Apple Opens App Store to Third-Party Development Tools, Publishes Review Guidelines

[rmwebs]

Whilst this is good news for developers & iPhone users, its very bad news for the Mac.

Think about this for a moment. Apple has just effectively told you that as long as you can submit an app, they don't care how its made.

As soon as some bright spark brings out a Windows compiler, there's nothing making Apple keep the mac line fresh. We all know they've shown a clear unwillingness to do basic updates to the mac line, but given a few years I can see this causing huge headaches.

 

[puffnstuff]

are we allowed to use the flash compiler or not?????

 

[macsmurf]

This was the only logical move from Apple and it has been for a long time. Android might attract a lot of developers in time but there's no reason to actively pushing them to another platform by imposing restrictions for non-technical reasons.

Apple made a mistake. They fixed it (although it took a while). That's good enough for me. Of course, there's no guarantee they won't do something like this again at some point if they think they can get away with it, but as long as there is viable competition, they can't.

 

[Ihatefall]

I'm not sure I read that right -- it appears that you just said the most wrong thing you could have said about viruses. Don't be complacent about viruses on any platform, but especially not windows where they exist in such vast numbers and are so malicious that you simply would not believe the threat they pose to unsuspecting users.

You're right but for the most part they are just annoying like the ones that try to get you to buy fake anti-virus software. But you know you have a virus when you have one on windows, Mac, that is not the case. The autofill one.... Dude you will never know if you were attacked or not! That is scary! They got everything if you were attacked. There was also that logging virus that was exposed this year (you have to buy snow leopard to get rid of it, windows updates are free!)

 

[supmango]

... It may run slow but that is true of any application not written properly and optimized to run on the hardware it is targeting.

Therefore any developer who writes an app using this method will find that people rate it poorly, and it dies a slow drowning death in the app store ocean. Apple realized that it was pointless to help developers make good decisions. Sometimes you just have to let stubborn people do what they will and get burned.

 

[Master Chief]

Good news. More to follow later this year. Yah!

Whilst this is good news for developers & iPhone users, its very bad news for the Mac.

Think about this for a moment. Apple has just effectively told you that as long as you can submit an app, they don't care how its made.

As soon as some bright spark brings out a Windows compiler, there's nothing making Apple keep the mac line fresh. We all know they've shown a clear unwillingness to do basic updates to the mac line, but given a few years I can see this causing huge headaches.

Oh come on. That's ridiculous!

 

[kdarling]

Obviously not built for mobile, but there will be a coming wave of RIA built for mobile and tablets that is powered by Flash (since it will be difficult, if not impossible to do this stuff by hodgepodging together a mesh of other tech)

One great benefit of cross-platform development tools, is that they will allow for creating apps that might've cost too much to produce before, because you immediately have a much wider market. And/or sell them cheaper.

For instance, right away a cross-platform magazine app comes to mind.

If nothing else, this once again proves that people should Never claim something could Never Happen. They just look foolish later on.

 

[NebulaClash]

Whilst this is good news for developers & iPhone users, its very bad news for the Mac.

Think about this for a moment. Apple has just effectively told you that as long as you can submit an app, they don't care how its made.

As soon as some bright spark brings out a Windows compiler, there's nothing making Apple keep the mac line fresh. We all know they've shown a clear unwillingness to do basic updates to the mac line, but given a few years I can see this causing huge headaches.

I don't necessarily think this will be the case. Think of instead when Apple enabled the iPod on Windows. A lot of folks thought it was great that iPods would only work on Macs, and when the Windows world got it they were discouraged. In fact what happened is that a lot more iPods were sold, and so were a lot more Macs.

There will always be a market for premium hardware. The gamer computers in the Windows world charge more, but they get it. Linux guys often choose Mac laptops because they are so versatile. Some folks will choose Macs even if they could do what they want on a Windows box. They just like them more.

 

[cube]

As I understand, Flash Player, Java applets would be still forbidden.

As well as Java Web Start and JavaFX when the application is downloaded dynamically.

 

[supmango]

You're right but for the most part they are just annoying like the ones that try to get you to buy fake anti-virus software. But you know you have a virus when you have one on windows, Mac, that is not the case. The autofill one.... Dude you will never know if you were attacked or not! That is scary! They got everything if you were attacked. There was also that logging virus that was exposed this year (you have to buy snow leopard to get rid of it, windows updates are free!)

You don't always know you got one on Windows either.

