4 ms·

This is par for the course with Apple. I remember back in the day there was this super popular shareware app called Aaron that gave System 7 users a System 8 lo

by ansy 15y ago

This is par for the course with Apple. I remember back in the day there was this super popular shareware app called Aaron that gave System 7 users a System 8 looking theme. Keep in mind this was the dark ages of Apple. Aaron evolved into Kaleidoscope. A general purpose shareware theme manager that was met with enthusiasm by the Mac community. Kaleidoscope was synonymous with themes on Mac OS. http://www.kaleidoscope.net/What_is_Kaleidoscope.html http://www.kaleidoscope.net/What_is_Kaleidoscope.html By the time OS 8.5 rolled around Apple introduced Appearance Manager. Which was no more than a total rip off of Kaleidoscope. Apple engineers even wrote an internal utility that would convert Kaleidoscope themes into Appearance Manager themes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appearance_Manager#Kaleidoscope http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appearance_Manager#Kaleidoscope The shareware author got zero credit. Zero money. He just got ripped off by Apple. In the end, though, Appearance Manager never took off. It was a combination of Kaleidoscope's momentum and the taint of Appearance Manager that kept theme authors from adopting it. EDIT: I also add the story of Konfabulator, written later by some of the same people that did Kaleidoscope. Konfabulator was also ripped off by Apple in the form of Dashboard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashboard_(software)#Comparison_with_Konfabulator http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashboard_(software)#Comparison...

recoiledsnake 15y ago
Don't forget Readability, who's technology was leveraged in Safari but their iPhone app was killed by Apple because it couldn't cough up the 30% tithe on content purchases.
bugsy 15y ago
As a former registered user of Kaleidoscope, I have to say it destabilized your system because of the necessary system hacks. What you say about Apple stealing good designs is definitely true (http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/ http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/), but Kaleidoscope had other issues.
- masklinn 15y ago
  > http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/ http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/ That's not a case of Apple stealing good design though, that's a case of them buying an Audion competitor. I'm sure Marco would have been far happier if Apple had bought instapaper. Or TapTapTap if Apple had bought Camera+. Hell, that would have been rather cool, it could have given third-party developers an interesting incentive: build something Apple will want to integrate in their core OS, and they'll buy you wholesale.
  - AllenKids 15y ago
    The irony is, if Marco opt for acquiring some key patents. Apple most likely would extend an offer. There are ample precedents.
  - guywithabike 15y ago
    Marco has talked about this extensively in his "Build and Analyze" podcast. He sees Safari's new reading list as a potential net benefit for Instapaper. "Gateway drug", as he calls it. I agree with him.
    - scott_s 15y ago
      "Oh, really? That's interesting, because honestly? I don't think you guys have a chance." - Steve Jobs, from the above Audion story. The parallels are striking.
  - Derbasti 15y ago
    On the "build and analyze" podcast, Marco also noted that even if Apple completely ripped off his business, he would still see it as a great ecosystem. He would simply have to move on and create the next cool thing. He lives by Apple's rule and Apple can take away his business at any time. However, he is making a good living of that system and is happy with that.
adamta 15y ago
I remember Konfabulator and Watson (is that what it was called? The one that was ripped off as a new version of Sherlock back when that was still a thing), but I think you're mistaken about why Appearance Manager never took off. If I remember correctly, Apple just never provided external developers with theme authoring software or documentation for the theme format, because between the original DP period and the public release, they(/Steve) decided that they didn't particularly want to promote wildly different UI styles. They never even officially released the themes they had demoed, other than Platinum.
- duskwuff 15y ago
  Indeed, for years there was an unexplained drop-down menu in the Appearance control panel labeled "Theme", with exactly one option available ("Platinum"). Third-party developers eventually figured out how to build their own themes (with some help when Apple's alternate themes - Hi-Tech, Gizmo, and Drawing Board - got leaked), but it was never officially supported. Apple's alternate themes, as well as all the third-party ones, were visually distracting enough to be nearly unusable anyway. I really can't blame them for dropping the feature.
- dchest 15y ago
  Watson story: http://www.karelia.com/news/small_and_nimble_the_long_s.html http://www.karelia.com/news/small_and_nimble_the_long_s.html
blumentopf 15y ago
Also: Antler Notes vs. Stickies (System 7.5): http://jens.mooseyard.com/1997/04/they-made-me-an-offer-i-couldnt-refuse/ http://jens.mooseyard.com/1997/04/they-made-me-an-offer-i-co...
- Steko 15y ago
  http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator Seems as relevant as in 2004. Choice quotes: "What’s the argument that Apple has done something wrong? That if a third-party developer does something first, Apple should never step on that developer’s toes? Ever? No matter if Apple is already working on something similar but better? No matter if Apple can provide a significantly better implementation? No matter if it’s something that would be a natural fit as an official component of the OS?" "I am not advocating that Apple mindlessly trample on independent Mac developers — what I’m saying is that Apple cannot be afraid to improve the Mac OS as best it can, even if that means going places where small indie developers have gone first."

