Facebook Developer Quits Due to Tyrannical Apple Approval Policies
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Posted November 11, 2009 at 9:18pm by iClarified
Joe Hewitt, the developer behind the iPhone Facebook app, has quit due to tyrannical App Store approval policies.
Hewitt tweets, Time for me to try something new. Ive handed the Facebook iPhone app off to another engineer, and Im onto a new project.
TechCrunch managed to obtain further details finding out that Hewitt attributed his decision to quit the project entirely on Apples tyrannical App Store approval policies:
My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apples policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.
The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.
If the developer of what is likely the most popular iPhone application has reached such frustration then think about how the rest of the developers must feel. Apple has a real problem here.
"I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process."
He's not "frustrated", like something about his experience with Apple's review process was difficult or broken or inconsistent or slow -- he said it simply shouldn't exist because "the Internet is free, man". How many times have we heard that?
And as for middlemen, is he unaware that most software is published? It has to go through a process of quality checks, marketing, communications, etc. to ensure it is ready for consumption?
Maybe in his world you just slap some executables up on a website and say to users "have at it" (oh, wait, that IS open source/free software, isn't it?), but that isn't how professional software is created, and it's not how Apple creates it.
Sounds to me like someone trying to blow some trumpets to get a new, higher paying job...
straight to the point!!! Apple provide developers with a way to make a money - not self-promotion... big deal if someone doesn't want to make apps for apple product under apple's rules... it will be another guy who is willing to work and will be a customer who will use it...
yeah, yeah... and when facebook put everything everywhere not allowed to remove yourself completely? nobody likes to be done to him what he is doing to other...
facebook tried to control your account there so apple likes to control their ;)
I can not see much difference in behaviour of FB and apple
what a loss. the facebook app is superbly designed; it's a shame such a talented developer has been disenfranchised by apple. hopefully the person taking over can continue his vision by bringing push notifications sometime soon, and hopefully apple takes notice.
hell yea cydia
winterboard
google voice
pdanet
swirlymms
idashboard
cycorder
the list goes on
apple needs to just make everything open the current restrictions are ridiculous
could you imagine if they opened up to the porn industry lol can you even start to think of some of the apps that would be released and how much money could be made