5 ms·

Update: It was indefensible, and Apple has already reversed course. It's a shame it sometimes takes twitter outcry for the right thing to happen, but at least t

Update: It was indefensible, and Apple has already reversed course. It's a shame it sometimes takes twitter outcry for the right thing to happen, but at least the right thing happened. This seem indefensible at first blush. The app has been available as-is for years, so if the explanation given him is correct, it's a really bad look for Apple.

floatingatoll 6y ago
Making an error, and then correcting that error 4 hours later, is certainly many things. "Unfathomably rapid" comes to mind as my first response.
- gnicholas 6y ago
  That is rapid, but if (as Josh claims) they said they were going to pull the app 5 minutes later, it seems appropriate that they would have a quick response in their reversal.
- jimnotgym 6y ago
  If he hadn't got a large following on Twitter would it have been rapid?
  - KingOfCoders 6y ago
    Or at all?
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - floatingatoll 6y ago
    Perhaps! Unfortunately, given the available evidence, there’s no way to determine whether it’s a true causative or a false correlation.
  - machello13 6y ago
    Hard to know, since if he didn't have a large following, we wouldn't have heard about it either way.
echelon 6y ago
Wouldn't happen in a world where the DOJ forces Apple to open up the platform to 3rd party installs. It's a computer, and the most popular computer in the US. It's also the only computer a lot of people own. It's not a dedicated gaming device - people use iPhone to call, edit media, find jobs, pay for things, calculate, date, do email. It's a computer. Arguments like "but you can't install on a Nintendo" aren't equivalent. Nintendo makes one of a dozen different game platforms, all of which have wide penetration and lots of alternatives. And it's just for games. This is closer to "you can't repair your tractor", which is also an issue for farmers. Computers, especially those with massive market share, should be open to 3rd party installs. It's an expensive device and it got to where it is because of a trillion dollar company backing it. You can't compete with that. You own an iPhone and you're happy installing just from Apple? That's fine. But there are a lot more people in this world that will benefit from open computing. Apple can still have their App Store, charge for distribution, and will still be making bank. Computing on computers should be free and open. If we let this slide, we'll one day own nothing. Stallman was right about everything.
- alexvoda 6y ago
  Note: all console generations so far had the option of loading software from physical media (even if there are models without this option, they are not the only model). As long as physical media is an alternative for loading software on consoles, consoles are not as restrictive as iOS devices (even if creation of that physical media requires licensing 1'st party development tools). Apple iOS is the only platform where a company uses its natural monopoly over the hardware and OS to create a monopoly on software distribution.
  - russli1993 6y ago
    no, on consoles, the platform holder has to approve every single game to be made into discs. If your game violates Sony and Microsoft's rules, they won't let you make the discs. Its same with the app store.
    - alexvoda 6y ago

floatingatoll 6y ago

Making an error, and then correcting that error 4 hours later, is certainly many things. "Unfathomably rapid" comes to mind as my first response.

gnicholas 6y ago
That is rapid, but if (as Josh claims) they said they were going to pull the app 5 minutes later, it seems appropriate that they would have a quick response in their reversal.
jimnotgym 6y ago
If he hadn't got a large following on Twitter would it have been rapid?
- KingOfCoders 6y ago
  Or at all?
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- floatingatoll 6y ago
  Perhaps! Unfortunately, given the available evidence, there’s no way to determine whether it’s a true causative or a false correlation.
- machello13 6y ago
  Hard to know, since if he didn't have a large following, we wouldn't have heard about it either way.

echelon 6y ago

Wouldn't happen in a world where the DOJ forces Apple to open up the platform to 3rd party installs. It's a computer, and the most popular computer in the US. It's also the only computer a lot of people own. It's not a dedicated gaming device - people use iPhone to call, edit media, find jobs, pay for things, calculate, date, do email. It's a computer. Arguments like "but you can't install on a Nintendo" aren't equivalent. Nintendo makes one of a dozen different game platforms, all of which have wide penetration and lots of alternatives. And it's just for games. This is closer to "you can't repair your tractor", which is also an issue for farmers. Computers, especially those with massive market share, should be open to 3rd party installs. It's an expensive device and it got to where it is because of a trillion dollar company backing it. You can't compete with that. You own an iPhone and you're happy installing just from Apple? That's fine. But there are a lot more people in this world that will benefit from open computing. Apple can still have their App Store, charge for distribution, and will still be making bank. Computing on computers should be free and open. If we let this slide, we'll one day own nothing. Stallman was right about everything.

alexvoda 6y ago
Note: all console generations so far had the option of loading software from physical media (even if there are models without this option, they are not the only model). As long as physical media is an alternative for loading software on consoles, consoles are not as restrictive as iOS devices (even if creation of that physical media requires licensing 1'st party development tools). Apple iOS is the only platform where a company uses its natural monopoly over the hardware and OS to create a monopoly on software distribution.
- russli1993 6y ago
  no, on consoles, the platform holder has to approve every single game to be made into discs. If your game violates Sony and Microsoft's rules, they won't let you make the discs. Its same with the app store.
  - alexvoda 6y ago