
Dash for iOS is now open source - internals
https://github.com/Kapeli/Dash-iOS
======
mthoms
Relevant HN threads:

Apple Has Removed Dash from the App Store:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12646919](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12646919)

Apple Responds to Dash Controversy:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12680131](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12680131)

------
nkjoep
I stopped using Dash long time ago.

[http://devdocs.io/](http://devdocs.io/) is enough for me.

~~~
ihuman
Is there a way to open devdocs with a shortcut like Dash?

~~~
nkjoep
They suggest this plugins
([http://devdocs.io/about](http://devdocs.io/about)):

\- Chrome web app

\- Sublime Text plugin

\- Atom plugin

\- Brackets extension

\- Emacs Package

~~~
broderboy
Can't beat using Alfred to search Dash from anywhere

~~~
KingMob
Yup, just make a custom search for
"[http://devdocs.io/#q={query}"](http://devdocs.io/#q={query}").

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hs86
I am not the author but here is a similar app for Android users. Previously it
was a paid app but now it is free.

[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lovelyhq.a...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lovelyhq.android.lovelydocs)

~~~
on_and_off
I have already tried this kind of app and I feel a bit stupid : I don't
understand the use case.

In which situation do people read documentation on their phone ?

~~~
egwynn
It's not well documented online, but if you use Dash on Mac, then you can set
up an iOS device as a 'Remote', which lets you use your phone/tablet as a
second screen for documentation, which you control from your Mac. I think
that's the primary usage scenario.

~~~
on_and_off
ahhh I see, thank you !

It makes sense that way.. I was wondering why would anybody really need that
much to look at documentation while on the go.

------
kmf
Pretty interesting - on the Dash blog in October[1], the developer said that
open-source wouldn't be a great option because compiling iOS apps is difficult
for most non-iOS developers.

It's a shame, IMO, that iOS apps only have two wide-distribution models: paid,
with Apple, on the App Store, or open-source and, by that nature, free.
There's a lot of really great software on OS X that is distributed outside the
Mac App Store. Clearly there's no plan for something similar to that on iOS.

[https://blog.kapeli.com/dear-dash-users/](https://blog.kapeli.com/dear-dash-
users/)

~~~
diggan
> that iOS apps only have two wide-distribution models: paid, with Apple, on
> the App Store, or open-source and, by that nature, free.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think that's true. Just because
it's open source doesn't mean it's free, it just means that technical users
could, if wanted, compile it from source. But, especially with iOS apps, this
is not even true since you do need to have a developer license and a Mac to be
able to compile and run it on an actual iPhone.

So in reality, while this is open source, only developers who pay Apple, are
able to install this application, even if it's open source.

~~~
cocktailpeanuts
Here's the correction you asked for :)

You don't need developer account to build XCode projects on your phone
anymore, you can just sign in with your Apple account and sideload it.

~~~
sushid
And resign it on your computer every 7 days? Not exactly a walk in the park.

~~~
houli
From my experience apps only need to be re-signed once every 90 days. Not
quite as much of a hassle but still one nonetheless

~~~
rahimnathwani
It used to be 90 days, but AFAIK it's now 7 days if you don't have a paid
subscription (1 year if you do). Also there's a 10-app limit.

I discovered this recently as I wanted to install Kodi on my iPad. I'm not an
iOS developer, and can't bring myself to pay an annual subscription just so I
can install open source software on my own device.

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joeblau
I applaud him for doing this. I'm sure he's spent a lot of time building this
product and to open source it is pretty awesome. I've seen lots of other
products I like just disappear after they are taken down.

------
fnord123
A similar program on Linux (or, I guess many platforms) is Zeal:

[https://zealdocs.org/](https://zealdocs.org/)

It's alright.

~~~
voltagex_
I've used it on Windows - unfortunately it created so many files in one
structure I was unable to remove the folder with Windows Explorer.

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wkoszek
I think it's an apology :)

Regardless, I've happily paid for it and I'm a user.

------
ihuman
I'm happy to see that he was able to make it open source and under GPL3. I
wonder if the developer will be responding to issues and pull requests, since
those are open for this repo.

------
rsfinn
Oh, lord, I hate to be That Guy, but it looks like Bogdan has included an
older version of Gus Mueller's FMDB library
<[https://github.com/ccgus/fmdb>](https://github.com/ccgus/fmdb>) but has
failed to include a copy of the MIT License that governs them. Probably just
an oversight, but...

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hobarrera
I'd never seen this before, but it sounds a lot like `zeal`, the desktop app
[https://zealdocs.org/](https://zealdocs.org/)

Upside of Zeal, is that desktop is usually more comfortable for developers.

------
wineisfine
Nice that he did opensourced it.

I personally never understood why this tool was so popular to start off with
though. I often found myself using the original doc sites instead.

