This comes across as though they never intended to make an app for the app store and all along just wanted to call out apple on their term sheet. It is purely a moral stance. Which is fine, but the article is slanted differently.
They will have intended to make an app, and will have checked out both contracts that need to be signed with Apple, and Android and decided on not to persue developing for Apple.
You have to look at these things before you start developing.
They still say "Although it works on both iOS and Android, the app is only targeting Android as of today. If you need to deploy to iOS as well, please check out the Ionic docs or contact the project maintainer for help." https://github.com/EFForg/actioncenter-mobile
Yeah, I would be more interested to read an examination of why they are OK with publishing on the Google Play store. You would have to be nuts to expect the EFF to think Apple's dev agreement is peachy-keen.
Isn't one big difference that Google doesn't attempt to prohibit you from installing apps from other sources, which EFF also pointed out?
I just took a quick look at the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement, the Google Play Developer Program Policies, and the Android SDK license -- but it looks like some other differences are:
* Unlike Apple, Google doesn't seem to limit developers' ability to make certain "public statements."
* Unlike Apple, Google doesn't seem to restrict jailbreaking or "enabling others to do so." The "Security Features" language in section 6 seems to come closest but isn't, IMHO, equivalent.
* Unlike Apple, Google doesn't insist on being able to "revoke the digital certificate of any of Your Applications at any time." (Section 7.2 of the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement does say your app can be removed from the store, but the list of reasons is rather short and includes copyright, porn, malware, viruses...)
That was just a quick look, so I may have missed some things and would welcome correction. I should add that I'm developing http://recent.io/ for both Android and iOS, so to the extent Apple is more restrictive, it's not a deal-killer for my purposes.
Probably unrelated, but it is interesting to know that they received a $1 million donation from google in 2011 for (quoting wikipedia here) "lobby for or to consult for the company".
Of course they didn't. Everything they called out has been in place since the first iPhone. I'm all for customer experience, but iOS devices are absurdly locked down, and crippled in many ways because of poor Apple policy and the cult-like mentality within the company that prevents them from improving it.
> and the cult-like mentality within the company that prevents them from improving it.
The apple devs I've spoken to over the years have confirmed that there is, indeed, an overbearing 'cult like' mentality within the company.
However, I think it is the apple-worship from outside the company which plays a larger role here.
Like all companies, Apple exists to make money. As much as I dislike the developer agreement, it has served the purpose of helping apple to control their devs and users, and has helped apple to make money.
Apple will end these policies when their financial health requires it. Given the readiness of many devs and users to forgive, defend, and rationalize on apple's behalf - and given apple's ongoing financial success - I think its going to be a long time before this changes.
Might not be as long as you think, Android smartphones are making steady in-grounds on market share and the open-ness of the ecosystem makes it much more business and school friendly. The apple stamp of approval process that requires everything to be pg-13 and closely monitors and restricts app's control of the device is crippling it for a variety of applications.
For example, it's kind of sad that the only way to capture high quality screen recordings is to jailbreak your device and install DisplayRecorder, and it's been that way for 5+ years. Hardware supports been there, apple policy has not.
Yes, but I don't see apple's grip weakening for a long time. Surprisingly, most people seem to be perfectly happy being told exactly what they can and cannot do on the hardware they buy. They are also happy to be told by others what features are worth having. Screen recordings? I mean, consider how effectively so many rationalized away the benefits of 3rd party keyboards and larger screens for so long.
Well, there seems to be some dissent in the choir [1]. And a growing sense among many Apple customers that it's all been downhill since Snow Leopard.
For myself, I can say that the benefits of Apple hardware are starting to be outweighed by the downsides of their software. And that while I love the hardware, the OS that is supposed to drive it no longer interests me; and the rapacious attitude that seems to imply that both devs and customers are sheep to be sheared grates on me.
I've been an Apple user from the days when I wanted an Apple ][ soooo badly. But these days, I'm not so sure.
You could totally agree to them. They aren't unreasonable, you're just grandstanding here.
And worse, you're being DISHONEST to pretend like suddenly you were shocked-- SHOCKED!-- that Apple prevents malware in the store, and you just can't abide by such absurdity as protecting their users. The very same users the EFF was created to protect.
Never mind Apple's being on the forefront of securing users information against the government and thieves.
Never mind Apple opening the mobile app market, in fact, really creating it, breaking the stranglehold (and far more onerous terms) of the carriers.
Nevermind all that.
Grandstanding is bad enough, being DISHONEST is unacceptable, and this is why the EFF is going the way of the red cross and every big "non-profit" organization.
EDIT:
I see the guy from the EFF Deleted his comment. Well, not really surprised.
There's a severe lack of integrity on display here.
Today we launched a new app that will make it easier for people to take action on digital rights issues using their phone. The app allows folks to connect to our action center quickly and easily, using a variety of mobile devices.
yeah, maybe they made the android app just so they could bitch about iOS.
That's an expensive form of bitching... When they could just publish the same press release without having to develop an app for other platforms, for free!
Its really getting to the point that no matter how many consumers rights Google violates and no matter how many consumers Apple protects, the adherents to this holy war against Apple will never admit things are not as black and white as they insist on portraying.
No, it's not black and white. But the level of gray at which people draw their line in the sand isn't a universal constant.
Sure hardliners exist, but there is no reason to call everyone hardliners for a difference in opinion.
Edit: You're probably not being down-voted by adherents in some holy war. Just people who genuinely believe that neither Apple's nor Google's can be seen in black and white. It's possible to discuss the downsides of something even if you have decided that, in totality, there is more up than down.
And of course this is hacker news. The hordes of android fans down vote me with no comment, no argument, because it isn't about the facts of reality, it's about ideology and hatred.
So, this is a site where, if you don't kowtow to the prominent ideology you get buried.
That reflects more on you than those of us who are making counter arguments.
