Apple rejects Commodore 64 emulator app
Apple rejected a fully licensed emulator of the venerable Commodore 64 (C64) based on the SDK rules that specifically prohibit interpreted or executable code. Manomio'sapplication, also called C64 (c64iphone.com), allowed users to play classic C64 games, run applications and use Commodore BASIC. "The rejection letter simply stated a violation of section 3.2.2 of the iPhone Developer's Agreement," said Manomio. According to developers we know, section 3.2.2 reads as follows. "An Application may not itself install or launch other executable code by any means, including without limitation through the use of a plug-in architecture, calling other frameworks, other APIs or otherwise. No interpreted code may be downloaded and used in an Application except for code that is interpreted and run by Apple's Published APIs and built-in interpreter(s)."The rejection is odd considering that there are some apps in the iTunes App Store that emulate programmable calculators. Also, one app called Frotz (iTunes link) is a Z-machine interpreter. The rejection makes even less sense when you consider that two games, Gold Axe (iTunes link) and Sonic (iTunes link), are apps that emulate old game console ROMs, which is exactly what the emulator is doing for old C64 games.ManomioManomio has to do the following before Apple will accept the C64 emulator .Remove access to BASIC--instead of booting up, the emulator just shows a blank screen and is not interactive until you run a game. Prior to this, you could actually interact with the BASIC interpreter.Remove the RESET button from the virtual keyboardRenamed the "C64 Shop" to "More Games"Yet, Manomio disputes the last point. "It was never officially confirmed from Apple this[C64 Shop] was an issue, but many comments thought this was our own store for selling games," the developer told us. "It now clearly shows that it will link to additional C64 titles in the App Store." It appears as if Apple is concerned that Manomio was trying to circumvent iTunes App Store sales, something that Apple usually doesn't take to kindly to. Granted, we think that it was a poor choice for Manomio to use the word Shop in the app, particularly if you consider all the other crazy reasons for app rejections. We'll never know for sure, but that word alone may sum up the reason for Apple's rejection. Indeed, we think that it's a good theory considering the aforementioned apps that already support interpreted or executable code.Hopefully, Apple will accept the C64 app with the above changes so we can enjoy some of our favorite C64 games again. We'd also like to see the return of Commodore BASIC at some point so we can try out some of our favorite POKE and PEEK commands.A YouTube video demonstrating the C64 emulator is shown below:Personally, I'd like to see some if my old BASIC and machine language C64 programs will run under the emulator on my iPhone. The C64 was the first computer that I ever wrote about (for Compute! magazine) and I developed C64 games and applications. The computer even turned a hobby into a career spanning decades which is partially chronicled in my Switcher's Manifesto.Commodore International released the Commodore 64 (WikiPedia) in 1982. Originally priced at $595, sales eventually totaled 30 million units, making it the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. The 8-bit home computer featured advanced video and audio hardware as well as a whopping 64K of RAM and a zippy (for its time) 1.02 Mhz CPU.Are you are former Commodore 64 user who is interested in reliving the past by coding in Commodore BASIC, spending long hours typing a program in from your favorite magazine or running a favorite retro game? Let us know in the comments.Follow David Martin on Twitter.
