Apple yanks C64 emulator from App Store
BASIC misunderstanding
Many Register readers seeking the Commodore 64 emulator application for the iPhone, which finally made it to Apple's App Store yesterday, were disappointed not to be able to find it. Here's why: Apple pulled it.
Apple originally rejected the emulator, called simply C64, some months ago. Developer Manomio appealed against the decision, which was apparently made because the software included a Commodore Basic interpreter.
Apple's logic was that this tool could allow users to run illegal copies of games, holding it open to a charge of contributory copyright infringement. Anything that might do so is verboten under the terms of the iPhone OS SDK.
Manomio responded by promising to remove the Basic interpreter. Honour apparently satisifed, Apple let C64 through.
And then it found that Manomio hadn't yanked the interpreter, it had simply tucked it out of sight.
Silly notion, that. As if emulator users wouldn't work out how to activate the code. As if they would keep it to themselves.
They didn't. They told World+Dog about it. And Apple duly pulled C64 off the App Store's virtual shelves.
Manomio said: "We have now fixed the issue and our application has been re-submitted for approval by Apple."
It's not clear whether the Basic interpreter has been removed, or Manomio has simply deleted the discovered way of activating it.
Will Apple relent? We'll let you know when it does. ®
COMMENTS
@ MeRp - @ Simple solution needed educated.
@ Juan Inamillion was referring to the troll, 'Simple solution's' comment towards the top of the page. He thinks it's 1996 so a little education was administered.
@ Red Bren RE : where do you plug in the tape recorder?
you don't - you convert the tape to mp3 and then load those whistles and beeps in that way :)
Lucky
That I downloaded the emulator in time. The only problem now is that I have paid for an emulator with only three crappy games circa 1982. Do you think that Apple will give me my money back - thought not.
odd policy
A BASIC interpreter is not allowed but a 6510 interpreter is? Something doesn't quite add up there.
re: Doom
Never mind Doom, I had a weird version of Quake running on an iPaq almost 7 years ago. I can only imagine it's come along since then.
The reason I abandoned it? How on earth do you control Quake with a stylus? Not easily is the answer. But fun for 5 minutes to find out.
The reason Apple don't want this is purely because it's the thin end of the wedge. Allow a C64 emulator, allow an Amiga emulator, allow a Game Boy emulator -> Megadrive/Genesis -> Saturn -> N64 -> PSP etc - Wii??
OK there will likely be a natural hardware barrier at some point along the chain, but you can bet that Apple have shot themselves in the foot by being guardians of the software gate, and therefore leaving them open to the inevitable lawsuits. I suppose it's also a revenue loser - you need to get a special "licence" (read money for Apple) to develop for the iPhone. This C64 emulator technically means anyone can be a developer.
Granted, as mentioned above, I doubt you'd get many people relishing the prospect of digging their software out the loft, seeing if the C90's have stood the test of time, and typing it on an iPhone keyboard. Frankly I struggle to write a medium-length email on one. Just tried it:
10 GOTO 20
becomes
10 GIRO 20 with the helpful autocorrect