 

[marden72]

Actually Flash is renowned for being very poorly optimised on the Mac compared to Windows.

In the past, that was very true about Flash Player for the Mac. In the past three releases, Adobe has worked hard to bring it up to par with Windows. Much of this was actually with the help of Apple, who provided them with the low level APIs needed to get the performance up.

 

[jv2]

Flash runs like crap on my Mac and everything made using Flash is ugly. Flash developers have no taste I want good looking apps on my phone. Guess you'll caught them by the ugly logos.

Now let me see if I understand. If you work with Flash and use ActionScript that says something about your "taste". However, working in Objective-C makes you a better designer. lol...

Wow... that's the dumbest argument I've ever heard. Sorry that Flash runs like crap on your Mac. It runs just fine on mine. Perhaps you're in need of an upgrade.

There are ugly flash apps and there are ugly iPhone apps. It has nothing to do with what language they were programmed in. I've no great love of Flash and don't want Flash itself on my iPhone, but it has nothing to do with taste (which is a ridiculous argument) and more to do with battery life.

As for the taste argument... wait, yes, you're right... the beauty of the "fart app" could only come shining through in Objective-C... in Flash it just wouldn't be as beautiful.

Go away troll....

 

[alent1234]

NO, NO, NO, you can't publish facts like this! The current propaganda is that Apple is evil and closed! They are worse than all other companies. They are awful. Steve is evil!

OK, now back to reality world where we see that once again the facts do not match the propaganda being pushed by Apple's competitors.

the propaganda was that any developer who doesn't code in assembly language is lazy

i bet the big developers told apple to accept their apps as is or they are going to Android first and iOS whenever. no one is crazy enough to hire dedicated iOS developers when Android and other platforms don't have a problem with dev tools

 

[puffnstuff]

GOT CONFIRMATION FROM A FEW OTHER FORUMS FLASH CAN BE USED!!!



I'm as happy as can be now. I had no use for flash before and was going to go the gamesalad route until I saw the $99 fee.

 

[macsmurf]

Whilst this is good news for developers & iPhone users, its very bad news for the Mac.

Think about this for a moment. Apple has just effectively told you that as long as you can submit an app, they don't care how its made.

As soon as some bright spark brings out a Windows compiler, there's nothing making Apple keep the mac line fresh. We all know they've shown a clear unwillingness to do basic updates to the mac line, but given a few years I can see this causing huge headaches.

Not really. Apple's main focus has always been consumers. If Apple want to attract developers to the OS X platform, they should do it by making OS X an excellent development platform. Not by leveraging their market position in the mobile field.

Luckily, OS X is already a kick ass development platform - even for developers who don't target iOS.

 

[supmango]

You miss the point of why that company has a website that looks and works like it does. That company does not exist to serve content to you. I'm guessing you're not a designer by trade?

Maybe not, but he is an internet user. And that is an audience any website should be designed for. I personally agree with him that it has some clever effects. The biggest problems I have with it is 1) no multi-touch support (a flash issue) and 2) it overlaps behind the navigation panels. That just looks tacky to me.

 

[uraniumwilly]

I wonder if the developers who were going to do some facsimile of Hypercard will find this enough of a opening to get back on board.

 

[Tanguyvd]

If there was only some wording in there that would still ban flash, I would be all giddy.

Flash needs to die

that would be so funny!

Get a better computer. And how could you know everything made using Flash is ugly when your shoddy computer can't run it properly?

lol

NO, NO, NO, you can't publish facts like this! The current propaganda is that Apple is evil and closed! They are worse than all other companies. They are awful. Steve is evil!

OK, now back to reality world where we see that once again the facts do not match the propaganda being pushed by Apple's competitors.

I'd have replaced the "competitors" by fan-boys these days....
i mean, most of the competitors throw some real crap into the tech-world (slates, zunes, surface, so-called-multi touches, etc) and they actually get away with it...
SJ throws in an iPad, a revamped TV, new iPhone and gets bashed for being "closed". SJ actually has an opinion!

I for one hopes SJ now understands we now all own an iPhone, an iMac,a Nano and an iPad, no need for quick updates. Just take it easy, no need for a new Media event with lets face it, minor changes and discontinued features that will appear magically next year as to be revolutionary (video nano) ... Make us wait a little longer, let the rumors grow and tackle us all by surprise, showing off some real new stuff. OSX7, iOS as a Media Center mode in both TV and macs...., overhaul re branding/restyling of all apple GUI...

