
If you need the approval of the platform vendor to ship an app, then it isn't a platform - jacobscott
http://www.scripting.com/stories/2008/09/13/whyIphoneIsAnUreliablePlat.html
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mattmaroon
A platform is called a platform because you build stuff on top of it. It might
not be an open platform, but it's still a platform. (It's all semantics
anyway, but the assertion doesn't make sense.)

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rantfoil
In an era of crowdsourcing, you'd think we could have 100% open platforms that
automatically self-correct.

Bad apps should be rated lower. Great apps should be rated higher. Like Yelp,
perhaps there should be a class of "super raters" that are selected by the
owners of the community -- and perhaps they get moderation privileges -- kill
spam, kill viruses, kill bad apps.

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alex_c
This is a good example why the industry as a whole is always salivating for
[software as a service | client-server apps | web apps]. It puts control
squarely in the hands of the vendor, rather than the user (I count developers
as being the users of a platform).

~~~
tomjen
Only if there is only on of the service. There is only one Amazon cloud
storage, but there are thousands of other online storage places so switching
is easy.

On the other hand there is only one IPhone, and because it uses coca switching
is difficult.

~~~
t0pj
_"There is only one Amazon cloud storage, but there are thousands of other
online storage places so switching is easy."_

1) I don't think switching would be that easy unless you're just getting
started.

2) _Thousands of other online storage places_ I guess you simply pick you
poison, er, locked down platform with various restrictions.

------
Create
"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that..."

The 5 real reasons to avoid iPhone 3G:

    
    
        * iPhone completely blocks free software. Developers must pay a tax to Apple, who becomes the sole authority over what can and can't be on everyone's phones.
        * iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology.
        * iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge.
        * iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora.
        * iPhone is not the only option. There are better alternatives on the horizon that respect your freedom, don't spy on you, play free media formats, and let you use free software -- like the FreeRunner.
    

[http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/why-free-software-and-
app...](http://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/why-free-software-and-apples-
iphone-dont-mix)

~~~
iuguy
You forgot reason 6:

* iPhone has a tiny market share across 2 devices and requires you to learn an entirely new development, deployment and management environment compared to Symbian, Blackberry or Windows Mobile.

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iuguy
I read that as "If you need the survival of the platform vendor to ship an
app, then it isn't a platform".

Which in a bizarre way is also true I guess.

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rokhayakebe
You could not have said it better. Apple being a tab less restricted than
others does not make it Open.

~~~
chrisbroadfoot
How is Apple less restricting than others? Who is 'others'?

~~~
talboito
I imagine he meant major cell phone carriers and their app decks.

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jacobscott
seems like this applies to many new "platforms", for example Facebook.

~~~
benzim
On facebook you can release any app without approval. The only time you need
approval is to be added to their app directory. I don't think facebook ever
bans apps without a tos violation.

~~~
jacobscott
So is consensus that the RockYou app disabling was legit? The power to ban for
a ToS violation still seems strong -- this isn't something Microsoft or Apple
(or any Linux distro) has on the desktop, right?

~~~
mattmaroon
It's strong, but as a developer I'm ok with it. I know going in what the ToS
are. I know what I'm getting into. There's certainly a tradeoff there still,
because on one hand, there's some form of editorial control (unlike Windows or
OSX), but on the other hand, it's as close to transparent as possible, and is
there mainly to preserve quality.

I look at it kind of like the salary cap in the NFL. On one hand, it means
some players aren't making as much as they would be if it were lifted a week
ago. On the other hand, it means all players are making far more than they
would if it were lifted a decade ago.

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zenspider
Dave Winer has been bitching about apple for years and years and years... it
is his favorite hobby.

