Apple has announced on their developer site that, “as of March 1, 2012 all apps submitted to the Mac App Store must implement sandboxing.”
“Essentially, sandboxing allows Apple to decide which apps get access to which resources, and such access can be severely constrained, including no Internet, no networking, no write access, and even no anything,” Roger Kay reports for Forbes. “Although widely anticipated, this move has developer sites up in arms. To them, it means that Mac OS X is going to be locked down just like iOS.”
“Given how convenient the Apple Store is, though, consumers are hardly likely to object. In fact, Apple is passing this naked power grab off as a matter of convenience and security for consumers, who, soon after the new regime is in place, will simply forget that there ever was any other way to install programs,” Kay writes. “But the Wild West days of software development are fast coming to an end. Since Microsoft is following the same path with Windows 8, we are witnessing quite literally the end of software distribution freedom.”
Kay writes, “While Apple’s locking down of Mac OS X heralds a dark day for programmers, it is worth acknowledging that this move does have some short-term benefits for consumers. The iOS model is easier for the average bear to deal with, and sandboxing does improve security.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Logic disconnect: How does Mac App Store’s sandboxing requirement make consumers “simply forget that there ever was any other way to install programs?”