Re: Creating an iPhone distribution

On 2012-04-18, at 3:13 PM, Fabian Keil wrote:

> Ian Silvester <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
>> Prompted by a query from one of the folks who help test the OS X distro
>> of Privoxy I've been investigating the practicality of creating a
>> distribution for the iOS platform. This OS  is derived from OS X and as
>> such is BSD-like, so there don't appear to be any insurmountable
>> challenges involved.
>> 
>> The reason I bring it up here is that we would not be able to host the
>> distribution at Sourceforge.
> 
> Why wouldn't we be able to do this?

Simply because the average jailbreak user does not expect to have to copy a .deb to their phone and install it; the de facto method is via the Cydia package manager.

>>                             Indeed, we would not be able to submit it
>> to Apple's App Store either, since the code contravenes many of their
>> dictates. Instead the release would target only so-called 'jailbroken'
>> iPhones (those that have had the built-in code-signing disabled), and
>> would be distributed through Cydia (the 'jailbreak app store').
> 
> If that makes more sense from a user's perspective I see nothing
> wrong with this.
> 
>> So far as toolchain goes its basically the same as for OS X. What I have
>> yet to confirm is whether I'd require any libraries that are available
>> only through the $99 iPhone Developer license; if so then, as I
>> understand it, I'd no longer be in compliance with the GPL.
> 
> In case of binary distribution that's my interpretation as well.
> If the proprietary libraries aren't shipped with the operating system
> they aren't covered by §3's "special exception", how much they cost
> doesn't matter.

Okay, so if this does turn out to be the case then the fallback position would be a 'source' distribution, wherein we supply the appropriate makefile etc. to allow users to build an installer for themselves. The point would be moot anyway since I don't have the Developer License and am not going to buy one just for this project!

I'll report back on my findings in due course,

Ian


 
>> That aside, does anyone have any objection if I were to go ahead with
>> such a project and, when complete, check in the build module to the
>> Sourceforge project?
> 
> No objections from me, assuming SourceForge's ToS allow it.
> 
>>                     To be clear we're breaking no laws in any of this -
>> there are those that might argue that the iPhone owners do so when they
>> jailbreak their phones, but even that is not the case in at least the
>> United States, the one territory where to my knowledge it has been
>> challenged in law.
> 
> Jailbreaking is considered legal in Germany as well, additionally
> the legal responsibility isn't shared (here) anyway, but remains
> with the individual developer/distributor.
> 
>> So, comments, thoughts anyone?
> 
> If you are interested in maintaining another package, go for it.
> The more the merrier.
> 
> Fabian
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