Bitcoin iOS app open sourced | Hacker News Reader

Bitcoin iOS app open sourced

github.com

125 pointsmilkshakes30 comments

Looks pretty nice: https://github.com/udibr/bitcoinApp/blob/master/BitCoin/Scre...

it seems like they're also doing some sort of ad hoc distribution for those without dev tools: https://testflightapp.com/join/25bf5108ebf60dd935baa57f36856...

Testflight is generally limited to 100 people/devices (as that's the limit Apple gives a developer account)

100 Per Developer, and now it's open source, meaning any developer can package it distribute it via this method.

you will need more than a single testflight link for that distribution scheme to work.

I have also created one bitcoin iPhone app which Apple rejected: https://github.com/kangasbros/BitcoinWatch-iPhone

It is a just very simple app for following mtgox USD rate/market depth/last trades.

Why did they reject it?

Not useful enough/simple apps which act just as a frontend to a web site are rejected.

Has anyone put it on a Cydia repo yet?

Will there be an Android version?

there's bitcoiner: https://market.android.com/details?id=net.lwi.bitcoiner

Mostly useless, because it will run only on jailbroken iDevices.

There's not much else they can do though when Apple banned it from the iStore.

On what grounds was it banned?

The "Apple said so" grounds.

"Use of intermediate currency."

i.e., providing a way to buy things without giving Apple their 30%.

Maybe Apple is missing an opportunity. If they were to start accepting their 30% in bitcoins, it would sure give that form of payment a boost.

They could, yes. They could require all transactions to go through a wallet they implemented. Or simply require all transactions to send 30% to Apple, though that'd be hard to prove, and would require an even lengthier review process.

But I doubt it's in their best interest to do so, honestly. I'd love it, to be sure, but unless / until Bitcoin gets more acceptance, and makes it past a legal barrier or two, it's high risk and high cost for them.

Not really, iOS Developers can compile & install the app on their & other (limited) devices.

Which is about 10% of all iDevices, so not particularly useless. (And, as others gave said, that doesn't even include the developers who can sign and install it for themselves, as well.)

For those interested in Bitcoin right now (mostly geeks) i'd say the % of jailbroken iDevices is much higher, i'd throw 80% out as a guess.

80% is a gross overestimation.

Most people interested in Bitcoins right now are geeks and the majority of geeks should have jailbroken their iPhones.

80% of the whole iPhone user mass is a gross overestimation, but I don't think that it's an overestimation to say that 80% of huge geeks have jailbroken their iPhones.

A lot of my friends are "geeks", and none of them have a jailbroken iPhone. In fact, the only person I know who has a jailbroken iPhone is a regular teenager, and that's because he refuses to pay for apps.

How many of your friends use Bitcoins?

Zero.

Right, so your data point is not really relevant to the conversation. The implication was that anyone interested in bitcoin would probably have a jailbroken phone, and since none of your friends are interested in bitcoin, whether or not they have a jailbroken iphone is not particularly relevant. The original context was:

For those interested in Bitcoin right now (mostly geeks) I'd say the percentage of jailbroken iDevices is much higher, i'd throw 80% out as a guess.

I think we can all agree that this is reasonable.

I use bitcoin and I don't jailbreak my iPhone.

I use bitcoin and I jailbreak my iPhone.

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