The Breaking of the Fellowship

In 2007 my wife and I celebrated our third anniversary by spending a week in Chicago, Il. We chose Chicago for several reasons — one of them was C4, a small indie Mac developer conference. I recently had completed some freelance Mac development and had dreams of building Mac products for a living. I was intimidated. The emphasis on design drew me in and I used many indie Mac programs in my daily work. MarsEdit, NetNewsWire, VoodooPad, Transmit, etc. The developers had achieved a larger-than-life status in my universe and for one weekend, they would be in the same room in a smaller setting. It was too good to resist.

So, in Spring of 2007 I summoned up the courage and registered (back when C4 didn’t sell out in hours). I wanted to see this world up close and find out if I had what it took. Needless to say the following August was a revelation. Not in the humbling way I thought it would feel. Instead what I discovered is the developers were just like me. Simple people, with computer science backgrounds and a passion for great software. Meeting them, and seeing them in the wild proved to me that I could be one of them. That was C4’s gift to me.

Yesterday, Jonathan Rentzsch announced he’s shuttering the doors on C4. The conference that forged me into an indie (both figuratively and literally — Briefs was released at the last C4, catapulting me on that trajectory) was no more. That it is gone is painful enough. However, Jonathan’s reasons for closing down C4 is what stings the most.

The Respect

First let me state, unequivocally, how much I respect Jonathan and his choice to stick by his principles. I cannot imagine the agony over making this decision. Second, I’ve had the pleasure of discussing 3.3.1 with him in person and his argument is neither shallow or misdirected. I challenge anyone to engage him in a discussion on the topic and not second guess their own opinion afterwards. Especially those who think he’s overreacted. It would be too easy to dismiss him as a curmudgeon and disregard his message.

His gripes are valid and they’re not with Apple, but with the community of developers surrounding Apple. The same community he has served and helped grow. If you dismiss his point, you only make a stronger case for it.

The Dilemma

What Jonathan would like to see is simple: that developers ask more of Apple. Don’t let them get away with this “war on Computer Science,” as he refers to it. The App store is too restrictive and Apple is working to restrict it more. They want to dictate the manner in which you write for their platform. Section 3.3.1 of the SDK agreement gives them that latitude. It’s not about what gets in and what doesn’t get into the store. What matters is that Apple calls the shots and can do so in a opaque manner with singular discretion.

Despite these facts (and demonstrated behavior), there are developers queuing in the streets for an opportunity to write for the platform. This developer included. It’s a great platform with tons of potential. Potential we have yet to see realized.

But it is impossible to criticize the platform when Apple is the gatekeeper. And a petty gatekeeper, with no sense of humor. Just ask Ellen Degeneres. How should a developer who has invested months, possibly years of time in the platform effectively criticize Apple for its policies? How can they do it without fearing removal from the store?

Here in lies the rub. iPhone developers are weary about criticizing a capricious distribution channel with absolute control. This has led to an uneasy silence regarding 3.3.1 that finally wore Rentzsch down.

The Dreamers

I now look out at the community I love and see a divided house. There are those in the community that look down on me as merely an iPhone developer. They lump me in with the one-hit wonders and wannabe stars who only seek App store glory. I offend those who object to Apple’s policies because I implicitly defend those policies when I don’t lay down my UIKit in protest.

However, I choose to see things a little differently. There are two apples within Apple, Inc. The first is building a series of barriers and partitions that will eventually undo the company if it fails to cede control. The second is building the computer science of tomorrow.

I dream of a day when the second group will drive the first group out of Apple. But I recognize the second group is just as likely to jump ship when the first group finally destroys the company. And when the mass exodus of the second group occurs, this developer will follow them wherever they go.

Until either scenario comes to pass, I find it in my best interest to work the problem from within. In fact, Briefs should be considered my first missile launched at the bunker called 3.3.1. When I publicly protest it will not be an abstract argument, but one based on a concrete example.

I don’t have the luxury of ignoring the platform until Apple gets their act together. Instead I have to shape the barriers the best way I can: by challenging them with apps. Find out what rules can be bent and what can be broken.

The Message

If I could say one thing to Jonathan it would be this: Don’t take my silence as a willful act of contrition, but as a steeled act of resolve. In fact, I think there is no better time for developers to have a little C4 in them than the present. Jonathan, thanks for the memories; Your work will be missed, but your legacy will endure.