Apple pulls C64 App after Manomio shenanigans revealed
[Via The iPhone blog]
Read -- Enable BASIC in C64 hack
Read -- Manomio's plea for mercy
[Via The iPhone blog]
Read -- Enable BASIC in C64 hack
Read -- Manomio's plea for mercy
Relevant Posts
- DirecTV DVR Scheduler app celebrates 1 million iPhone downloads, new features on the way (44 days ago - 11 Comments)
- Comcast Mobile 2.0 for iPhone flashes remote DVR scheduling skills on video (10 days ago - 8 Comments)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sendschie @ Sep 8th 2009 12:20PM
i know next to nothing about programming. could someone tell me why this basic violation is a big deal (or any kind of deal, for that matter)
Mark @ Sep 8th 2009 12:31PM
They submitted an App for approval claiming it didn't do something (in this case the BASIC interpreter) when in reality it did. It was just hidden by having to input a *cheat* code to activate it.
Apple doesn't look at the source code for these Apps (I don't think) during the approval process, so this is an effective way of hiding functionality that may be questionable against Apple's dictatorsh - I mean ... policies.
crogers1983 @ Sep 8th 2009 2:17PM
right that part we understand, but what is the BASIC interpreter and why is it such a big no-no to have in the app? or better yet whats ity hurting by leaving it in the app?
hhurtta @ Sep 8th 2009 2:24PM
BASIC interpreter allows anyone to write and run programs written in BASIC language. This was a killer feature back when C64 was latest and greatest. However, it's also against Apple policy to not have any iPhone app to load and run other executables. Presumably the C64 emulator got though only because it allows running only bundled games and not ones downloaded from Internet.
please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BASIC
Scarhawk @ Sep 8th 2009 5:01PM
The problem is that Apple wants to make sure every program that can run on an iPhone MUST be written with Apple development tools and MUST only be available to load onto the iPhone through the App Store, whether paid or free. In this way, they retain complete control over what software is or is not available to run on an iPhone.
Apple's story is that this allows them to keep the quality of the user experience at the same high level it was when the device was new out of the box. Nobody gets to write software that makes users complain that their iPhone is no good, even if it's the user's fault for installing software that's buggy, hard to use, runs the battery down quickly, etc. Technically the way Apple does this is to disallow use of any development tools other than their own, which they have control over, and which may have reduced functionality from what might otherwise be available. They limit what people do by constraining what is possible.
The issue with this BASIC interpreter is that it essentially sneaks an alternative development environment onto the iPhone. People could potentially develop software for the iPhone that would run in that environment and might not be subject to the same restrictions as the usual development environment. It's not clear that this BASIC interpreter would actually enable anything powerful, but the law is the law. It must be removed from the App Store because at the very least it sets legal precedent that overrides corporate policy (the license agreement) and opens the door to more powerful alternative development tools.
As to why Apple feels the need to retain such control over the phone, this is the subject of much debate. They're defending their beautiful product from amateurish developers and hackers, they're safeguarding AT&T's network bandwidth, they're trying to keep their profit margins high by retaining control over software vendors so they can extract 30% of the sale price and also prevent competition against their own built-in software.
Whether or not this argument eventually ends up with the Justice Dept. taking a look, for those who want a more open phone, you can jailbreak your iPhone or you can switch to Android.