newsGNU FreeDink - News: GPL Apps and Apple AppStore

 
 
Latest News
New Maintainer posted by kjharcombe, Wed 01 Jun 2022 12:32:32 PM UTC
GNU FreeDink 109.6 posted by Beuc, Sun 17 Feb 2019 12:48:16 AM UTC
New FreeDink game data release posted by Beuc, Sun 20 Jan 2019 05:18:16 PM UTC
New FreeDink DFArc frontend 3.14 release posted by Beuc, Wed 06 Jun 2018 07:03:46 PM UTC
New FreeDink game data release posted by Beuc, Sun 02 Apr 2017 08:34:27 AM UTC

GPL Apps and Apple AppStore

Item posted by Sylvain Beucler <Beuc> on Mon 01 Nov 2010 09:10:41 AM UTC.

As you may have seen, some developers of VLC, a multimedia player recently ported to iPhone/iPad, plan to enforce the GNU General Public License on the AppStore:
http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/vlc-enforcement

AppStore has Terms of Service incompatible with the GNU GPL, and so far they removed GPL Apps rather than fix their TOS.

There's been a few negative reactions towards those developers, out of disappointment that VLC may be pulled out of AppStore.

I want to stress this: the issue is that Apple has bad Terms of Service for the AppStore.  The fact it's a big company doesn't change it: it's their mistake, and they need to fix it.  Don't blame on VLC developers if Apple doesn't make a move.

It's worth noting that, due to technical restrictions (Tivoization), AppStore is the only place where iPhone/iPad users can install software from.  Let's also remind us that Apple keeps 30% on all AppStore sales.
( More info at http://www.freedink.org/get#iphone )

GNU FreeDink, the free, portable and enhanced version of the Dink Smallwood game engine which I maintain, faces the same issue and cannot be ported to iPhone/iPad for that reason.

The Free Software Foundation runs a campaign against those locked-in devices.  If you own one, tell your disappointment to Apple now:
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/macappstore
http://www.defectivebydesign.org/ipad
http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/iphone/

Follow-up from FSF Licensing Compliance Lab (posted by Sylvain Beucler, Fri 05 Nov 2010 07:10:58 AM UTC)

Check
http://mailman.videolan.org/pipermail/vlc-devel/2010-November/077486.html


    

 

Back to the top

Powered by Savane 3.13-cf05.
Corresponding source code