If you work for Apple, we need your help... | Hacker News Reader

If you work for Apple, we need your help...

pragdave.blogs.pragprog.com

43 pointsst3fan16 comments

It's quite silly that Apple still has the SDK under NDA. How do they expect developers to share tips and tricks to improve their applications?

It's also quite silly they have the apps wrapped up with DRM when Steve Jobs seems keen on avoiding DRM in other areas - http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/ - but, hey, this is Apple, and it's a closed platform.

In any case, while the SDK is under NDA, it does mention that you can discuss it with other developers within the same program.. it's just discussion with the outside world that's the problem.

Every time I forget about Tim Bray's sharecropper essay, Apple reminds me of it again.

Link to Tim Bray's essay ( I think) => http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2003/07/12/WebsThePla...

Frankly, I would just ignore the agreement. It's easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

Also, <insert usual remark about the unenforceability of "I Agree" contracts>

Normally, I'd agree with you but this apple, they'd have their lawyers all over this.

Works for an individual, but more tricky for a publisher.

I'd be careful in telling people EULAs are not enforceable. Case law is all over the map on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EULA#Enforceability

Most likely, this is just plain corporate bureaucracy. Of course Apple wants people to write programs for the iPhone. Of course Apple wants people to write books about the iPhone. However, Apple is a big company, and big companies specialize in being slow. If the senior person responsible for the iPhone SDK forgot to call the legal department and tell it to relax the restrictions, it probably didn't occur to legal to take the initiative.

Given all the developers I see bitching about this restriction (almost every iPhone one I know/know of, especially high profile ones..like apple design award winners (craig hockenberry of twitterrific fame)), I'd be surprised if everyone just forgot about that wee little detail. :)

I was flabbergasted to see the NDA restriction still applying after the final SDK was released (http://lists.apple.com/archives/cocoa-dev/2008/Jul/msg00855....) and since Apple is still pretty keen about the NDA, I have a feeling it's not that :)

"at last count, I have 8 Macs in my home". Why do you need 8 computers?

He was probably counting old laptops, iPhones, and maybe iPods?

Keep in mind he probably has kids, and they each probably have a Mac.

I have 8 Macs also. Whenever I upgrade, I have one more. No-one will buy my old ones at the price I want to sell, or either I want to keep them around as spares.

That number should go down over time though. Apple's lost me as a customer over this whole iPhone mess. Back to the PC I go if I can sell this Mac Pro (but I'll always keep an iMac ;-)) - as an aside, if anyone in the UK fancies buying an early 2008 Mac Pro with 30" ACD, I'm all ears.

Of course you could also choose to donate one to broke ass students. For example someone like me. :-P Who knows, maybe I can even work for you when I graduate. :grin:

You just have to learn to trust...

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