[opendtv] Pressurized Apple offers olive branch to Flash

From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:51:34 -0500
"For the first time, it has published the full list of guidelines that it uses 
in deciding whether programs are eligible to be included in the store. These 
are still accessible only to registered developers who have entered into a 
non-disclosure agreement but Apple's press release said it hoped publication 
would 'make us more transparent and help our developers create even more 
successful apps for the App Store.'"

And here I was being told that Apple did this all along.

"Of course, Apple still reserves the right to exclude apps on any grounds, ..."

Oh, sorry, I spoke too fast.

Bert

------------------------------------
http://www.rethink-wireless.com/2010/09/09/pressurized-apple-offers-olive-branch-flash.htm

Pressurized Apple offers olive branch to Flash
Relaxes rules for App Store developers and allows third party tools at last
By CAROLINE GABRIEL

Published: 9 September, 2010

In a shock move, Apple has radically relaxed its rules for developers and 
opened a route to the iPhone for Adobe Flash, a sign of the pressure it is 
feeling from Android and antitrust authorities.

The firm has announced sweeping changes to the way it handles submissions to 
the iPhone/iPad App Store, which seem to indicate it feels more need to keep 
developers happy than in the past - no doubt an effect of the Android bid for 
their affections.

For the first time, it has published the full list of guidelines that it uses 
in deciding whether programs are eligible to be included in the store. These 
are still accessible only to registered developers who have entered into a 
non-disclosure agreement but Apple's press release said it hoped publication 
would "make us more transparent and help our developers create even more 
successful apps for the App Store."

As well as lifting some of its notorious veil of secrecy, Apple also said it 
was "relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS 
apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give 
developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need." 
This appears to reverse the most controversial aspect of its policies, the ban 
on apps that use third party compilers. This had effectively kept Adobe Flash, 
with which Apple has a long running feud, from iPhones, and led the smaller 
firm to turn most of its attentions to Android. It had also attracted attention 
from US and EU antitrust authorities, which are considering their next steps.

Now, the only remaining restriction is that apps must be self-contained and not 
download external code (apart from JavaScript code executed using Apple's own 
WebKit based rendering engine).

Finally, Apple said it had formed an App Review Board, with the goal of giving 
developers "the opportunity to appeal the rejection of an application if they 
believe that the functionality or technical implementation was misunderstood". 
This could address criticisms that Apple's process, as well as being hard to 
understand, is also arbitrary.

Adobe is the major company affected by Apple's uncharacteristic climbdown, and 
the stock market pushed the Flash vendor's shares up about 12% in morning 
trading.

Of course, Apple still reserves the right to exclude apps on any grounds, in 
contrast to Android Market's free-for-all (which has its own drawbacks, in 
terms of security and usability risks). So the new guidelines state: "If your 
app doesn't do something useful or provide some form of lasting entertainment, 
it may not be accepted...We have lots of serious developers who don't want 
their quality apps to be surrounded by amateur hour."
 
 
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[opendtv] Pressurized Apple offers olive branch to Flash

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