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General why does Cydia allow dodgy repos?

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bushbabywas

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 9, 2011
92
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I've never understood why repos containing cracked apps can be added to Cydia. Given the extent of piracy in the JB scene (I recently read the devs of an app I bought recently complaining of a 7:1 ratio of pirates to paying customers. though I'm not sure how they figured that out), I wonder why Cydia hasn't implemented some way of vetting repos for cracked apps.

I must be misunderstanding the way Cydia works, else surely this would have happened already. But can someone explain to me why it hasn't?
 
bushbabywas said:
I've never understood why repos containing cracked apps can be added to Cydia. Given the extent of piracy in the JB scene (I recently read the devs of an app I bought recently complaining of a 7:1 ratio of pirates to paying customers. though I'm not sure how they figured that out), I wonder why Cydia hasn't implemented some way of vetting repos for cracked apps.

I must be misunderstanding the way Cydia works, else surely this would have happened already. But can someone explain to me why it hasn't?
Click to expand...
We've discussed this q quite widely here at the Hacks forum. Generally, these repos should indeed be banned. However, it's questionable whether the maintainer of Cydia could keep up with pirates' constantly changing the address of their repos after getting banned...
 
The same reason that the internet allows dodgy websites; it isn't possible to police without creating a whitelist. I'd rather take the good with the bad than have someone else decide what I can and can't see(kind of why I jailbreak, you know...).
 
ok, I appreciate all the points of view raised here, thanks. I can see it'd be an infinite task for Saurik to have to keep up with all the possible dodgy repos. And that you can don't need a cydia repo to find and install cracked apps anyway; though that also mitigate the problem with Saurik being the arbiter of what's acceptable on Cydia; those who object have myriad other ways to install cracked apps, they'd just be less convenient, which might encourage some would-be pirates to buy a tweak or app rather than grab it for free from within the same app.

I just found it frustrating watching devs dealing with support requests from people who got their app without paying for it. But I guess that's unavoidable.
 
There is something being done though. A week ago or so I was looking for a tweak and ran across a repo on a site. When trying to add it, I was informed by a popup that that particular repo was known for pirated/cracked apps. It was my option to continue or not (I didn't), but the fact that there was a warning popup tells me that there is some sort of system here somewhere (miniscule as it may be).
 
bushbabywas said:
I just found it frustrating watching devs dealing with support requests from people who got their app without paying for it. But I guess that's unavoidable.
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Yeah thats just messed up right there. Some people steal someone's work then have the nerve to flood them with support requests and requests for enhancements... thats just maddening and would totally discourage me if I was a dev :mad:
 
true, though that warning system has been in place for as long as I've been jailbreaking (which is admittedly only 4 years)

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bigjnyc said:
Yeah thats just messed up right there. Some people steal someone's work then have the nerve to flood them with support requests and requests for enhancements... thats just maddening and would totally discourage me if I was a dev :mad:
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I guess that's the thing; I imagine the ease with which apps can be pirated puts off devs from making more elaborate tweaks and apps; might just not seem worth it, especially if a good reputation is partly dependent on giving good support.

Then again, I also read that for people under the age of 18 (and I think the JB scene has a lot of young people in it) there are barriers to getting access to credit/debit cards that would allow payment for tweaks in the first place. Especially in Europe where you don't really get prepaid cards as you do in Europe. Would seem like a bad thing to hamper a demographic that contributes a lot to JBing...
 
Madstig said:
Because it would go against the concept of "jailbreaking"
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The concept of jailbreaking is so we can buy and install software and do things Apple doesn't normally allow.

It's NOT for ripping off developers that are trying to help you with awesome tweaks and programs.

How arrogant is that? We have security experts and computer programmers working on their own time to give us AMAZING things, and if they do ask for a dollar or two, the very community they are working to help says "F:apple::apple::apple: YOU" and just steals their work.

We should be thanking the people that help us, not spitting in their face.
 
Like we have discussed before.

If there was a trial period within these tweaks a lot of people wouldn't need to add such repo's.

Lots of people use these repo's to download the tweak to see if its for them and that it does not clash with another tweak already being used.
 
Jailbreaking allows you to do whatever you want to your phone, but with that power comes responsibility. If jailbreaking is about freedom for your device, then why would you ban anything on Cydia? The most they would do is advise against it, but it would go against the idea of jailbreaking if they were to be banned.


To put it in another term...

It's like having to jailbreak a jailbreak.
 
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labman said:
Pirated repos aren't in cydia people are choosing to add these repos. It's like saying why does the internet allow Torrent sites. ;)
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Exactly.
Cydia is like a browser for sites with various content.
What you do with your device and your moral standards are up to you.
You don't jb to break free from Apples restrictions in order to get other restrictions on cydia.
 
eyoungren said:
There is something being done though. A week ago or so I was looking for a tweak and ran across a repo on a site. When trying to add it, I was informed by a popup that that particular repo was known for pirated/cracked apps. It was my option to continue or not (I didn't), but the fact that there was a warning popup tells me that there is some sort of system here somewhere (miniscule as it may be).
Click to expand...

Yeah, Cydia throws up a giant popup when you attempt to add one of these repo's. It think it also warn you that you could get a virus as well. That might reduce the problem.
 
Cydia is just a web browser and front-end for APT, a standard package installer. It facilitates payment for premium packages from default repos, but it neither controls the content of those repos (which is left up to the administrators of those repos) nor which repos you can add. Please also note that it is easy to add repos and install packages with APT without using Cydia at all.

The main thing is, though, that, in order truly to prevent piracy, Saurik would have to impose the same kind of restrictions on jailbroken devices that Apple does, essentially making jailbroken iPhones another closed platform by replacing Apple's jail with his own. He's not willing to do that.
 
ok, I get it now. I wasn't thinking of Cydia as a browser. Or about how lame it would be for Saurik to impose restrictions. Point(s) taken.
 
Madstig said:
Because it would go against the concept of "jailbreaking"
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Agreed the whole point of jailbreaking is based on the idea that I bought the phone it's my phone I can do whatever I want to it not one person deeming what is good and bad. If you're using a tethering app without the right plan you're stealing form the cell phone company that's somehow ok and fair? Verizon sucks just as much as EA so why is taking money from them better than getting an ad-free version of scrabble? You won't stop it might as well at least warn people.
 
1. There will always be a black market/way for people to pirate apps. You cannot stop it, period.

2. App developers, Cydia, etc. should provide for a better way to try apps, and MUST implement a refund system. Every product is subject to a return. I don't see why software should be any different. These repos provide a way for legit users to try the apps they are not sure about before buying them. If these developers used trial periods, or offered returns, you could take care of a lot of those legitimate users that use the repos for trials.

3. Price your product more competitively wherein users will not be tempted to pirate. $20.00 for mywi? That's totally fair imo. You can charge however much you want. But when you charge that much, you leave yourself open to pirates. Even $5.00 for some small app that does some minor GUI tweak...same thing.

**As a side note, I am curious if you guys are actually against pirating/copyright infringement in all other cases. If you are ok with it for music/movies, why are you not ok with it for apps? A little hypocritical isn't it?

***Disclaimer: I do NOT support pirating in any way.
 
As a force of habbit I dont support intelliborn don't like them but they make it hard to pirate apps which is one good thing about them.Same thing with iBlacklist I stopped using them after my iphone broke and had to pay again for the app on my replacement device.I just wont give you my money if I feel you are too expensive and/or just a tedious company to deal with it.I wont steal it from you.I feel thats just wrong again thats my opinion
 
Because most people don't want to pay $10 for a tweak that is rendered obsolete when you update your phone. At least app store apps will mostly always work.
 
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