
Apple Has Removed Dash from the App Store: Update - okket
https://blog.kapeli.com/apple-removed-dash-from-the-app-store
======
franciscop
That actually sounds like a great* idea if you have competition. Just hire few
shady "pay for reviews" to review your competition and you'll be the last one
standing. Play it smart and they might not even realize of it (I am guessing
they contacted the Dash creator due to the blog post popularity).

 _great as in horrifying. As in make America_ great* again.

~~~
urda
> great as in horrifying. As in make America great* again.

Please keep the politics out of a story that has absolutely nothing to do with
politics. It adds nothing to the conversation.

~~~
LyndsySimon
I completely agree, and felt a mere upvote was not sufficient to say how much
I agree.

~~~
franciscop
Woops, sorry I'm Spanish and that was just meant to be a joke, not really
trying to get into politics.

------
laurentdc
> Update: Apple contacted me and told me they found evidence of App Store
> review manipulation. This is something I’ve never done.

> Apple’s decision is final and can’t be appealed.

Enjoying the walled garden. This is why I always suggest to buy apps _outside_
the store, directly from the developers' website.

~~~
citruspi
> This is why I always suggest to buy apps outside the store, directly from
> the developers' website.

This is something that I used to recommend as well, but then I ran into a
licensing issue with an app.

I'd purchased a license directly from the developer's website but due to
either a bug in the application or a bug in the licensing server, activating
the license would fail. I ended up re-purchasing it from the Mac App Store.

I'm completely for putting money directly in developers' pockets and avoiding
walled gardens, but what happens when the app requires activation against some
licensing server and the company goes out of business?

It's even worse when the company is a one man shop - if that one person
decides to accept a full time job elsewhere, gets tired of supporting the
software, or just gets hit by a bus...

I have more faith in Apple supporting app store purchases long term than I do
in indie developers supporting their licensing mechanisms, especially when
they decide to discontinue support for an app or when they go out of business.

~~~
ghostly_s
If the app was on the App Store, it would cease to be procurable entirely
whenever your hypothetical developer missed their Developer Program payment,
so I'm not sure I follow this reasoning.

~~~
citruspi
That's a good point, I haven't published anything on the App Store in a while
and I'd forgotten that failing to renew the Developer Programme results in the
app being pulled from the App Store.

I'm not sure why, but I figured that the app would still be available for
download by existing users from the "Purchased" tab.

In that case, I suppose I'd have to recommend purchasing directly from
developers, with the caveat that I have more faith in the licensing mechanisms
for apps that are _actively_ supported and purchased from the Mac App Store
than for apps that are _actively_ maintained and purchased directly from the
developer. Either way, I've only had one or two issues with third party
licensing mechanisms, so I suppose it isn't a big issue at the end of the day.

Only other reason I'd recommend purchases from the Mac App Store for users
that aren't technically inclined would be features like required sandboxing.

------
vsl
> Update: Apple contacted me and told me they found evidence of App Store
> review manipulation. This is something I’ve never done.

This makes no sense. Why would he done that? Dash is very popular and has no
competition to speak of, why would he bother doing anything shady (and
costly)?

------
josho
I was going to write Apple asking why I can't download my purchased copy of
Dash from the App Store.

But, I wonder if that would just make things worse (ie. if suddenly hundreds
of users write Apple would Apple see this as more 'manipulation' of their
Store).

------
singularity2001
Is there a list/forum where all victims of Apples power-abuse can unite? There
must be a legal case against closed App Store abuse one day.

Coincidental:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12660339#12660541](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12660339#12660541)

Conservative estimate: There are hundreds of developers being pissed of by
Apple daily, a significant fraction rightfully so and another fraction in a
legally significant way.

------
okket
Current/Previous discussion:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12646919](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12646919)
(22 hours ago, 441 comments)

See also Michael Tsais Blog about this incident:

[http://mjtsai.com/blog/2016/10/05/apple-removed-dash-from-
th...](http://mjtsai.com/blog/2016/10/05/apple-removed-dash-from-the-mac-app-
store/)

------
captainmuon
(As I posted on the duplicate discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12654395](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12654395)
)

Would this be the time to explore selling iOS apps outside of the app store?

Offer users a binary download (like when you buy the desktop app outside of
the store). Then have a little tool that you run on your Mac, connect the iOS
device, enter your developer credentials (since this is a developer's tool the
user likely has them, otherwise registration is quick and free)... and the
tool sideloads the app to the iOS device.

------
altern8tif
Conspiracy theory: Apple is intending to launch its own documentation reader
built-in to macOS. This is just a way to "out" the incumbent.

------
joesmo
I don't understand why they can't have an appeals process or even the
possibility to talk to a live person and work things out. This is a business
relationship, after all. This is simply indefensible on Apple's (and other
companies' that do this) part.

