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Comment by tushonka | Hacker News Reader

> It’s not just about hosting, they also provide basically the entire software stack you’re using. Pricing that is difficult but I don’t think it should be disregarded.

What if I don't want to use their "software stack"? Frankly, as developer, I'd rather spend my time developing than learning Apple specific ecosystem. Heck, React Native and Flutter do me just fine. Develop once and run everywhere.

In the end what does that $99/year license get me? A fancy certificate to publish on their only app store?

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Those frameworks still depend on their APIs though.

Because Apple requires them to. If I wanted to ship a PWA in a Firefox-based shell using no iOS-specific APIs other than required (rasterize using OpenGL ES + Skia, Mozilla's JS interpreter, etc) they wouldn't let me because I'm required to use their browser and JS runtime, among other things. And they've deprecated OpenGL, so now you have to use their custom graphics API too.

I pay more for iPhones partially because the ecosystem is not yet fully crapped up with C++ programs with bad UIs, and I think Apple would argue this point too. You’re fully allowed to draw your UI with Metal though, and MoltenVK supports iOS. Many iOS games use almost no platform UI components.

Sure, but the argument becomes circular, doesn't it? They deserve X% because you use their APIs, and they force you to use their APIs. Congratulations? If it's so expensive to develop/maintain those APIs that they can't afford to part with them for less than 30%+cost of hardware, maybe they shouldn't require you to use them?

You’re not required to use them though, as I just explained. What you can’t do is write to memory and then execute it, because that’s a security risk.

That's not a security risk, it's a "makes App Review potentially pointless" risk.

How is it not a security risk?

How is it one? It’s not like the ability to JIT magically lifts the platform sandbox.

Gawd, why do you want to inflict crappy web UI framework on an innocent iphone ?

It’s their prerogative to force the issue. Switch to Android if they won’t listen to petitions.

I got one better, add an extra "Apple Tax" to the apps on the app store.

React Native and Flutter are lowest common denominator frameworks that make for lousy apps. My experience was so bad that I no longer even respond to recruiters for companies using React Native.

Apple should charge non-native apps a large premium to be on the store. They degrade every users experience.

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