Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Apple Corporate, iPod Family, Apple, iPhone, App Store, SDK
TUAW Memewatch: iPhone developers irked over still-active NDA
On July 11, the iPhone SDK emerged from beta sparkling with dew. Trumpets sounded and a few frolicking nymphs danced in joy. The dawn shone bright, the sky offered the blue promise of a new day. And there in the meadow of newly released products stood a mass of grumpy developers shouting: "What about the *@!$%ing NDA?"
For the happy blue release fairy had granted the developers' wishes but had neglected one teeny tiny detail: the restrictive, regressive NDA still ruled over iPhone-land from its dark menacing tower in far-off Cupertino. The hard-working developers could not bring forth their coding jewels from the mines of iPhone Mordor. Instead, they labored under the cruel chains of confidential information and non-specific release clauses. Moreover, their inability to talk freely with one another about their challenges and successes hampered the advancement of the platform.
And then voices rose up: "We're mad as heck! And we're not going to take it any more!" And thus was born, Effing NDA.com. (Yes, that has been bowdlerized and the link is NSFW). Developers started tweeting their rage -- from the high hills of Oz to the depths of Silicon Valley.
And how does this little fairy tale end? We don't know for sure. It all rests in Apple's hands. Let's hope for a happy ending.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mo said 3:24PM on 7-23-2008
Hahahahaha, excellent tagging of this post!
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d said 3:31PM on 7-23-2008
Seen the site?
Someone's angry...
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atuck said 3:35PM on 7-23-2008
Erica I love ya, but if you use 'heck' anymore times today I am gonna kill myself
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Michael said 4:00PM on 7-23-2008
How about useing the word HELLLLLLo. :)
Alan said 4:08PM on 7-23-2008
In english please?
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Marc said 4:12PM on 7-23-2008
What about filing FUCKING NDA bugs?
Alltogether please!!! :-)
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z peskin said 4:18PM on 7-23-2008
what does the NDA exactly say????
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Chris Born said 4:23PM on 7-23-2008
Can't tell you, that is under NDA too.
Michael said 4:25PM on 7-23-2008
Keeping the non disclosure agreement intact allows apple to freely ignore adding apps to the store that challenge its future profitability or at&t's/other carriers. All the while since the developers have not been able to tell us they are working on the project, we're none the wiser. Big brother apple in action...sounds more like something the Big brother M would do though.
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Big John said 4:24PM on 7-23-2008
Man, I'm glad TUAW is reporting Twitter memes now. Especially ones used by 13 people.
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Dan S. said 9:55AM on 7-24-2008
Well, this Twitter post to TUAW puts another $5 in Erica's pocket -- plus, as long as she's under NDA, her book on the SDK is going nowhere fast -- especially since her first book, "Taking your iPhone to the Maxx!!!!one!1!one!!" is probably not selling so well, now that 2.0 is public.
And, it's obvious that the massive royalties from "Eight Ways to Get the Most out of Your Zune" -- which I assume are: 1)Doorstop, 2)Paperweight, 3)Blunt Instrument, 4)Joke Doggie Poop, 5)Tattoo inspiration, 6)Construction material/landfill, 7)Fix a wobbly table, 8)Media Player..? (really?!?)
homagetogorto said 5:00PM on 7-23-2008
You make an logical well-reasoned argument for terminating the NDA.
Oh wait, no you don't.
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Eugene said 5:16PM on 7-23-2008
You filled out an NDA. ie. signed a legal binding contract. Its a pain. But that's life no?.
btw. I reiterate. Its a pain. But you did sign a legal doc.
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JKT said 8:34PM on 7-23-2008
And just because it's legal document makes everything else OK? The law is absolute? To the heck with morality and what is right and logical and sensible, you simply fall back on "it's legal" and shrug your shoulders? How lame.
"'Tis better to disobey a just law than to obey an unjust one." -- Thomas Jefferson
JKT said 8:37PM on 7-23-2008
And just because it's legal document makes everything else OK? The law is absolute? To the heck with morality and what is right and logical and sensible, you simply fall back on "it's legal" and shrug your shoulders? How lame.
"'Tis better to disobey a just law than to obey an unjust one." -- Thomas Jefferson
James said 7:20PM on 7-23-2008
Wait wait wait. The NDA is still in effect? So you can't talk about programming techniques? You can't post sample code? No books? No forums? No discussions? No classes? No library projects?
They do want this to be successful, don't they?
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Dan S said 9:59AM on 7-24-2008
In order:
Yep.
Nope.
Exactomundo.
Nada.
You got it.
Zilch.
Zero.
None so far.
I believe it already is -- Apps are in the store and selling. And iPhones are selling at twice the rate of the originals.
Dyranios said 7:56PM on 7-23-2008
I dont get it why doesnt someone just violate it anonymously or something
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Ccooper said 8:48PM on 7-23-2008
Hey, Weblogs, Inc. It's time to Spawn "Iphone" into it's own blog...
Over...
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alchemistmuffin said 12:11AM on 7-24-2008
I think the iPhone SDK has become a trade secret, so EVERY SINGLE DEVELOPER MUST sign the NDA, since it is a trade secret....
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