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Unfortunately, this isn't the first time this happened. This also won't be the last time either. When you build apps on a platform, be ready to run into brick

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time this happened. This also won't be the last time either. When you build apps on a platform, be ready to run into brick walls if you start to enter (or have already entered) areas that the platform wants to get into -- that goes for Facebook and Twitter as much as it does for Apple as well.

zeugmatis 13y ago
I know people who have been royally screwed by exactly this - they give you an API, devs everywhere come up with ideas, do the hard work - and the platform picks the low hanging fruit. Not only do they get carte blanche to steal peoples ideas but the licenses often give them complete rights to steal your source code as well.
- craigyk 13y ago
  Steal your source code? Examples please... maybe you mean steal designs? I won't argue that one.
- rmrfrmrf 13y ago
  A weather app is really a 3-hour project; a rudimentary exercise in retrieving and parsing some kind of structured data. To say that any part of this supposed app was "hard work" is disingenuous. Furthermore, the concept of photorealistic animations for weather isn't new, so really this person added nothing of value to the Apple ecosystem. And, wouldn't you know it, the App Store rejected this weather app for exactly that reason! That's not to say that there aren't instances where this has happened to devs, but I feel like your indignation is a bit wasted on an app this inconsequential.
  - general_failure 13y ago
    > A weather app is really a 3-hour project; Someone recommended that pg flash the HN title bar whenever such insightful comments are made. I would like to +1 that idea.
    - montagg 13y ago
      I think the takeaway here is not that it's easy. It's that you should find a niche. A weather app is not it.
  - sireat 13y ago
    While text based weather app is a 3-hour project, I challenge you to make a well animated one in 3 hours. You would have to be pretty well talented in both coding and design/animation to do it in 3 hours.

zeugmatis 13y ago

I know people who have been royally screwed by exactly this - they give you an API, devs everywhere come up with ideas, do the hard work - and the platform picks the low hanging fruit. Not only do they get carte blanche to steal peoples ideas but the licenses often give them complete rights to steal your source code as well.

craigyk 13y ago
Steal your source code? Examples please... maybe you mean steal designs? I won't argue that one.
rmrfrmrf 13y ago
A weather app is really a 3-hour project; a rudimentary exercise in retrieving and parsing some kind of structured data. To say that any part of this supposed app was "hard work" is disingenuous. Furthermore, the concept of photorealistic animations for weather isn't new, so really this person added nothing of value to the Apple ecosystem. And, wouldn't you know it, the App Store rejected this weather app for exactly that reason! That's not to say that there aren't instances where this has happened to devs, but I feel like your indignation is a bit wasted on an app this inconsequential.
- general_failure 13y ago
  > A weather app is really a 3-hour project; Someone recommended that pg flash the HN title bar whenever such insightful comments are made. I would like to +1 that idea.
  - montagg 13y ago
    I think the takeaway here is not that it's easy. It's that you should find a niche. A weather app is not it.
- sireat 13y ago
  While text based weather app is a 3-hour project, I challenge you to make a well animated one in 3 hours. You would have to be pretty well talented in both coding and design/animation to do it in 3 hours.