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Surely they are not really expecting approval? I can't imagine that Apple would let anything through that weakens the iTunes/iOS death grip on media playing. E

by ryandvm 16y ago

Surely they are not really expecting approval? I can't imagine that Apple would let anything through that weakens the iTunes/iOS death grip on media playing. Especially something as robust as VLC. It seems to me that software that allows the iPad to stream movies from any brand media server is a game changer.

gte910h 16y ago
3rd Party AppStore developer here. There isn't a ban on "media playing". However, there is a ban on GPL licensed apps, as they GPL is incompatible with the app store terms of use.
- Dylan16807 16y ago
  I suppose, but with GPLv2 there's nothing more than a technicality in the way, is there? As far as I understand it, the app store agreement prevents you from taking that particular copy of the app and doing free things with it, but nothing truly restrictive. You can still get a copy of the source from the app-maker, and exercise all your normal free software rights. Then again, saying that makes me feel like I'm missing something. Am I?
  - sjs 16y ago
    Apple would be in violation of the GPL for distributing the app with those restrictions tacked on. If I were them I wouldn't distribute GPL apps either. They would basically have to special case apps licensed w/ the GPL. Sadly I doubt it's worth the legal and/or operations costs involved. I'm not a license snob, whatever works for a project is great (GPL has been great for Linux). However this is a prime example of why MIT and BSD licenses are more free than the GPL.
- cosgroveb 16y ago
  Doom for the iPhone is available on the App Store and it's been GPL'ed for a long time. http://www.idsoftware.com/doom-classic/ http://www.idsoftware.com/doom-classic/ There are probably more examples. The GPL is not incompatible with the App Store.
  - jcl 16y ago
    Actually, the GPL is not exercised in that example. As the author of Doom, id Software can do whatever they want with it; they are not going to sue themselves for violating the GPL. The GPL's terms only become relevant when a third party wants to use it to distribute the work. And it seems the GPL (v3, at least) would not allow a third party to publish Doom on the App Store. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/762498/iphone-and-gpl http://stackoverflow.com/questions/762498/iphone-and-gpl
    - cosgroveb 16y ago
      It seems that you're right. I did some further digging, and it seems that at least in the case of GNU Go, the FSF held the following opinion: "the particular license violation that FSF brought up with Apple was section 6 of the GPLv2, which states that a redistributor of the licensed program may not impose further restrictions on the recipients to copy, distribute, or modify the program. Apple's App Store terms of service do impose several restrictions, such as limiting usage of the program to five devices approved by Apple." http://lwn.net/Articles/391423/ http://lwn.net/Articles/391423/ Looks like I was wrong!
loewenskind 16y ago
>I can't imagine that Apple would let anything through that weakens the iTunes/iOS death grip on media playing. The iPad does video so well because it uses hardware support. From the "hardware limitation" comment, I suspect VLC isn't able to take advantage of this. Given that, I don't think it could weaken the iTunes/iOS "death grip" even if it were accepted. But if they aren't using hardware acceleration then I suspect it wont get approved. Would you want a player that everyone is going to be downloading (so they can watch any video) out there making people think your device is slow and underpowered? I wouldn't. EDIT: Nevermind my last paragraph. There is apparently already players in the store that don't use acceleration.
- zppx 16y ago
  I know someone who tested OPlayer HD[1] and he said that the player does not use the H.264 acceleration, some videos were absurdly slow, yet the player is in the App Store. [1]: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oplayer-hd/id373236724?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oplayer-hd/id373236724?mt=8
- jbk 16y ago
  Disclaimer: VideoLAN chairman and VLC dev here... VLC on the iPad doesn't have any GPU/DSP because there are no APIs to to so... So, forget playback of 720MKV for now. But to decode DivX, Xvid, or DVD rips, the CPU is more than enough...
  - joubert 16y ago
    Now that VLC for iPad is out, I've installed it and tried playing WMV files but they don't appear on the shelf. Is it forthcoming?
  - wmf 16y ago
    More than enough with what battery life?
    - jbk 16y ago
      With DivX decoding, I believe 7hours+
raganwald 16y ago
the iTunes/iOS death grip on media playing Which death grip is that? I have one app that synchronizes .avi videos through iTunes and another that plays media streamed over the network on my iPad right now.
- vl 16y ago
  What are the apps?
  - aditya 16y ago
    ZumoCast and AirVideo - both stream audio/video and play it over the network
    - thehigherlife 16y ago
      plex too
gamble 16y ago
They approved Cinexplayer and AirVideo.
- smackfu 16y ago
  Cinexplayer being notable for just being a straight XVid video player.
Terretta 16y ago
> It seems to me that software that allows the iPad to stream movies from any brand media server is a game changer. Apple approved Plex, for both iPhone and iPad. Check out what Plex Nine does.

by ryandvm 16y ago

gte910h 16y ago

3rd Party AppStore developer here. There isn't a ban on "media playing". However, there is a ban on GPL licensed apps, as they GPL is incompatible with the app store terms of use.

