learned the hard way the platform lock in Microsoft was able to achieve. This is the main reason Flash and Flash compiled into Obj-C will never be allowed on iPhone. Performance and other technical excuses are just that, lame excuses. Apple doesn't want apps that can be either ported easily to other handhelds (CS5) or already run on other handhelds (Java or Flash). If they allow this, nothing will stop people from ditching their iPhones when their contracts expire and get an Android or WP7 phone, because the developers would develop cross platform and people would be able to jump ship easy. It's all about lock in.
So why all the "Oh no! Evil Overlord Jobs will never approve it!" hype? They made such a big deal about the approval process of this app, it even included a press release. WTF? What does it bring to the table when you got something like Safari Mobile on the iPhone already?
But what Opera Mini does helps greatly anyway as far as "faster, more pleasant browsing" goes; that's one of its selling points.
More pleasant? I don't that word means what you think it means. I loaded up GMail on Opera Mini and I almost threw up. You know, I would expect from a browser company that strives for openness and whatnot to at least include a browser capable of doing javascript properly. Oh and yes, it's faster ... because it doesn't have proper javascript support!
Avoid the waste of time downloading it, Opera Mini is a monkey feces.
What killed PC gaming is more and more titles becoming carbon copies of each other with little room for "being different".
How is this different from console games? Most major console games are either this year's version of last year's sports game or a 3D action/adventure game. I see console games today as the over saturated RTS market of PC games at the turn of the century. There are a few interesting games, but most of the time I walk into EB Games and stare at the wall of games, I have hard time finding one that I would bother trying. Mind you, it's the same thing for PC games. When you take a step back and look objectively (other than better graphics, sound), what's the difference between Tomb Raider (circa 1997) and God of War III? Or Syndicate and Valkyria Chronicles? Or Galactic Civilizations (OS2 version) and Civilization V? Or Warcraft I and Supreme Commander 2? Or [insert old school RPG] and [insert new RPG]? Or [insert old school FPS] and [insert new FPS]? Nothing, same stuff but better graphics, sounds and very minor game tweaks, be that PC or console.
At least UMG appears to be slowly realizing that it's adapt-or-die time.
I was exited a bit, until I read the list of artists they have signed. 99% of it is commercial garbage I wouldn't even bother downloading.
Is there anything that the government runs that really functions correctly/efficiently?
Post office?
Why? Can't ma, pa, gram, and gramps just use a Windows XP or Ubuntu or Puppy Linux tablet?
I'll answer with a question: What is easier to use/maintain/update/secure: a PS3 or a Windows/Mac/Linux gaming PC?
And yet, your post seems to show that advertising was working on you:
. Perfect. The ad gave you knowledge of a product you were unaware of before. That's the whole point of advertising.
I remember Google going from small startup to a gigantic behemoth because they spewed forth a metric fuckton of irrelevant and highly annoying ads in flash.
Oh wait ...
Exactly!
Take this an anecdote or whatever, just for the kicks I whitelisted Ars Technica.
For about 100 or so page loads:
- The majority of the ads are for GQ magazine. I didn't even know what the fuck that was before clicking on the link. And no Ars, I don't give a shit what the fuck Kobe Bryant is wearing neither do I care how Pierce Brosnan is having more fun that me. Also, why am I bombarded with GQ ads in the hardware section of the site?
- I had 3 annoying Gilette ads about their Fusion razor. Full blown flash with sound. How is this relevant to a tech/geek site? Ars, I really don't care what razor a douchebag steroid abusing baseball player uses. No really, I don't.
- I get a metric fuckton of ads for Wired magazine, already on their RSS feed, more irrelevant ads.
- I got about 10 or so Microsoft ads about some 'Business Synergy Client Focused' gobbledygook. What the shit? Oh and it's animated flash bogging down my machine.
- I got about 5 or so ads that didn't load completely, I can't even make out what the fuck they are. Trying to connect to some backwater adserver, great way to make sure the page will take years to load.
Why can't I get ads I would be even remotely interested in? Gadgets deals, hardware deals, game deals, interesting bands, interesting books ... you know ... geek stuff? I don't care about fucking GQ, I am not "GQ", never will be.
Sorry Ars, back to the block list.