Apple's CEO Steve Jobs has reportedly responded to criticism over the company's decision to change the licensing terms for developers building applications for version 4.0 of the iPhone OS, due to be released later this year.
The changes will make it difficult, some say impossible, to create iPhone applications using Adobe's cross-platform compiler, introduced with the newly announced Adobe Creative Suite 5, with Apple banning an "intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool."
Responding to an email from Greg Slepak, CEO and founder of TAO Effect, a Mac software developer, Steve Jobs reportedly said: "We’ve been there before, and intermediate layers between the platform and the developer ultimately produces sub-standard apps and hinders the progress of the platform."
In an earlier reply, Jobs highlighted a largely positive post by Apple pundit John Gruber, of Daring Fireball fame, claiming Apple was simply protecting the quality of iPhone applications with the changes. "We think John Gruber’s post is very insightful and not negative," the Apple CEO allegedly said, including adding a link to the respective Gruber post.
Last week, Adobe sent out an official email responding to Apple's decision: "We are aware of Apple's new SDK language and are looking into it. We continue to develop our Packager for iPhone OS technology, which we plan to debut in Flash CS5."
However, Lee Brimelow, an Adobe evangelist was less diplomatic, writing on his personal Web site, The Flash Blog: "Go screw yourself Apple."
In recent months, a war between Apple and Adobe has been brewing, with Jobs reportedly calling Adobe software "buggy" and describing the company as "lazy."
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Comments received
NeilFiertel said on Tue, 13 Apr 2010
I think that Apple had better sit down with Adobe and politely and in a business like manner resolve this chiildish and churlish dispute. Many tens of thousands of professional users count on a smooth and mutual and cohesive working together of these two great technological giants. The idea that Adobe would be slagged publicly this way is unconscionable. Adobe is Apple's well, "apple." I use this computer system because of Adobe products work so hand in glove with Apple and anything that damages this former rapport worries this consumer a lot.
andyrawlins said on Wed, 14 Apr 2010
Nicely put Neil. This stand-off helps no one.
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