Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 9th Apr 2012 12:02 UTC
RIM has announced it's going to remove the PlayBook's ability to sideload applications. The company claims it's to prevent the piracy problems in the "chaotic cesspool of Android Market". However, the company provided no evidence, studies, or whatever to back up their claims. Considering the state of RIM's business, I'd say the company has bigger fish to fry, but alas. At this point, I'm just hoping they don't do a BeOS, but open the QNX code before they go belly-up.
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Member since:2011-01-28
grantpalin,
"The possible upside of this move is that app developers may feel better about developing for the Playbook with piracy out of the picture. On the other hand, if developers simply weren't interested before, the perspective may not change after."
You're comment covered two possibilities but ignored another: some developers are put off by monopolized app distribution channels. I thought the possibility should be mentioned since it covers most open source guys and some proprietary ones who'd rather market and distribute themselves.
Anyways, I personally feel DRM is mostly evil and hurts legitimate users more than anyone else by curtailing fair use rights, etc. Never the less, as misguided as I find DRM to be on both technical and moral fronts, I do understand the motivation of executives to buy into it. However if RIM's intention was just to offer better copy protection, it should just offer it's DRM API's to all developers regardless of sideloading.
Edit: I'm assuming RIM has DRM at all, but I suppose it might not have any DRM to offer developers? I don't know, but time and time again the solution is to improve sandboxing rather than to disable sideloading.
Edited 2012-04-09 22:26 UTC
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2011-02-11
As a Playbook user since last summer, I both appreciate this news and worry about the aftereffects.
It's no secret that the AppWorld selection has not been on par with other platforms, though it has steadily improved since the initial release last year - more apps, better apps, useful apps. I don't need half a million apps, I just need the ones I can use day-to-day. I don't use Skype or Netflix, so their absence does not bother me.
That said, I can appreciate what the side-loading ability has done to bolster the app options. I've used the ability to sideload apps that are freely available, yet are not in AppWorld. The loss of this ability will severely curtail the app options.
I do see the rationale behind this move, in reducing use of pirated apps (I've seen numerous requests in the CrackBerry forums for help in converting paid Android apps), and to provide some solace to would-be developers concerned about app piracy.
The possible upside of this move is that app developers may feel better about developing for the Playbook with piracy out of the picture. On the other hand, if developers simply weren't interested before, the perspective may not change after.
Time will reveal the result of this move. It could be good, or it could be bad. Makes me even more interested in working on an app or two for the Playbook.