Sad About Sandboxing
By Harry McCracken | Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 9:48 am
Pauli Olavi Ojala does a good job of making the case against upcoming Apple rules–similar to those already in place for iOS–which will greatly restrict the capabilities of OS X programs that are sold through the Mac App Store:
Need to access hardware using something else than USB, for example Thunderbolt, FireWire or Bluetooth? Tough luck. (Just because these interfaces are on your Mac doesn’t mean Apple wants anyone to use them via 3rd party software.)
Need to communicate with processes that your app didn’t directly start, or perhaps take screenshots? Not going to happen.
Maybe you’d like to read and write files in a known location on a network disk? Not possible, unless you pop up the Open/Save dialog for every file.
There are two reasons not to get too worked up over the new regulations. One is that software developers don’t have to use the App Store–and software distributed through other channels doesn’t have to hew to the new policies. The other is that the sandboxing that Apple is enforcing has real benefits. (The company may say that Macs “just work,” but its sandboxed OS-based products are far more reliable than a Mac or any other old-school PC.)
If Apple ever starts to make it difficult to avoid the Mac App Store, I’ll get alarmed. (I’m already worried about Microsoft’s apparent plans to permit distribution of new-style Windows 8 software only through its app store.) But as long as the App Store is avoidable, I think we’re okay. Think of buying non-App Store apps for your Mac as being like jailbreaking your computer–except you don’t actually have to jailbreak anything.
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8 Comments For This Post
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:11 am
Are there other aggregated sites for finding/buying iOS apps? Which ones are worth checking out?
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:29 am
Amazon has a Mac App Store.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&…
November 3rd, 2011 at 7:18 pm
"I’m already worried about Microsoft’s apparent plans to permit distribution of new-style Windows 8 software only through its app store."
Where did MS announce that?
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:43 pm
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/a…
In the table under the subheading "A new SDK for building metro style apps":
"Distributed through the Windows Store. Apps must pass certification so that users download and try apps with confidence in their safety and privacy. Side-loading is available for enterprises and developers." (for Metro-style apps).
November 4th, 2011 at 8:07 am
Yes, as a developer, I can sell side loaded apps…
So, not restricted.
November 5th, 2011 at 9:02 pm
Yes, only if your apps don't use Metro-style. You may be able to sell your Metro-style apps out of the App Store, but you'll have to convince your would-be users to do some roundabouts they might consider inconvenient.
The policy won't technically restrict anybody, but it will practically restrict the target audience of your Metro-style apps (i.e. companies, technically savvy users) if you refuse to use Microsoft's App Store.
November 3rd, 2011 at 9:46 pm
If Mac App Store is avoidable, what's the point of having it in the first place, then? Developers will almost certainly avoid it, because the users themselves expect traditional computer applications to have more flexibility compared to their mobile counterparts.
January 1st, 2012 at 4:25 am
I am almost finished with my Universal iApp. It downloads a bunch of .mp3 and .mp4 files for playing and these files are stored on my remote Server. Will this be allowed with the new Sandbox rules effective this March?
Will you please respond to jolove@charter.net
I'd really appreciate it.