THE SULTANS OF SMUG at the Cupertino fruit company have left in place a gag order on Iphone applications developers, inexplicably stunting the growth of its Iphone software development community and ecosystem.

The licencing terms of Apple's software development kit (SDK) for Iphone Apps prohibited programmers from discussing its structure and programming procedures. While that's typical for the SDK that supports a new device prior to its launching, such restrictions usually expire or are waived after the new product is released.

However, Jobs' mob hasn't lifted the restrictive licencing terms that prevent software developers from discussing the Iphone Apps SDK's inner workings. And that's causing all kinds of problems for conscientious developers, publishers and conference organisers.

Iphone applications developers say that they're being prevented from sharing information about the Iphone Apps SDK in public. Moderators on the fruit-themed company's Iphone support forums remind visitors about the SDK's nondisclosure terms and enforce the ban on posting details about the Iphone applications programming toolkit.

Apple's continuing ban on all discussion of the Iphone Apps SDK hinders the developers of games and programs tailored for the Jesus phone from collaborating with each other and sharing programming hints and tips. That's slowing development of Iphone programming expertise and might also be having a negative impact on the quality of Iphone applictions.

The company had initially intended the Iphone to be a closed device, planning to let Iphone developers write software to run on its inbuilt web browser but not programs that could be downloaded to run natively on the device.

Hopeful Iphone programmers raised a public outcry against Apple's restrictive policy, and the company opened up the device to independently written software in March and started letting developers sell applications through its App Store in July.

However, in order to download a copy of the Iphone software development toolkit from Apple, programmers had to sign a nondisclosure agreement. It was expected that Apple would lift those nondisclosure terms after the Iphone 3G launch on July 11th, but so far Apple hasn't done so.

Iphone applications developers can either sell their programs or give them away for free at Apple's online Iphone Apps Store. Apple claims that Iphone punters have downloaded more than 60 million games, productivity applets and other programmed widgets from its Iphone App Store, but there have been complaints that some of the applications are pants.

Not only are Iphone Apps developers prohibited from posting technical questions about using the SDK in public forums, they're also barred from talking openly about how they solved or devised workarounds for problems.

Many Iphone developers interpret Apple's nondisclosure requirement as prohibiting them from revealing anything about the Iphone Apps development toolset to anyone else, even friends. They also believe that the Iphone SDK licencing terms prevent them from writing about it on personal bogs, in online discussion forums, or through email, or even talking about it at conferences or elsewhere.

Such developers take the attitude that they don't want to give Apple any excuse to file a lawsuit against them, recognising that the company has sued people in the past whom it alleged had revealed its proprietary information. They might think that their likelihood of actually getting sued by Apple is small, but they don't want to take the chance to find out.

But some other developers of applications programs for the Iphone have talked about the software programming environment and process for it without encountering any negative consequences.

Wordpress.org is one such group. It's in the midst of building a version of its open source blogging software for the Iphone and has publicly discussed its programming process and published its source code. So far, Apple hasn't asked it to censor any project discussions, according to one of the lead developers.

Other Iphone Apps developers are paying each other one dollar before they discuss the Iphone SDK, so they can argue that they are subcontractors entitled to talk about hired work, should Apple's lawyers ever come calling.

There's even some doubt that a court would agree that Apple's SDK nondisclosure terms are enforceable, especially since the Iphone 3G has now been released, but no one seems to want to be the first to take on the company to find out.

Given the fact that all Iphone models have been unlocked within days of their release, the company should know better than to believe that it can prevent reverse engineering and clever software development by withholding data and attempting to suppress information about its devices. It should accept that software development techniques will be learned.

Despite the sophisticated attitude of a few development groups like Wordpress.org and the self-covering tactics of some developers, Apple's continuing maintenance of its restrictive nondisclosure terms on the Iphone Apps SDK has a chilling effect on the device's software development ecosystem and programming community.

Others besides independent software developers are being harmed by Apple's Iphone Apps SDK nondisclosure policy. Authors and prospective publishers of books about software development for Iphone applications face uncertainty as to whether they'll ever be able to publish. And telecom industry conference organisers face similar uncertainties about the Iphone applications development related topics they'll be able to book speakers to present.

Stifling the viability of industry players in those particular niches of the Iphone's software development ecology and community can't be in Apple's long term interest. Rather than discourage publications and conference sessions about Iphone applications development, Apple should welcome and even promote them.

Not doing so out of some misplaced proprietary paranoia regarding its precious Iphone software development toolkit seems not just sadly inappropriate but counter-productive.

If the company had any real vision, it might even open source its Iphone applications SDK and solicit suggestions and code from the developer community to gradually improve it.

The cooler-than-thou techtoy dictatorship reportedly failed to return phone calls from the Los Angeles Times seeking comments on its restrictive Iphone SDK nondisclosure policy.

Whether Apple's just being sloppy about supporting its independent Iphone applications developers, let its lawyers dictate a wrong-headed software policy that's not really in the company's best interests, or somehow misclassified its Iphone applications development toolkit as part of the Iphone operating system itself, Apple should fix this dumb problem by waiving its Iphone Apps SDK nondisclosure requirements, and the sooner the better. µ

L'Inq
Los Angeles Times