Mark Shuttleworth's evolving Ubuntu desktop war
Mark Shuttleworth's evolving Ubuntu desktop war
I've been very fortunate to get to spend some time with Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, during my trip to Argentina.Mark and I spent the day skiing in Las Lenas, with some soft snow by the middle of the day and a lot of great conversation throughout the day.One question we discussed at length: what is Mark's ambition for Ubuntu?In trying to get at the answer to this question, InternetNews today asks: why doesn't Canonical work with SAP and Oracle to get them to support Ubuntu?But this sort of question doesn't get anywhere near Mark's ambition for Ubuntu.It doesn't anticipate the intersection of the web and the desktop.The more I talk with Mark, the more I think he's a very, very smart person.He recognizes that Ubuntu needs to be more appealing on the desktop than the Mac to generate user adoption, but that's not really where his attention is focused, so far as I can tell.He's thinking bigger than desktop bits.He's thinking of cloud-plus-desktop bits.And this, my friends, is why Mark may end up winning the "desktop" war.Many, including I, have been quick to dismiss Microsoft as an also-ran on the web.To date it has been.Mark, however, along with Mary Jo Foley and other smart people, believes that the cloud becomes even more powerful when rendered through desktop applications.No one has the strength on the desktop that Microsoft has, making its increasing array of servers much more ominous (if you compete with them).Indeed, the more one looks at Google and other "cloud" companies the more it's clear that they're spending an increasing amount of time on the desktop (Google Gears, Google Toolbar, etc.).There's much one can do in the browser.But there's conceivably much more that one could do with a connection between the desktop and the cloud.Just look at Apple, with a market cap that has surpassed Google's and a host of network services like iTunes that extend the Apple brand beyond its beautiful desktop.Now start to think about what Ubuntu could do with a firm position on the desktop, or what Google could do if it wanted to "backfill" its desktop gap with Ubuntu (or its own homegrown version of Linux).Would you buy a Google Desktop/operating system?Of course you would.You'd be thinking of the Google applications while getting the benefit of a Google home base in the desktop bits, including the operating system.So, on one hand you have the Canonical that is determined to create a better desktop experience, while simultaneously charging hard into the enterprise server market.Marry that to the possibility of Ubuntu delivered with exceptional network services and you not only discover a way for Ubuntu to be much bigger than a Linux distribution, but you also figure out a way for it to make a heck of a lot of money.Suddenly creating a third leading Linux distribution doesn't seem so crazy.It's only crazy if Mark were content to stymie his imagination by replicating what Novell and Red Hat have already done well.He's not.He's thinking bigger.There's risk in thinking big, but there's also a potentially huge reward.
I've been very fortunate to get to spend some time with Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, during my trip to Argentina.Mark and I spent the day skiing in Las Lenas, with some soft snow by the middle of the day and a lot of great conversation throughout the day.One question we discussed at length: what is Mark's ambition for Ubuntu?In trying to get at the answer to this question, InternetNews today asks: why doesn't Canonical work with SAP and Oracle to get them to support Ubuntu?But this sort of question doesn't get anywhere near Mark's ambition for Ubuntu.It doesn't anticipate the intersection of the web and the desktop.The more I talk with Mark, the more I think he's a very, very smart person.He recognizes that Ubuntu needs to be more appealing on the desktop than the Mac to generate user adoption, but that's not really where his attention is focused, so far as I can tell.He's thinking bigger than desktop bits.He's thinking of cloud-plus-desktop bits.And this, my friends, is why Mark may end up winning the "desktop" war.Many, including I, have been quick to dismiss Microsoft as an also-ran on the web.To date it has been.Mark, however, along with Mary Jo Foley and other smart people, believes that the cloud becomes even more powerful when rendered through desktop applications.No one has the strength on the desktop that Microsoft has, making its increasing array of servers much more ominous (if you compete with them).Indeed, the more one looks at Google and other "cloud" companies the more it's clear that they're spending an increasing amount of time on the desktop (Google Gears, Google Toolbar, etc.).There's much one can do in the browser.But there's conceivably much more that one could do with a connection between the desktop and the cloud.Just look at Apple, with a market cap that has surpassed Google's and a host of network services like iTunes that extend the Apple brand beyond its beautiful desktop.Now start to think about what Ubuntu could do with a firm position on the desktop, or what Google could do if it wanted to "backfill" its desktop gap with Ubuntu (or its own homegrown version of Linux).Would you buy a Google Desktop/operating system?Of course you would.You'd be thinking of the Google applications while getting the benefit of a Google home base in the desktop bits, including the operating system.So, on one hand you have the Canonical that is determined to create a better desktop experience, while simultaneously charging hard into the enterprise server market.Marry that to the possibility of Ubuntu delivered with exceptional network services and you not only discover a way for Ubuntu to be much bigger than a Linux distribution, but you also figure out a way for it to make a heck of a lot of money.Suddenly creating a third leading Linux distribution doesn't seem so crazy.It's only crazy if Mark were content to stymie his imagination by replicating what Novell and Red Hat have already done well.He's not.He's thinking bigger.There's risk in thinking big, but there's also a potentially huge reward.
