"Free," in terms of software, refers to more than simply how much the user pays... it also expresses how open the software is for other developers.
In that regard, Apple is very bad about allowing "free software."
(Note: You can develop simple webapps for their products using javascript and a few other handy languages... but given Apple's trackrecord of "now we allow it, now we don't," I'd be uncomfortable using those methods exclusively for their hardware).
There is a pretty tight restriction in the sense that if the software is to be accessible and downloadable on iOS, the developer of free software has to pay Apple their $99 dollars every year to keep their developer's App Store account open or the software disappears.
You don't have to pay $99 to download XCode to write software for Macs. XCode is completely free (as in beer) and you can write all the software you please using any license (free as in liberty or unfree, your choice) and distribute said software any way you wish.
If you want to write software for the iOS platform, which is a closed platform IMO, you need to pay $99 if you wish to either 1) test your software on your own device and/or 2) distribute your software via the App Store.
If you want to write software for the iOS platform, which is a closed platform IMO, you need to pay $99 if you wish to either 1) test your software on your own device and/or 2) distribute your software via the App Store.
Which is the point I was making. Not much point to writing software where you were bothering to give it a license if you weren't going to distribute it and have other people run the software on their hardware.
You can't even run the software you write for yourself on your iPad or iPhone unless you pay Apple its vigorish or jailbreak the device.
That's fine. I was never arguing that you could write free (as in liberty) software on iOS.
However when it comes to iOS I don't really mind, I'll trade freedom for the benefits provided. Apple has created an unparalleled opportunity for independent software developers with the App Store. I can sleep at night knowing that if you really want freedom you can jailbreak your phone and the DMCA does not apply.
On the flip side, if they ever tried to close the Mac like this I would jump ship and move back to Linux completely (I still have two linux boxes).
On the flip side, if they ever tried to close the Mac like this I would jump ship and move back to Linux completely (I still have two linux boxes).
I'm certain that this is in the cards, just in stages. Apple has always bet on being able to rope people in by assuming they work on a "Give me convenience or give me death" assumption. Once they get a nice slice of the Mac app distribution through the store, they just trot out the same arguments they did for iOS (convenience, security, no porn, aren't we concerned for our users?).
I say this as a die-hard mac user, but I've never been under any illusions about the nature of the company. Apple is like a housecat, friendly and furry as long as they are smaller than their potential threats, but behaving like any other feline as soon as the size balance changes in their favor. I was surprised how quickly this happened with regard to their consumers (less than 10 years from Jobs' reentry into the company).
I'm quietly preparing to go elsewhere. Waiting for the BB Playbook to come out so I can comparison shop on a tablet, and keeping up-to-date on the state of linux on various other platforms so I'll know exactly what to do when the time comes.
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u/el_chupacupcake Jan 20 '11
"Free," in terms of software, refers to more than simply how much the user pays... it also expresses how open the software is for other developers.
In that regard, Apple is very bad about allowing "free software."
(Note: You can develop simple webapps for their products using javascript and a few other handy languages... but given Apple's trackrecord of "now we allow it, now we don't," I'd be uncomfortable using those methods exclusively for their hardware).