I'm looking forward to the new stuff!

edit: sorry i got a little off topic here

 

[Aleco]

I want to know what apps are made using Flash because I have no intention of ever downloading them.

Thats the beauty of the Flash Compiler, you will NEVER KNOW!

 

[solarthecat]

Now let me see if I understand. If you work with Flash and use ActionScript that says something about your "taste". However, working in Objective-C makes you a better designer. lol...

Wow... that's the dumbest argument I've ever heard. Sorry that Flash runs like crap on your Mac. It runs just fine on mine. Perhaps you're in need of an upgrade.

There are ugly flash apps and there are ugly iPhone apps. It has nothing to do with what language they were programmed in. I've no great love of Flash and don't want Flash itself on my iPhone, but it has nothing to do with taste (which is a ridiculous argument) and more to do with battery life.

As for the taste argument... wait, yes, you're right... the beauty of the "fart app" could only come shining through in Objective-C... in Flash it just wouldn't be as beautiful.

Go away troll....

Most small apps that are created for the store are developed by one person.

Far better designed Apps *should* come from a right-brained designer with an arsenal of Adobe Tools rather than a left-brained programmer with none.

 

[fishmoose]

Now let me see if I understand. If you work with Flash and use ActionScript that says something about your "taste". However, working in Objective-C makes you a better designer. lol...

Wow... that's the dumbest argument I've ever heard. Sorry that Flash runs like crap on your Mac. It runs just fine on mine. Perhaps you're in need of an upgrade.

There are ugly flash apps and there are ugly iPhone apps. It has nothing to do with what language they were programmed in. I've no great love of Flash and don't want Flash itself on my iPhone, but it has nothing to do with taste (which is a ridiculous argument) and more to do with battery life.

As for the taste argument... wait, yes, you're right... the beauty of the "fart app" could only come shining through in Objective-C... in Flash it just wouldn't be as beautiful.

Go away troll....

I'm just sayin' people who develop in Flash usually have worse taste then people who don't. Plenty of examples on the Web.

 

[gloomcookie1]

You're right but for the most part they are just annoying like the ones that try to get you to buy fake anti-virus software. But you know you have a virus when you have one on windows, Mac, that is not the case. The autofill one.... Dude you will never know if you were attacked or not! That is scary! They got everything if you were attacked. There was also that logging virus that was exposed this year (you have to buy snow leopard to get rid of it, windows updates are free!)

So, you really don't know what the safari exploit was then huh? It's not an attack...it's an information stealer:

"Fortunately any AutoFill data starting with a number, such as phone numbers or street addresses, could not be obtained because for some reason the data would not populate in the text field," he said. "Still, such attacks could be easily and cheaply distributed on a mass scale using an advertising network where likely no one would ever notice because it's not exploit code designed to deliver rootkit payload."


And don't begin to tell me that you don't get that on Windows - I clean that crap out every day on Windows machine - that's what pays for all my Apple hardware

Don't know why you want to start spreading FUD about Mac OS vs Windows -that's sorta late 90's man.

 

[macsmurf]

Therefore any developer who writes an app using this method will find that people rate it poorly, and it dies a slow drowning death in the app store ocean. Apple realized that it was pointless to help developers make good decisions. Sometimes you just have to let stubborn people do what they will and get burned.

Nice spin

In reality, JavaScript/C/C++/Obj C is not always the right tool for the job. In some technincal scenarios, there are legitimate reasons for choosing something else.

Anyway, I'd agree with you if you'd substituted "to help developers make good decisions" with "to impose arbitrary technical restrictions on developers for political reasons". In the end, the market should decide.

 

[netsql]

Let Apple beg for Flash

And then, say no. Android!

Flash is buggy. So is Java. Python. Ban it all. If you want to do Apple, only Objective C. And then get reviewed. Complaining about the review will get you minus points.

Why would I as a developer want that, when Android is smooth process and has more market share.

No, thank you. I'll build my apps for non iCrap.

 

[puffnstuff]

I do agree that flash needs to die when it comes to websites. I have not touched the Flash program at all. Everything I do when it comes to websites like rollovers, tooltips,modal windows,etc can all be done in Javascript and CSS.

BUT when it comes to something like this I do agree that there should be other means to make apps. It just opens open the playing field. This doesn't mean there will be a flood gate of "Fart Apps". In fact a lot of those crap apps you see were made in Xcode.