Comment by MCRed | Hacker News Reader

Comment by MCRed | Hacker News Reader

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There is no negative light here... this is a capability/feature that makes sense at the OS level. On desktops you have access to the deepest parts of the system, but on mobile, things need to be more secure.

Apple's done nothing wrong, and given Apple's history of implementing these kinds of features, then opening them up to developers in the next release, being polite when asking them to open them up is appropriate.

For instance, it used to be that only Apple apps could control the brightness of the screen. Apple opened that up to all apps several years ago, and now many apps use it.

Apple's just introduced new technology that would be useful for this app developer, and in a way, they are effectively enabling this kind of app-- and when they open it up in the next release (possibly iOS 10, since this is a feature introduced in the iOS 9.3 interim release) it will be stable and usable more broadly.

The combative attitude many on HN have towards apple is more about being in the Google camp and seeing them as the enemy, than about Apple doing wrong by anyone (Yeas yeas, I know they take %30 of transactions, but that's an improvement over the %80 that previous generations of mobile software developers had to give up.. and other stores take a similar cut. etc.)

Apple has quite a history of prosecuting devs who say anything critical about the company or its products.

Nothing related to Google at all(which is probably why you're getting downvoted).

Apple has quite a history of prosecuting devs who say anything critical about the company or its products

For example?

http://m.hardocp.com/news/2010/03/19/apple_bans_game_after_d...

You can find other examples if you look. I remember there being a big kerfluffle about it ~2 years ago or so.

Not a good example, if you actually read the article, though. The app dev was clearly trying to provoke Apple in any way he could; for instance, by raising the price of his game to $400.

You mean "persecuting", btw, and not "prosecuting".

Why do things need to be more secure on mobile. Why can't apps have access to the deepest parts of the system on mobile and desktop?

I'd like to see a good response to this because I'd be way more fucked by malware on my laptop than on my phone.

I have several friends now who don't have a laptop or don't use it - they exclusively use a tablet/phone outside of work. They'd definitely be impacted by malware with access to all their data and communications, not to mention the ability to rack up massive monthly bills.

I know the grugq says not to root Android for maximum security, but I prefer to have the toggle. I don't like this continual removal of features from phones and I strive to have the same level of access that I had on my Nokia N900 - but it has to be an informed choice.

There has to be a middle ground somewhere between Android's "Cryptolocker.apk was successfully installed!" and Apple's "thou shalt not covet thine neighbour's underground app store on penalty of death".

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