Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Software, Bugs/Recalls, iTunes, Apple, Developer, App Store
Twitpocalypse aftermath and "incident" fixes on the App Store
I didn't really take last week's Twitocalypse that seriously, but as you probably know by now, it turned out a little worse than expected -- we'd been told that Twitterrific (and, we assumed, most other Twitter apps) would be fine, and of course, as Craig Hockenberry explains on his blog, things ended up not-so-fine. Desktop app developers, of course, could publish updates as quickly as they could code them; iPhone developers were in a different situation.When the Iconfactory's app stopped working, most people (including me) got an API error all weekend. Craig found the bug, then he and his team were able to leverage their contacts at Apple Developer Relations to help expedite the release; in short order, an update was pushed out to the App Store. I downloaded it yesterday, and can tell you that things are fixed... at least until the numerical limit on Twitter's tweet identifier raises its head again (or the Newton flips out, but that's another story).
Hockenberry also has ideas about how to keep issues like this from happening again. Not the actual issue of a variable overflow (that will undoubtedly happen again at some point, on Twitter or any other API that scales way faster than anyone expects it to), but the issue of iPhone apps needing a quick fix. He says that Apple should give every developer a number of "incidents" -- situations rarely used, in which a high priority fix can get sent out to apps in major emergencies. He says, and it's true, that for most developers, it's not a question of if you'll need to send out a critical fix, it's a matter of when. And support by Apple, obviously limited to one or two instances per developer, would help developers, distributors, and consumers.
Of course, it's up to Apple, and it's not like they've smoothed out the approval process so well already that they can start adding wrinkles to it. But clearly, given that the Twitterrific update went through quickly, there's room for exceptions to be made.
[via DF]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dave said 10:07AM on 6-16-2009
I dont think the Pro version of Twitteriffic has been updated. Only the free version.
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Gatewood said 10:10AM on 6-16-2009
Definitely not fixed in the pro version.
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Wardy said 10:18AM on 6-16-2009
You don't hit integer limits if you don't use integers. And if you don't need to do arithmetic (which you rarely do with API identifiers) then you shouldn't be using int.
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Brian said 10:20AM on 6-16-2009
Twit - an insignificant or bothersome person... or in this case an API
Yes I know I am not that funny but I amuse myself.....
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Mason S. said 10:33AM on 6-16-2009
Twitpocalypse also messed up the iPhone Tweetie.app.
Apple rejected the most recent update (which would've fixed major problems) because one of the screenshots had a curse word in it.
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Jason said 11:48AM on 6-16-2009
That's odd--Tweetie works fine on my iPhone. I have resorted to it because Twitterific Pro still isn't fixed.
geekmorgan said 10:56AM on 6-16-2009
Not being able to use twitter is an EMERGENCY? Really? Oh dear. I don't think there are any life or death iPhone apps out there that would need instant updates...
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Michael Rose said 11:07AM on 6-16-2009
Really? Let's revisit that issue once the accessory API is up and running, and thousands of diabetic iPhone owners are monitoring their blood sugar with an app. Or cardiac patients.
There's critical fixes, and then there are CRITICAL fixes.
Esteban said 11:10AM on 6-16-2009
What about your OS? I mean, yeah, you use it a lot, but do you REALLY need it? I think you should expect an expedious update for ANY software that you pay for when (and I mean when) it fails.
James Donevan said 11:07AM on 6-16-2009
If you were to read this story without actually knowing the full details about the Twitteriffic situation (as seems the case with Mike) you would come away quite impressed with Hockenberry and Co's efforts.
Once you know the facts (ie the pay version has not been updated) you are left wondering why Hockenberry and Co would 'leverage their contacts at Apple Developer Relations to help expedite the release' of the free version but not extend that impressive leverage to the paying customers.
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Craig Hockenberry said 8:58PM on 6-16-2009
James, we have submitted updates for both the free and paid versions. You'll have to ask Apple why they approved one and not the other. We don't understand what's going on any more than you do...
Brian N. said 6:43PM on 6-16-2009
James I agree ... we should get a refund or something
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Harris Kleyman said 11:42AM on 6-16-2009
4 Days after now and Twitterrific Premium on the iPhone is STILL not fixed.
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Kevin said 11:59AM on 6-16-2009
The idea of allowing a certain number of emergency updates is good, but speaking as a developer, I would actually prefer if they charge a small fee to do so. That way, it decreases the chances that someone is just using it to get their update out quicker than others in the queue.
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buckers said 12:04PM on 6-16-2009
I think I should clear this up a bit.
As a member of the iPhone developer Program, you get 2 technical support incidents per year. These are for when you REALLY get stuck, and are in desperate need of professional help. When you use a technical support incident, you get help and advice from an appropriate expert at Apple (ie if it's a Core Animation issue, you'll get help from a member of the Core Animation team).
What Craig is suggesting, is that on top of those, you get a number (2-3) of priority approvals. IE you use one when you have a catastrophic bug, and your app is put through the approval process with a matter of supreme urgency. Since you only have 2-3, it won't have a huge effect on non-critical updates. As Mike Rose said, Apple are also gearing towards medical devices, which are truly critical systems, and this could be important.
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Chris Thacker said 12:50PM on 6-16-2009
ARGH..I'm really annoyed with Twitterifiic PRO...I agree, why was the free version updated and us paying customers still without service, although we can load the free version and put up with ads for awhile, but that was why I payed the $3.99 for the PRO version. Very disappointed with the Iconfactory! I'm tempted to go with Tweetie now, since it appears to be fixed from comments.
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Talos said 2:38PM on 6-16-2009
Chris, we submitted both versions to Apple at the same time, Saturday at 6pm (I forgot it is EST or PST). We have no control over when Apple will approve both Apps. We are very glad Apple approved one of them. We just got word from the App Store the Premium version is approved also as of an hour ago. it will be available tonight.
grull27 said 1:19PM on 6-16-2009
TwitterFon never had a problem :)
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PSM said 4:32PM on 6-16-2009
Twitterific pro is out as of now.
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