[Noisebridge-discuss] Digests on iOS devices

[Gopiballava Flaherty]

I should say first that I think software patents are an abomination unto the lord, and the DMCA is terrible. Anti-circumvention as applied to devices you own is wrong. 

On Dec 27, 2011, at 16:00, Jake <jake at spaz.org> wrote:

> the iphone and ipad are so far from open-source and so much more like 
> commercial television, i don't want to even have to touch one.

I don't understand the commercial TV analogy. Commercial TV is limited to the things that are most popular. The iPhone app store isn't limited to only popular stuff. Other that fart apps, "there is already an app for that market segment" isn't a rejection reason. 

Lots of people do lots of creative stuff on their iOS devices. People do art and engineering and all sorts of creative work. They are not limited to vegetating to least common denominator crap. 

Should I have to pay $99 to build code for my own device? No. But, I'm pretty sure the app store has gotten more apps from small developers into the hands of more people than any other platform. 

I think the dichotomy here is ironic: for most people, the iPhone gives them more effective freedom. App sandboxing is positive for most people because few apps need to go out of the sandbox. Not allowing backgrounding is an improvement for most apps. 

As to being worse than Microsoft: that is up for debate. At the very least virtually all the bad stuff is being done publicly and in accordance with the law. 
That makes it a lot easier to oppose them. They do exhibit more control over their apps than Microsoft. But they don't AFAIK threaten no iPhones if you also sell Android. 

I'm very ambivalent about the app store restrictions. They very often do help the user experience, and that is a form of freedom. Their arguments against the DMCA exemption for jailbreaking were insulting - I attended the hearing at Stanford and watched Joswiak from Apple present his case. Not impressed. 

So: software patents and the DMCA: immoral IMHO. Curated app store plus sandboxing: easier for people to be creative and not vegetate.