by ansy 15y ago

recoiledsnake 15y ago

Don't forget Readability, who's technology was leveraged in Safari but their iPhone app was killed by Apple because it couldn't cough up the 30% tithe on content purchases.

bugsy 15y ago

As a former registered user of Kaleidoscope, I have to say it destabilized your system because of the necessary system hacks. What you say about Apple stealing good designs is definitely true (http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/ http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/), but Kaleidoscope had other issues.

masklinn 15y ago
> http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/ http://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/ That's not a case of Apple stealing good design though, that's a case of them buying an Audion competitor. I'm sure Marco would have been far happier if Apple had bought instapaper. Or TapTapTap if Apple had bought Camera+. Hell, that would have been rather cool, it could have given third-party developers an interesting incentive: build something Apple will want to integrate in their core OS, and they'll buy you wholesale.
- AllenKids 15y ago
  The irony is, if Marco opt for acquiring some key patents. Apple most likely would extend an offer. There are ample precedents.
- guywithabike 15y ago
  Marco has talked about this extensively in his "Build and Analyze" podcast. He sees Safari's new reading list as a potential net benefit for Instapaper. "Gateway drug", as he calls it. I agree with him.
  - scott_s 15y ago
    "Oh, really? That's interesting, because honestly? I don't think you guys have a chance." - Steve Jobs, from the above Audion story. The parallels are striking.
- Derbasti 15y ago
  On the "build and analyze" podcast, Marco also noted that even if Apple completely ripped off his business, he would still see it as a great ecosystem. He would simply have to move on and create the next cool thing. He lives by Apple's rule and Apple can take away his business at any time. However, he is making a good living of that system and is happy with that.

adamta 15y ago

I remember Konfabulator and Watson (is that what it was called? The one that was ripped off as a new version of Sherlock back when that was still a thing), but I think you're mistaken about why Appearance Manager never took off. If I remember correctly, Apple just never provided external developers with theme authoring software or documentation for the theme format, because between the original DP period and the public release, they(/Steve) decided that they didn't particularly want to promote wildly different UI styles. They never even officially released the themes they had demoed, other than Platinum.

duskwuff 15y ago
Indeed, for years there was an unexplained drop-down menu in the Appearance control panel labeled "Theme", with exactly one option available ("Platinum"). Third-party developers eventually figured out how to build their own themes (with some help when Apple's alternate themes - Hi-Tech, Gizmo, and Drawing Board - got leaked), but it was never officially supported. Apple's alternate themes, as well as all the third-party ones, were visually distracting enough to be nearly unusable anyway. I really can't blame them for dropping the feature.
dchest 15y ago
Watson story: http://www.karelia.com/news/small_and_nimble_the_long_s.html http://www.karelia.com/news/small_and_nimble_the_long_s.html

blumentopf 15y ago

Also: Antler Notes vs. Stickies (System 7.5): http://jens.mooseyard.com/1997/04/they-made-me-an-offer-i-couldnt-refuse/ http://jens.mooseyard.com/1997/04/they-made-me-an-offer-i-co...

Steko 15y ago
http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator http://daringfireball.net/2004/06/dashboard_vs_konfabulator Seems as relevant as in 2004. Choice quotes: "What’s the argument that Apple has done something wrong? That if a third-party developer does something first, Apple should never step on that developer’s toes? Ever? No matter if Apple is already working on something similar but better? No matter if Apple can provide a significantly better implementation? No matter if it’s something that would be a natural fit as an official component of the OS?" "I am not advocating that Apple mindlessly trample on independent Mac developers — what I’m saying is that Apple cannot be afraid to improve the Mac OS as best it can, even if that means going places where small indie developers have gone first."