Dylan16807 16y ago
I suppose, but with GPLv2 there's nothing more than a technicality in the way, is there? As far as I understand it, the app store agreement prevents you from taking that particular copy of the app and doing free things with it, but nothing truly restrictive. You can still get a copy of the source from the app-maker, and exercise all your normal free software rights. Then again, saying that makes me feel like I'm missing something. Am I?
- sjs 16y ago
  Apple would be in violation of the GPL for distributing the app with those restrictions tacked on. If I were them I wouldn't distribute GPL apps either. They would basically have to special case apps licensed w/ the GPL. Sadly I doubt it's worth the legal and/or operations costs involved. I'm not a license snob, whatever works for a project is great (GPL has been great for Linux). However this is a prime example of why MIT and BSD licenses are more free than the GPL.
cosgroveb 16y ago
Doom for the iPhone is available on the App Store and it's been GPL'ed for a long time. http://www.idsoftware.com/doom-classic/ http://www.idsoftware.com/doom-classic/ There are probably more examples. The GPL is not incompatible with the App Store.
- jcl 16y ago
  Actually, the GPL is not exercised in that example. As the author of Doom, id Software can do whatever they want with it; they are not going to sue themselves for violating the GPL. The GPL's terms only become relevant when a third party wants to use it to distribute the work. And it seems the GPL (v3, at least) would not allow a third party to publish Doom on the App Store. http://stackoverflow.com/questions/762498/iphone-and-gpl http://stackoverflow.com/questions/762498/iphone-and-gpl
  - cosgroveb 16y ago
    It seems that you're right. I did some further digging, and it seems that at least in the case of GNU Go, the FSF held the following opinion: "the particular license violation that FSF brought up with Apple was section 6 of the GPLv2, which states that a redistributor of the licensed program may not impose further restrictions on the recipients to copy, distribute, or modify the program. Apple's App Store terms of service do impose several restrictions, such as limiting usage of the program to five devices approved by Apple." http://lwn.net/Articles/391423/ http://lwn.net/Articles/391423/ Looks like I was wrong!

loewenskind 16y ago

>I can't imagine that Apple would let anything through that weakens the iTunes/iOS death grip on media playing. The iPad does video so well because it uses hardware support. From the "hardware limitation" comment, I suspect VLC isn't able to take advantage of this. Given that, I don't think it could weaken the iTunes/iOS "death grip" even if it were accepted. But if they aren't using hardware acceleration then I suspect it wont get approved. Would you want a player that everyone is going to be downloading (so they can watch any video) out there making people think your device is slow and underpowered? I wouldn't. EDIT: Nevermind my last paragraph. There is apparently already players in the store that don't use acceleration.

zppx 16y ago
I know someone who tested OPlayer HD[1] and he said that the player does not use the H.264 acceleration, some videos were absurdly slow, yet the player is in the App Store. [1]: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oplayer-hd/id373236724?mt=8 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oplayer-hd/id373236724?mt=8
jbk 16y ago
Disclaimer: VideoLAN chairman and VLC dev here... VLC on the iPad doesn't have any GPU/DSP because there are no APIs to to so... So, forget playback of 720MKV for now. But to decode DivX, Xvid, or DVD rips, the CPU is more than enough...
- joubert 16y ago
  Now that VLC for iPad is out, I've installed it and tried playing WMV files but they don't appear on the shelf. Is it forthcoming?
- wmf 16y ago
  More than enough with what battery life?
  - jbk 16y ago
    With DivX decoding, I believe 7hours+

raganwald 16y ago

the iTunes/iOS death grip on media playing Which death grip is that? I have one app that synchronizes .avi videos through iTunes and another that plays media streamed over the network on my iPad right now.

vl 16y ago
What are the apps?
- aditya 16y ago
  ZumoCast and AirVideo - both stream audio/video and play it over the network
  - thehigherlife 16y ago
    plex too

gamble 16y ago

They approved Cinexplayer and AirVideo.

smackfu 16y ago
Cinexplayer being notable for just being a straight XVid video player.

Terretta 16y ago

> It seems to me that software that allows the iPad to stream movies from any brand media server is a game changer. Apple approved Plex, for both iPhone and iPad. Check out what Plex Nine does.