[gernb]

"3.3.2 An Application may not download or install executable code. Interpreted code may only be used in an Application if all scripts, code and interpreters are packaged in the Application and not downloaded. The only exception to the foregoing is scripts and code downloaded and run by Apple's built-in WebKit framework, provided that such scripts and code do not change the primary purpose of the Application by providing features or functionality that are inconsistent with the intended and advertised purpose of the Application as submitted to the App Store."

There NO EXCEPTIONS for scripts typed in by users period.

Both iLuaBox and Codify are breaking this rule. Of course Apple has a history of ambiguously enforcing their rules.

For those thinking that Apple relaxed the rules the rule above is the current license dated 10/4/2011. Apple had a more strict rule at one point that said that apps themselves could only be written in C/C++/ObjC/JavaScript. That rule was relaxed.

[nickmain]

The last sentence makes it clear that the intent behind this rule is to prevent circumvention of the App Store approval process, not to ban executable code itself.

The rule can be read as ambiguous when it comes to executable content that is not part of an app, just the document type that an app edits and displays. For example - you could think of calculating a formula in a spreadsheet as an example of interpreted code. Apple has no reasonable interest in preventing such apps.

When the documents that an app handles become more app-like, such as games, then Apple might decide to step in. They have left themselves enough slack in the wording of the rule to allow that.

I hope that they make the rule more explicit in a future version of the agreement.

[victim]

I am not sure if I got what you are suggesting here. Codify is in no way breaking this rule, the author had to modify and resubmit the binaries a couple of time as Apple refused sharing the code using iTunes Sharing. So we have the sandbox in codify, however one can always copy paste the code from emails, web sites, etc (inputs) but there is no way to compile or use it further (outputs) at this stage.

[lazerwalker]

I wonder if someone could get around this distribution problem by making a Codify-like app that uses HTML5 tech instead of Lua. There are a bunch of rapidly-maturing JS game frameworks that seem like they'd be up to the task, especially given the ever-improving Nitro performance in iOS.