[Macworld]

Post your comments for InstallerApp is like iTunes for jailbreakers here

[spim]

I'm just a little unclear on one point and don't want to assume.
Does this app get any money at all to legitimate iPhone app developers?
or is this simply a way to get apps on your iPhone which may be of a dubious source?
just wondering ...
(i'd follow the link and try to find out myself - but it's blocked at work through corp. firewall)

[derkathon]

spim said:

I'm just a little unclear on one point and don't want to assume.

Does this app get any money at all to legitimate iPhone app developers?

or is this simply a way to get apps on your iPhone which may be of a dubious source?

just wondering ...

(i'd follow the link and try to find out myself - but it's blocked at work through corp. firewall)

My understanding of it is that the apps available through InstallerApp were either rejected from Apple's app store or refused to participate for some reason. I don't think any of the applications are pirated versions from Apple's store.

[****]

A fast $7 bucks from non thinking people. And,no developer is going to go this route without getting paid.
The writer of this blurb didn't even think of answering this obvious concern noted by spim. Do you have the feeling that there are a lot of irresponsible people out there?

[jbarr]

"Does this app get any money at all to the legitimate iPhone app developers?"

No. And why should they? The programs are not AppStore applications. No money is being taken away from any AppStore developers because AppStore apps are not distributed by this application. These are separately developed applications that are not available on AppStore.

"or is this simply a way to get apps on your iPhone which may be of a dubious source?"

They could be of dubious source. They could also be from a highly reputable source. While there isn't the same control imposed as Apple, so far, the Cydia community has proven to be quite effectively self-policing, and there are many quality apps. You certainly won't find the volume or scope of apps as on AppStore, but then again, AppStore does have its share of less-than quality apps.

The whole point is putitng control back into the hands of the user.

[zarmanto]

Do you have the feeling that there are a lot of irresponsible people out there?

Yes -- and I'd have to say that you're probably one of them, for automatically assigning malice where there almost certainly is none to be found.

You know, just because there's a deck of cards on the table in front of you, that does not necessarily mean that you have to play poker; you could play solitaire, crazy eights or hearts. And just because you might choose to play poker doesn't mean you have to play for money... you could play for pretzels, tic-tacs or... well, you get the idea.

[evan17]

Respectfully to all, is using this application legal, that is, is this actually a jailbreak, and or, is it something that Apple considers illegitimate and voiding of there end user agreement.
Thanks!

[ClaytonHenryK]

I tried this and it said the install wasn't complete, then many other apps were unstable. I would not recommend trying it.

[jbarr]

@evan17: I cannot speak to the legalities of Apple's end user license agreement (EULA), but generally speaking, I think it all depends on how you plan to use it. If your goal is to use it to activate your iPhone's sim on another carrier to deprive AT&T of your contractual agreement, then it's probably not within the bounds of the EULA, however if you are like me who owns an iPod Touch and want to simply install applications that are not available through AppStore (like Wiki2Touch and some of the system very useful enhancements) then what is the harm? Just understand that when one deviates from Apple's recommendations, they shouldn't go running to them when they mess things up.

[evan17]

I understand what you are saying. Just for me, and no one else, I do not plan to use it at al. I am concerned that it may not actually be ethical, as Apple has stated it is concerned that users of untested software could jeopardize the platform. I use this for business and this would not be tenable. Thanks all.

[reverb]

RipDev's "this isn't a jailbreak" claim is a lie, or at least misleading. Engadget figured it out: . I'm disappointed that Macworld didn't do the same, and simply rehashed the developer's dubious statements.

[evan17]

Thank you. This is exactly what I was concerned about. I am a long loyal reader of MacWorld, and I am disappointed also they did not research this better. Also, the title of the article mislead me to think this was actually legitimate. I am glad I listened to my doubts and thank you for your research.

[saurik]

For the record, the InstallerApp developers' claim that it does not require jailbreaking your device is somewhat disingenuous. They mean to indicate that it does not /leave/ your device in a state where you can modify the important system files.
However, to install the software that InstallerApp comes with, your device has to be "jailbroken", the operating system and a few other important parts have to be modified, and software has to get installed to the system partition, just like any of the other jailbreak procedures.
More importantly, though, the author of this article implies that normal jailbreak procedures leave your device in a state where normal App Store applications /do not/ "live in peace alongside" jailbroken phones. This is not the case: people who jailbreak their phones have full access to the App Store, and can purchase any software they wish.
In fact, many of the people who jailbreak their phones are the real enthusiasts that drive the market for the App Store, sometimes maxing out their device with over a hundred purchased applications.
As a final note, the developers of InstallerApp "support" Cydia by connecting to the same repositories that Cydia does, but have angered the people running those repositories by using their bandwidth but removing all of their monetization strategies: repositories in Cydia are paid for largely by the ad revenue obtained from users browsing the catalog, and InstallerApp doesn't provide access to any of the documentation, screenshots, or other ad-incentivized material the repositories provide. Therefore, a couple of the major repositories have decided to block InstallerApp from being able to connect to them.
Also, due to the way InstallerApp operates (off-device, and bypassing Cydia's documentation and support infrastructure), it also isn't possible to purchase applications from the recently launched Cydia Store using InstallerApp. And, due to the limitations provided by InstallerApp's re-protection of the system files, it is impossible to install Cydia with it.
These last two issues combine to mean that users of InstallerApp are rather limited in their ability to actually access the full catalog of applications and packages.

[saurik]

For the record, the InstallerApp developers' claim that it does not require jailbreaking your device is, as someone else pointed out, somewhat disingenuous. They mean to indicate that it does not /leave/ your device in a state where you can modify the important system files.
However, to install the software that InstallerApp comes with, your device has to be "jailbroken", the operating system and a few other important parts have to be modified, and software has to get installed to the system partition, just like any of the other jailbreak procedures.
More importantly, though, the author of this article implies that normal jailbreak procedures leave your device in a state where normal App Store applications do not "live in peace alongside" jailbroken phones. This is not the case: people who jailbreak their phones have full access to the App Store, and can purchase any software they wish.
In fact, many of the people who jailbreak their phones are the real enthusiasts that drive the market for the App Store, sometimes maxing out their device with over a hundred purchased applications.
As a final note, the developers of InstallerApp "support" Cydia by connecting to the same repositories that Cydia does, but have angered the people running those repositories by using their bandwidth but removing all of their monetization strategies: repositories in Cydia are paid for largely by the ad revenue obtained from users browsing the catalog, and InstallerApp doesn't provide access to any of the documentation, screenshots, or other ad-incentivized material the repositories provide. Therefore, a couple of the major repositories have decided to block InstallerApp from connecting to them.
Also, due to the way InstallerApp operates (off-device, and bypassing Cydia's documentation and support infrastructure), it isn't possible to purchase applications from the recently launched Cydia Store using InstallerApp. And, due to the limitations provided by InstallerApp's re-protection of the system files, it is impossible to install Cydia itself with it.
These last few issues combine to mean that users of InstallerApp are rather limited in their ability to actually access the full catalog of applications and packages.