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July 24, 2011

Why continue developing for iOS?!

Hi guys,

You probably know the concept behind modular application in Flex, right? Right. And you probably thought it would be super cool to load external applications into a shell application on your mobile, right? Well I did anyway…
Did you know that iOS does not support loading external SWF's into a "shell" SWF, given that the loaded SWF uses the executable memory? It is enforced both technically and legally, which brought me to think that Steve Jobs probably really doesn't like the idea of one application loads another application.
Oh yeah, sure, you can do that with JS injection, where you create extra modules on the fly and inject them into the DOM. That is something that Job's cannot enforce restrictions on, at least technically. Legally he sure did. Don't say you didn't know.

Wanna know why?

Is it because a security breach? Nop, not really.
Is it because a performance issue? Again, no.
Is it because any reason written in the big "thoughts on flash" BS mail Job's wrote? Oh No.

The answer is - Apple's AppStore business module.
If you load application via your application you're bypassing the AppStore, (good heavens!).
As always, this is the one true motivation behind all the restrictions that Apple enforces over developers. You can do whatever you wish as long as you don't compromise the AppStore. As once was wrote: "Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie" and If you try to take some from Job's pie you'll be hurting.
Doesn't it seem weird to you that a single company, that no longer has the bigger share in Mobile OS in the market, still tells you how to develop your applications? Is HTML5 is really that good, or are we're pushed towards it like cattle, only to satisfy the interests of this single company?
I see great ideas tossed to the trash only because there is one mobile OS that wouldn't support them. One!
Somehow Apple has managed to convince the people that it's the only mobile solution out there.
In an era of free communication, speech and internet I have to ask - Why?!

I think it is time that developers will rise and say "if your device does not support progress and innovation, you will have a poor experience". If you're device only support CSS3 animation and transition, this is what you'll get - a sluggish, bad performing animation.
Come on, people - we are being held down by a ball and chain only in the name of product design. It's time to break free from these draconian constraints and understand several things:
Apple no longer owns the mobile market.
There are better alternatives to iOS.
iOS is no longer the most distributed mobile OS out there.
Mobile applications Developers do not work for Apple.

I call to all - develop more applications for Android, RIM, WebOS WP7 or whatever vendor which offers free of charge and constraints platform and leave that single iOS to deal with it's walled garden. make Apple beg you for content, not the other way around. We have the power to change this 1984 reality, for the better.

Think about it.

2 comments:

לירון טנצר said...

nicely put...

Flashmattic said...

thanks! nothing gets me for frustrated than Apple. well... come to think of it - that's not entirely true.