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by benjamincanfly 6486 days ago
You have a great go-get-'em attitude, but the issue isn't remotely similar to the question of whether or not to diet and exercise. It's more like, "Should I spend huge amounts of time and effort on diet and exercise in order to enter this bodybuilding competition, only to be disqualified at the last minute because I look too much like the competition judge's nephew?"
2 comments
netcan 6486 days ago
There is a bit of truth in it. Not necessarily the comparison to a diet, but still.

Becoming indignant & saying 'I'm out' is not useful. There's a potential snag here. It is a man made snag that's unfair, unreasonable or whatever. But that doesn't mean the opportunity isn't there. It's not really more of a reason not to develop then any other reason that isn't unfair: too hard, too much competition, etc. The only difference is emotional.

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benjamincanfly 6486 days ago
The difference is that it's unpredictable, based on Apple's whims. If they said "Hey, here is a list of apps we won't accept from third party developers because we consider them to be competitive," that would be one thing. But as it stands, we don't even know where the line in the sand is, because the line is based on Apple's best interests, not those of the developers. Dozens of developers have released apps that duplicate (and improve upon) the functionality of the built-in Notes app, but when someone writes an app for podcast streaming (which the iPhone does not already offer, but which I'm sure they're planning on adding eventually), Apple nixes it. It's not just difficult, it's demoralizing.
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gills 6485 days ago
You hit it on the head. Players leave rigged markets once they get burned once or twice, and pretty soon the market freezes up altogether.

Withdrawing from iPhone app development is the rational choice. There are other things developers like the author can work on with similar payoffs, but more predictable risks.

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netcan 6485 days ago
Unpredictable? Yes. So is consumer demand.

It's not just difficult, it's demoralizing.

That's my point. On the rational front, it's not different to 1000 other variables. On the emotional one, it's a lot worse.

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jmtame 6486 days ago
I would just win the bodybuilding competition. Pretty simple.
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