~~~
Aldo_MX
When you have a fast and stable internet connection you hardly appreciate how
useful it is to read offline docs.

When you don't, it is a godsend.

~~~
girvo
Definitely. When I got the train from the Gold Coast to Brisbane (1 hour, with
really spotty phone coverage) it was my life-saver!

------
gigatexal
Really unfortunate Apple got rid of such a useful app. Oh well it was saved by
open source.

------
fbnlsr
Does that mean that we could see an open source free alternative for MacOS
too?

~~~
ChrisLTD
Why? Dash is still for sale on Mac through the web.

------
duaneb
Thank you. I've been missing this from my toolset after paying for it.

~~~
nanospeck
Just curious to know, what are the other apps in your toolset?

~~~
duaneb
Nothing on the iPad. I like the second screen for documentation and music.

------
urza
This is not related to Dash cryptocurrency I suppose?

[https://www.dash.org/](https://www.dash.org/)

Dash (the cryptocurrency) has an iOS app, that has not been approved by
Apple[1].. I wonder if it is related because of the name.

1:
[https://dashpay.atlassian.net/wiki/display/DOC/Download+-+In...](https://dashpay.atlassian.net/wiki/display/DOC/Download+-+Install+-+Guide)

~~~
AsyncAwait
Nope, it's an offline API docs browser.

------
johansch
So this is the Romanian guy who was called out for blaming his "family member"
for spamming the app store with paid ratings of his apps, while using his bank
account for the Apple Developer connection? ... All after pretending to be
innocent and causing many, many developers to rally for him, without knowing
he manipulated them?

How about we just ignore him and don't continue to reward him with attention?

~~~
flixic
Let's not judge so quickly and surely. There are still many things we don't
know, and we have heard a story from him that makes sense, and I find
plausible.

What if he really is mostly innocent? More importantly, Dash app is still
great, probably the best for documentation browsing, and now iOS counterpart
is restored in some way. Isn't it a great move from his side, considering the
circumstances? Shouldn't we celebrate his efforts instead of blaming him?

~~~
anthonybsd
Actually after a little digging it turned out that Kapeli was a shovelware
writer who's gone legit. The whole "relative" thing was fully made up:

[http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-
says-1-000-fraudul...](http://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-
says-1-000-fraudulent-reviews-were-detected-across-two-accounts-owned-by-dash-
developer-update-developer-responds.2005850/page-12#post-23708918)

~~~
mietek
_“moveAddict … provides a functionality the Finder was missing, the ability to
move files using the keyboard. It’s meant to replace dragging and dropping for
anyone that would rather use the keyboard instead of the mouse.”_

 _“Switché … can be used to switch between applications or individual windows,
ordered by last use. Switché uses CoverFlow to display previews in a visually
appealing way. It helps you easily find the window or application you are
looking for.”_

 _“DockView … extends Apple’s Dock and shows window previews whenever you
hover your mouse over an application or while using CMD+Tab. It helps you
visualize the windows you currently have open and easily find the window you
are looking for.”_

 _“iGuard … protects your Mac by keeping an eye on the currently logged in
users. Even though Mac OS X is already protected from most threats, iGuard
adds an extra layer of security and will protect you from hackers that could
gain remote access to your Mac.”_

While these may not be the most useful programs in the world, there doesn’t
seem to be anything illegitimate about them; in particular, they are neither
adware nor malware.

It also doesn’t seem fair to label these programs “shovelware”, which is
apparently a term that describes “large amounts of public domain, open source
and shareware demos and programs … copied onto CD-ROMs and advertised in
magazines or sold at computer flea markets”.

Why would Popescu need to escape his dark and terrible past of writing mildly
useful programs?

