On Thu, Dec 12, 2019 at 11:28 PM Ian Clark <[email protected]> wrote: > >It seems Apple is now on the warpath against ALL GPL'd code ...(the > > presumption is they do not like the viral nature) … > > IMHO it's not Apple being nazi. It's forced on them.
Given that Apple is a very large collection of people, I think that this is not a meaningful distinction. Or: it's only "forced on them" if we ignore their past decisions leading them to this point. > App Store sells products developed by 3rd parties, under contract governed > by the usual commercial agreements to protect IPR, e.g. non-disclosure. It > follows that "Open Source" and "App Store product" are a contradiction in > terms. Not at all. But that doesn't keep people from making that kind of assertion. But the people doing so, as a general rule, have not read copyright law, have not read "open source" licenses, etc. > But Apple has always based its business on offering (I don't say > "guaranteeing") some sort of security with its premium-priced products. But > more and more they're being asked to deliver. They can only do this – and > only with their newer products, like iOS and Catalina – if they stop your > machine *ever* running *any* code that has not been downloaded *without > modification* from App Store. This is much closer to relevant and accurate. But it's still only a part of the picture. > How are they going to do this without stifling independent development? > This must be really taxing their best minds. There's a variety of possibilities here, but... anyways... > Think of a nation state trying to prevent their children (read: "citizens") > seeing bad stuff on the worldwide web. I discern 3 approaches: > 1. The Iranian approach. Pull the plug and stick the whole country in > purdah. Isn't that currently more of a fear and an intermittent issue than a long term issue? > 2. The USA/UK approach. Heavy bureaucracy that's mainly for show. All fur > coat and no knickers. That's ... not really accurate. It's more that most people don't understand the goals of the various bureaucracies, even while heavily relying on their people doing their jobs. > 3. The Chinese approach. Iron hand in velvet glove. Needs bold PR. Again, that's not completely accurate. But the place is huge, and also I have less information about those systems. > Apple, I'd say, is trying to stay with approach 3ns. But 2 and 1 are creeping > in, as panic measures. I'd characterize Apple's situation as: they're currently in a pendulum swing towards being more of a style-based outfit. But, yes, most of their manufacturing is in China because lobbying has made manufacturing here unsustainable. And, as a result, they're experiencing a lot of pressure to move away from the "substance" side of technology. Thanks, -- Raul ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
