Macworld: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about ...

Up to Discussions in iPhone

This thread is locked

13 Replies Last post: Sep 16, 2008 3:01 PM by Chris Breen Branched to a new thread.

Macworld

11,211 posts since
Nov 30, 2007

Sep 16, 2008 10:22 AM

Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Post your comments for Podcaster: What all the fuss is about here

jrandersoniii

71 posts since
Jan 20, 2008

1. Sep 16, 2008 10:57 AM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

When I first heard about this product - I was thinking about when I travel. I'll refresh podcasts et al. in the airport. But that currently requires digging out the laptop and going through that whole mess. This sounded like a perfectly good solution, and as noted - offers a solution not currently offered by iTunes or the iPhone software.

Apple needs to loosen up!

vudoo

5 posts since
Feb 17, 2006

2. Sep 16, 2008 11:05 AM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

This is distribution method sounds awesome! Can I get other applications this way; have other developers set up something similar?

I've given up on buying apps through iTunes' App store, but I would love to pay the developers directly for some cool apps.

booga

293 posts since
Jan 14, 2005

3. Sep 16, 2008 11:30 AM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Unfortunately, vudoo, while the original Podcaster in no way violated Apple's SDK agreement, this method of distribution does, in fact, violate section 3.3.3 of the agreement. I'm not sure what Apple is going to do about it, but I suspect no developer that hasn't been rejected by the App Store after spending long hours developing an app would risk Apple's wrath doing this.

I'm afraid you're stuck with the App Store, which seems to be getting better anyway. The stuff in featured, hot, and staff favorites always seem reasonable, and there's enough good stuff that the top 50 is usually not bad either.

Uncommon

193 posts since
Aug 30, 2004

4. Sep 16, 2008 12:04 PM

in response to: booga

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

booga wrote:Unfortunately, vudoo, while the original Podcaster in no way violated Apple's SDK agreement, this method of distribution does, in fact, violate section 3.3.3 of the agreement.

Actually, section 3.3.3 refers only to distributing "additional features or functionality", but that's a potentially stifling restriction in itself.

richcon

152 posts since
Feb 8, 2005

5. Sep 16, 2008 12:06 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Unfortunately booga, DED (Roughly Drafted) is wrong, and John Gruber (Daring Fireball) is right. The SDK license agreement does not forbid Podcaster.

3.3.3 banns non-iTunes feature distribution, not content distribution. I'm surprised Roughly Drafted doesn't know the difference between features (things a program does) and content (data a program uses). The feature here is the ability to download podcasts, and that particular feature comes with the original program. So 3.3.3 is definitely not violated.

(And for the record, Apple never said 3.3.3 was violated, that's strictly Roughly Drafted's interpretation.)

Chris Breen

3,595 posts since
Dec 11, 2000

6. Sep 16, 2008 12:41 PM

in response to: richcon

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Putting on my moderator's hat:

To comment on the righteousness (or not) of Apple's decision and the world's reactions to it, please use this thread where we already have a lively discussion going.

Thanks!

richcon

152 posts since
Feb 8, 2005

7. Sep 16, 2008 1:10 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Sorry Chris, I've moved to that thread.

More on topic, I do think Podcaster looks like a cool app and I hope Apple revisits their acceptance requirement for it.

ibeetle

472 posts since
Apr 29, 2004

8. Sep 16, 2008 2:08 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

A few of points.

While one cannot entirely duplicate the downloading of a podcast without going through Apple it is possible, and maybe why Apple got upset with this App that Apple has been working on this function and currently has it in the pipeline.

It is also may not be entirely up to Apple. AT&T may not want users downloading gigabytes of podcast data.

While one cannot download podcast there are many podcast that can be streamed over even Edge. Most Podcast are in mono and do not requrire a lot of streaming bandwidth. The Podcaster people even have such a web app for those that really need a Podcast fix on the go.

Doesn't it bother anyone else that Podcaster is still being charged for? By their own admition on their site. It will only function for a year and Apple could quite easily use it's remote "Kill Switch" capabilities. I would feel seriously burned if I dropped 10 bucks on a App that stopped working in a few weeks or everytime I turn on my iPod/iPhone I wonder if today is the day it is disabbled. Certinaly there will be updates to the Mac OS, iPhone and iTunes over the next year, and it is a fair bet that anyone of those updates will disable this software.

Bonaldi

2 posts since
Sep 16, 2008

9. Sep 16, 2008 2:30 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Apple rejected it for duplicating functionality of "iTunes" -- ie, the store -- not of the iPod apps. Confusion over this has been mighty.

Uncommon

193 posts since
Aug 30, 2004

10. Sep 16, 2008 2:38 PM

in response to: Bonaldi

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Podcasts are not available through the iPhone's iTunes Store app, only through the desktop iTunes app. That's what makes Apple's stance confusing.

LowededWookie

87 posts since
Jul 2, 2006

11. Sep 16, 2008 2:44 PM

in response to: Macworld

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

The method supplied by the programmer is in fact valid and is called ADHOC distribution.

Normally ADHOC would be run from a Mac OS X Server but obviously with a bit of working can be done legitimately without such a server.

I think the real issue with this Podcaster app is the load that such an app would put on the 3G/EDGE network. Some of these podcasts, especially the video ones, pull through a lot of data across the network so that may be where Apple's issue is.

Does the app save to it's own space or does it add to iTunes in this case it would violate the agreement because it is trying to write to another apps space.

There is a dubious lack of information coming from the programmer about how this app works and I'm pretty sure Apple isn't really the bad guy here but someone trying to push through an app that breaks the rules and getting caught.

Daniel Eran wrote an interesting article about this very thing:

http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/09/15/sdk-333-the-iphone-podcaster-surprise-myth/

Even if you're in a minority of one it doesn't mean you're wrong.

Bonaldi

2 posts since
Sep 16, 2008

12. Sep 16, 2008 2:58 PM

in response to: Uncommon

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

"Podcasts are not available through the iPhone's iTunes Store app, only through the desktop iTunes app. That's what makes Apple's stance confusing."

Yes, because it's not about an app at all. They allow copies of apps. PCalc pwns the calculator, there are stocks apps and weather apps etc. What Apple is talking about must be the iTunes store itself -- nothing else makes a lick of sense.

But it does make sense to say you're not allowed to create a potential rival to the store. They stop Podcaster just like they'd stop an Amazon music store app. This would mostly have gone away if the damn employee had taken time to write a halfway decent rejection note.

Chris Breen

3,595 posts since
Dec 11, 2000

13. Sep 16, 2008 3:01 PM

in response to: Bonaldi

Re: Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

AGAIN:

Please, please, please, discuss your support or objections to Podcaster in THIS THREAD.

Go to original post

Name	City

Address 1	State	Zip

Address 2	E-mail (optional)

Sep 16, 2008 10:22 AM

Podcaster: What all the fuss is about

Actions

More Like This