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i don't understand this? any phone, gadget, whatever, has a software program affiliated with it to get updates.
No they don't, I have no proprietary application needed for my Windows Mobile phone. Firmware updates are done via a standalone executable downloaded from Sprint's or HTC's website, and patches are done via Windows Update on the phone.
He didn't say it was a virus or trojan, but it acts the same way in that it's trying to install crap that will slow your computer down. Trying to get people to "upgrade" by paying for new versions of junk they don't need.
Having to be tied to iTunes(which sucks anyways) is pretty lame and they will keep trying to get you to buy more crap through it.
OSS is the way to go IMO
You're right, he did say it acted like a virus or trojan, not that it IS one. But he's still wrong, IMO, because it doesn't install anything without your consent, and it's free, too. Quicktime is used for the video, which is why it's installed, although I can understand that it might be nice to have the option to use an alternative media player, but the technical ramifications of that are beyond me. The most objectionable thing iTunes does is prompt you to install Safari, which is free, like iTunes and Quicktime.
They do try to get you to buy crap through iTunes, and it would be nice to be able to drag and drop files, using the iPhone as an additional hard drive. One thing I'm really surprised about is that there is no Linux version of iTunes, so if you have an iPhone you're stuck with Mac or Windows.
Unlike a Windows Mobile device, the iPhone/Touch can't load or run remote scripts. Any software on the iPhone/Touch has to have a digital signature, which is why the only vector for getting on the iPhone/Touch is the App Store. Bluetooth only works for using a headset, you can't BT executable files into an iPhone. Plus, the iPhone/Touch operates with an isolated kernel that you can't access and root and the single allowed user account are separate. This is also why Flash isn't on the iPhone - it allows remote scripts, and Apple doesn't allow that.
Firewalls block unauthorized access when there are open ports that can be exploited. The iPhone/Touch don't have any ports to exploit.
You're right, he did say it acted like a virus or trojan, not that it IS one. But he's still wrong, IMO, because it doesn't install anything without your consent,
When it presented a notice that an update was needed for iTunes, the notice that was also going to install Safari was obscured in the fine print, and the average user will not notice it. The choice was not to install it, but the user had to make a conscious choice NOT to install their lame browser, which by the way completely hosed up the Windows install on the wife's laptop.
Technically they 'asked' permission, but 'f' them for the slight of hand of how they chose to do it.
And our phones, including a Blackberry get all their updates without having to connect to a computer. Linux users that need to update their iPhone? Well they just SOL ain't they?
I don't know how the update dialog box looked originally, but now I think it's pretty easy to see what iTunes wants you to install - and it DOES select safari by default, forcing you to de-select it. But to me, it's easy enough to see that you can just de-select Safari and not install it. Either way, your point is well-taken.
Linux users are totally SOL because not only can they not update the iPhone, they can't sync it at all. The only thing you can do is grab pictures from it. Of course, many of these folks probably have a jailbroken phone anyway, which can be synced, but still I'm surprised there isn't a linux version of iTunes. Even if the market share is small, that 1 percent or so constitutes a lot of potential users, not just of the iPhone, but of the movies and music available on iTunes.
An application should never be able to hose an OS - that's a sign of a poorly formed OS if it can't withstand a single rogue app.
Now that's funny
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