

It's Facebook, What Else Did You Expect? - ajhit406
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/10/sincerity-is-the-sincerest-form-of-flattery/

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ajhit406
I actually didn't enjoy reading this article but posted it mostly to start a
discussion.

That is, do people really agree with Alexia's post that Facebook has somehow
drawn inspiration from its popular (though ultimately temporary) substitute,
MyPad?

Using the left pane for navigation for Facebook's most popular features is not
innovative or patentable. Using the top of the main view for a status update
button or textarea is common throughout facebook and has been for years. I
don't think Facebook is "copying" MyPad for using left-hand navigation and its
positioning of the status button or other elements.

In fact, MyPad, being designed specifically for Facebook, obviously drew from
Facebook's features and one would expect them to mimic Facebook's UI to ensure
a seamless user experience; and MyPad perhaps did the best job in Facebook's
long absence.

To claim that Facebook somehow acted unprofessionally by "copying" MyPad-- an
application who's inspiration was drawn from Facebook in the first place-- is
a complete fallacy.

I think the Facebook IA developers and UI designers deserve more credit. I for
one am happy that in spite of the long (and probably mostly bureaucratic)
delay, that the team has finally released the app. Kudos.

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eridius
To be fair, both look like they're "inspired" by the Twitter iPad app.

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jinushaun
I posted the same thing on TC. The Twitter iPad app has become the defacto
iPad UI. If Apple could, I think they would've made the stacked split pane
view controller part of UIKit. I don't know if Twitter has a patent on it, but
it's effectively public domain given how many people are already using that UX
paradigm. That said, I don't know if it's safe for Apple to absorb into UIKit.

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mmahemoff
The "mon dieu" tells us she's mocking the overly dramatic response people have
when seeing two apps that look the same.

"Of course they look the same, it's the same content on the same UI platform.
What else did you expect?"

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artursapek
It seems like a logical design to arrive at, and why the title? Since when is
Facebook notorious for ripping their ideas off others? Their app is structured
much like the website already is.

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corin_
I read the title the opposite way, as in "it's facebook, of course any app
will end up looking fairly similar, they're doing the same thing"".

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artursapek
Oh, okay. So Techcrunch is defending Facebook from others making this kind of
accusation? I'm so confused.

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zerostar07
Ok I m just gonna go ahead and say the posted article is crap. As an exercise,
please suggest how else they could have done it. Did twitter copy mypad too? I
expect many things from Facebook, but ripping off others' technology is not
what they do.

