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Not surprising at all; the App's screenshots bared more than a passing resemblance to GBA4iOS: https://github.com/CocoaBob/GBA4iOS https://github.com/CocoaBob/G

Not surprising at all; the App's screenshots bared more than a passing resemblance to GBA4iOS: https://github.com/CocoaBob/GBA4iOS https://github.com/CocoaBob/GBA4iOS Really just makes you think how much easier things would be if you could simply distribute Open Source apps safely on iOS. This one-two step of ad-ridden forks and who-knows-what isn't making things any easier for users. Nobody wants good software to be polluted with anti-features and redistributed by someone that isn't the maintainer.

ericmay 3y ago
Open source software wouldn't solve this problem if you could "simply" distribute open source apps on iOS because you could indeed just clone an app like this, make it open source on Github or something, and then distribute it without anyone in the way. Unless of course you want to start adding various validation technologies, in which case it's just Apple all over again except there's nobody to point the finger at anymore.
- talldayo 3y ago
  Depends on who does the validation. I've never had a problem downloading downstream forks on F-Droid, because more often than not the authoritative source is ranked right above it. The big problem for iOS users that want iGBA/Delta is that they can't download it to their device, despite the fact that the code is already written and freely available. Now third-parties are taking advantage of that demand. This would be circumvented if the legitimate version was easy to get. Deceptive forks should still be removed at the store/repository's discretion, but the same goes for proprietary knock-offs like the Lastpass trojans and fake banking apps. It's less of an "Open Source" issue and more of an "App Store" one.
- soperj 3y ago
  So not being able to get the actual version at this point is better somehow?
everdrive 3y ago
Agreed with all your points, but the clear issue here is wrongly believing that any apps on iOS / android can be: free from tracking, stable UI over time, trustworthy, privacy-preserving, non-addictive, etc. There are some rare exceptions to this rule, but for the most point smart phone apps are bad for the user, and built to favor the company who's provided them.
- talldayo 3y ago
  I don't think it's wrong to believe that. It's hopeful and perhaps overly idealistic, but the sentiment of "good software" still exists. People still develop it, albeit slowly and to a smaller audience. Enabling installation routes that aren't solely money-extraction machines will go a long ways towards changing things. It won't inherently stop people from abusing social media or screen time, but it might stop people from watching ads or paying money to use a PDF reader. That's a win in my book.

ericmay 3y ago

Open source software wouldn't solve this problem if you could "simply" distribute open source apps on iOS because you could indeed just clone an app like this, make it open source on Github or something, and then distribute it without anyone in the way. Unless of course you want to start adding various validation technologies, in which case it's just Apple all over again except there's nobody to point the finger at anymore.

talldayo 3y ago
Depends on who does the validation. I've never had a problem downloading downstream forks on F-Droid, because more often than not the authoritative source is ranked right above it. The big problem for iOS users that want iGBA/Delta is that they can't download it to their device, despite the fact that the code is already written and freely available. Now third-parties are taking advantage of that demand. This would be circumvented if the legitimate version was easy to get. Deceptive forks should still be removed at the store/repository's discretion, but the same goes for proprietary knock-offs like the Lastpass trojans and fake banking apps. It's less of an "Open Source" issue and more of an "App Store" one.
soperj 3y ago
So not being able to get the actual version at this point is better somehow?

everdrive 3y ago

Agreed with all your points, but the clear issue here is wrongly believing that any apps on iOS / android can be: free from tracking, stable UI over time, trustworthy, privacy-preserving, non-addictive, etc. There are some rare exceptions to this rule, but for the most point smart phone apps are bad for the user, and built to favor the company who's provided them.

talldayo 3y ago
I don't think it's wrong to believe that. It's hopeful and perhaps overly idealistic, but the sentiment of "good software" still exists. People still develop it, albeit slowly and to a smaller audience. Enabling installation routes that aren't solely money-extraction machines will go a long ways towards changing things. It won't inherently stop people from abusing social media or screen time, but it might stop people from watching ads or paying money to use a PDF reader. That's a win in my book.