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> Arbitrary code isn't banned on iOS It is. Even mozilla firefox is banned on the premise that it can run arbitrary code and yes, that is the official apple i

> Arbitrary code isn't banned on iOS It is. Even mozilla firefox is banned on the premise that it can run arbitrary code and yes, that is the official apple instance. The fact that they apply it when they see fit and allow other times, and that it is totally arbitrary and opaque based on their own private interests, is exactly what everyone with common sense tried to explain when criticizing the walled garden.

mrtranscendence 5y ago
My understanding is that what's banned on iOS is not arbitrary code per se, it's arbitrary code downloaded from the internet. Code you enter yourself, like in Pythonista, is just fine.
- caleb-allen 5y ago
  I believe Pythonista is interpreted, not compiled, and outside of Apple's Swift app you are not able to run compiled code
- tomp 5y ago
  Isn't the problem JITing? Mozilla could ship Firefox, even with the JS engine, it would simply be unusable (compared to Safari) because they wouldn't be allowed to run JIT (only interpreter).
- lurkerasdfh8 5y ago
  Really? you are you going to defend that point as not arbitrary? If you want to split hair, where would you draw the line? Should pythonista go out of the way to prevent copy paste from the browser/email? Or should apple, being non-arbitrary, also blocks adobe PDF reader since it can open PDFs from the web with javascript just like a browser would do?
- danShumway 5y ago
  > it's arbitrary code downloaded from the internet That's a huge caveat though. How far does that restriction extend? Can I share or import Pythonista projects from other people? What's the difference between interpreting a file I downloaded from the Internet and visiting a website?
rhinoceraptor 5y ago
Firefox isn't banned, Gecko and SpiderMonkey are. For a few reasons, Apple doesn't want Blink/V8 demolishing users' batteries, and they have the excuse that allowing 3rd party browser engines is a security risk.
Oddskar 5y ago
Firefox is in the AppStore.

mrtranscendence 5y ago

My understanding is that what's banned on iOS is not arbitrary code per se, it's arbitrary code downloaded from the internet. Code you enter yourself, like in Pythonista, is just fine.

caleb-allen 5y ago
I believe Pythonista is interpreted, not compiled, and outside of Apple's Swift app you are not able to run compiled code
tomp 5y ago
Isn't the problem JITing? Mozilla could ship Firefox, even with the JS engine, it would simply be unusable (compared to Safari) because they wouldn't be allowed to run JIT (only interpreter).
lurkerasdfh8 5y ago
Really? you are you going to defend that point as not arbitrary? If you want to split hair, where would you draw the line? Should pythonista go out of the way to prevent copy paste from the browser/email? Or should apple, being non-arbitrary, also blocks adobe PDF reader since it can open PDFs from the web with javascript just like a browser would do?
danShumway 5y ago
> it's arbitrary code downloaded from the internet That's a huge caveat though. How far does that restriction extend? Can I share or import Pythonista projects from other people? What's the difference between interpreting a file I downloaded from the Internet and visiting a website?

rhinoceraptor 5y ago

Firefox isn't banned, Gecko and SpiderMonkey are. For a few reasons, Apple doesn't want Blink/V8 demolishing users' batteries, and they have the excuse that allowing 3rd party browser engines is a security risk.

Oddskar 5y ago

Firefox is in the AppStore.