On July 11, the iPhone SDK emerged from beta sparkling with dew. Trumpets sounded and a few frolicking nymphs danced in joy. The dawn shone bright, the sky offered the blue promise of a new day. And there in the meadow of newly released products stood a mass of grumpy developers shouting: "What about the *@!$%ing NDA?"
For the happy blue release fairy had granted the developers' wishes but had neglected one teeny tiny detail: the restrictive, regressive NDA still ruled over iPhone-land from its dark menacing tower in far-off Cupertino. The hard-working developers could not bring forth their coding jewels from the mines of iPhone Mordor. Instead, they labored under the cruel chains of confidential information and non-specific release clauses. Moreover, their inability to talk freely with one another about their challenges and successes hampered the advancement of the platform.
And then voices rose up: "We're mad as heck! And we're not going to take it any more!" And thus was born, Effing NDA.com. (Yes, that has been bowdlerized and the link is NSFW). Developers started tweeting their rage -- from the high hills of Oz to the depths of Silicon Valley.
And how does this little fairy tale end? We don't know for sure. It all rests in Apple's hands. Let's hope for a happy ending.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-23-2008 @ 3:24PM
Mo said...
Hahahahaha, excellent tagging of this post!
Reply
7-23-2008 @ 3:31PM
d said...
Seen the site?
Someone's angry...
Reply
7-23-2008 @ 3:35PM
atuck said...
Erica I love ya, but if you use 'heck' anymore times today I am gonna kill myself
Reply
7-23-2008 @ 4:00PM
Michael said...
How about useing the word HELLLLLLo. :)
7-23-2008 @ 4:08PM
Alan said...
In english please?
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7-23-2008 @ 4:12PM
Marc said...
What about filing FUCKING NDA bugs?
Alltogether please!!! :-)
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7-23-2008 @ 4:18PM
z peskin said...
what does the NDA exactly say????
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7-23-2008 @ 4:23PM
Chris Born said...
Can't tell you, that is under NDA too.
7-23-2008 @ 4:24PM
Big John said...
Man, I'm glad TUAW is reporting Twitter memes now. Especially ones used by 13 people.
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7-24-2008 @ 9:55AM
Dan S. said...
Well, this Twitter post to TUAW puts another $5 in Erica's pocket -- plus, as long as she's under NDA, her book on the SDK is going nowhere fast -- especially since her first book, "Taking your iPhone to the Maxx!!!!one!1!one!!" is probably not selling so well, now that 2.0 is public.
And, it's obvious that the massive royalties from "Eight Ways to Get the Most out of Your Zune" -- which I assume are: 1)Doorstop, 2)Paperweight, 3)Blunt Instrument, 4)Joke Doggie Poop, 5)Tattoo inspiration, 6)Construction material/landfill, 7)Fix a wobbly table, 8)Media Player..? (really?!?)
7-23-2008 @ 4:25PM
Michael said...
Keeping the non disclosure agreement intact allows apple to freely ignore adding apps to the store that challenge its future profitability or at&t's/other carriers. All the while since the developers have not been able to tell us they are working on the project, we're none the wiser. Big brother apple in action...sounds more like something the Big brother M would do though.
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7-23-2008 @ 5:00PM
homagetogorto said...
You make an logical well-reasoned argument for terminating the NDA.
Oh wait, no you don't.
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7-23-2008 @ 5:16PM
Eugene said...
You filled out an NDA. ie. signed a legal binding contract. Its a pain. But that's life no?.
btw. I reiterate. Its a pain. But you did sign a legal doc.
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7-23-2008 @ 8:34PM
JKT said...
And just because it's legal document makes everything else OK? The law is absolute? To the heck with morality and what is right and logical and sensible, you simply fall back on "it's legal" and shrug your shoulders? How lame.
"'Tis better to disobey a just law than to obey an unjust one." -- Thomas Jefferson
7-23-2008 @ 8:37PM
JKT said...
And just because it's legal document makes everything else OK? The law is absolute? To the heck with morality and what is right and logical and sensible, you simply fall back on "it's legal" and shrug your shoulders? How lame.
"'Tis better to disobey a just law than to obey an unjust one." -- Thomas Jefferson
7-23-2008 @ 7:20PM
James said...
Wait wait wait. The NDA is still in effect? So you can't talk about programming techniques? You can't post sample code? No books? No forums? No discussions? No classes? No library projects?
They do want this to be successful, don't they?
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7-24-2008 @ 9:59AM
Dan S said...
In order:
Yep.
Nope.
Exactomundo.
Nada.
You got it.
Zilch.
Zero.
None so far.
I believe it already is -- Apps are in the store and selling. And iPhones are selling at twice the rate of the originals.
7-23-2008 @ 7:56PM
Dyranios said...
I dont get it why doesnt someone just violate it anonymously or something
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7-23-2008 @ 8:48PM
Ccooper said...
Hey, Weblogs, Inc. It's time to Spawn "Iphone" into it's own blog...
Over...
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7-24-2008 @ 12:11AM
alchemistmuffin said...
I think the iPhone SDK has become a trade secret, so EVERY SINGLE DEVELOPER MUST sign the NDA, since it is a trade secret....
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