• Apple iTouch and open source software — out of luck?

    Jan 11.10 | Design   

    If I buy a piece of Apple hardware do I have the right to access it with whatever software I choose?  Like using the open source program SongBird to synch my iTouch?  If I buy a copy of the Mac operating system do I have the right to run it on whatever hardware I choose?  From Apple’s perspective the answer is a resounding NO.  They say this attitude is intended to protect me.  Well Apple, thanks for your concern, and thanks for the insanely great products you make, but leave me the freedom to do what I want with the stuff I purchase from you.  Sure I might break them, but I might also make them better suited to meet my individual needs.  You know a lot about what consumers want, but you don’t know everything.  You should listen every once in a while…

    Apple as an obsessive-compulsive case study

    Apple just can’t seem to be open about anything. I am sure there are quite specific guidelines underlying the apparent total capriciousness of the acceptance process for the Apple App Store — if so, I haven’t seen them, nor apparently have a lot of App Store developers.

    Ipod Touch Support?

    We still do not support the iPhone or the iPod Touch. Apple has made it very clear that they will do whatever is within their power to prevent other software from interoperating with their hardware. (And vice versa, as the Palm Pre folks found out!) We’ll continue to hope that Apple chooses to embrace open standards in the future, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

    http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9140591/Apple_as_an_obsessive_compulsive_case_study

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    • Author: Randy

    In my day job I serve as Information Technology Director for the Yale School of Drama. Otherwise I garden, play guitar, build stuff out of wood, take photos, play around with technology and have been blogging since 2003.

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    [...] much as I love Apple and freely admit they make great products, I have also have many concerns with Apple’s close-system approach. While there are some valid points to Apple’s ‘let us do the driving’ philosophy, [...]

    RodeWorks » Blog Archive » Google tablet rumours? on Feb 03 10 at 5:51 am

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