Apple's iPad event reportedly set for October 22
Apple's iPad event reportedly set for October 22
Apple will hold a special event later this month to unveil new iPads, along with the Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks.That's happening on Tuesday, October 22, says AllThingsD, which has a very good track record on Apple event times.The date is the same as Nokia's Nokia World event, which takes place in Abu Dhabi and is expected to bring new Lumia phones. It's also the same day Microsoft's Surface 2 tablets go on sale.It remains unclear where exactly Apple plans to hold its event. Last month's iPhone 5S and 5C unveiling took place at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., whereas last October's iPad Mini and Mac unveiling happened at the California Theatre in nearby San Jose (pictured above). As for what the new iPads will look like, that's unlikely to be a surprise. A series of leaks has strongly suggested the next full-sized iPads will look just like last year's Mini, with more angled edges, a portrait shaped bezel, and a thinner design. The Mini itself is expected to sport upgraded internals and come in new colors to match Apple's recently-launched iPhone 5S models. AllThingsD also suggests the minis will get a Retina Display, a feature that's said to be on the fence. An earlier leak showing off new colors and form factors of the iPad and iPad mini.iCrackUriDeviceWhat might be a surprise is whether either of the new iPads will include Apple's Touch ID sensors, which allow users to unlock the device and make iTunes purchases with their fingerprints. That sensor replaced the home button on the iPhone 5S, and it's unclear whether Apple intended to limit the technology to its phones for the time being.Related storiesiPad 5 in space gray crops up again on videoApple releases OS X Mavericks Golden Master to developersThe Mac that Thunderbolt built: The newly compact Mac ProBeyond the iPad, Apple still has yet to name a price or release date for its Mac Pro or OS X Mavericks -- the two other products that are expected at the event. The Mac Pro is an all new design that was briefly previewed during Apple's developer conference in June. Mavericks, which is a follow-up to last year's OS X Mountain Lion, also debuted at WWDC and has been in beta testing to developers since then. Apple gave developers a final version of that software last week.Other possible updates include updates to some Mac desktops like the Mac Mini, and portables like the MacBook Pro. Apple typically invites media to such events a week or so before, suggesting we'll all have more details early next week.
Apple will hold a special event later this month to unveil new iPads, along with the Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks.That's happening on Tuesday, October 22, says AllThingsD, which has a very good track record on Apple event times.The date is the same as Nokia's Nokia World event, which takes place in Abu Dhabi and is expected to bring new Lumia phones. It's also the same day Microsoft's Surface 2 tablets go on sale.It remains unclear where exactly Apple plans to hold its event. Last month's iPhone 5S and 5C unveiling took place at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., whereas last October's iPad Mini and Mac unveiling happened at the California Theatre in nearby San Jose (pictured above). As for what the new iPads will look like, that's unlikely to be a surprise. A series of leaks has strongly suggested the next full-sized iPads will look just like last year's Mini, with more angled edges, a portrait shaped bezel, and a thinner design. The Mini itself is expected to sport upgraded internals and come in new colors to match Apple's recently-launched iPhone 5S models. AllThingsD also suggests the minis will get a Retina Display, a feature that's said to be on the fence. An earlier leak showing off new colors and form factors of the iPad and iPad mini.iCrackUriDeviceWhat might be a surprise is whether either of the new iPads will include Apple's Touch ID sensors, which allow users to unlock the device and make iTunes purchases with their fingerprints. That sensor replaced the home button on the iPhone 5S, and it's unclear whether Apple intended to limit the technology to its phones for the time being.Related storiesiPad 5 in space gray crops up again on videoApple releases OS X Mavericks Golden Master to developersThe Mac that Thunderbolt built: The newly compact Mac ProBeyond the iPad, Apple still has yet to name a price or release date for its Mac Pro or OS X Mavericks -- the two other products that are expected at the event. The Mac Pro is an all new design that was briefly previewed during Apple's developer conference in June. Mavericks, which is a follow-up to last year's OS X Mountain Lion, also debuted at WWDC and has been in beta testing to developers since then. Apple gave developers a final version of that software last week.Other possible updates include updates to some Mac desktops like the Mac Mini, and portables like the MacBook Pro. Apple typically invites media to such events a week or so before, suggesting we'll all have more details early next week.
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