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Former Facebook app dev touts iPad as better platform

updated 04:55 pm EST, Fri January 29, 2010

Hewitt sees web apps as workaround for developers

Joe Hewitt -- who famously walked away from developing the Facebook iPhone app, over issues with Apple's app review policies -- is now speaking enthusiastically about the iPad. The coder says the iPad "is exactly the product I've been wishing for," and that it overcomes the limitations of the iPhone, giving developers and end users more room to work with in much larger screen space.

Hewitt is also speaking positively about the iPhone OS, describing it as more secure due to the isolation of the OS as a whole, and the isolation of each app running with it. Apps cannot directly access the filesystem, the hardware or other programs, preventing damage that is routine on Macs and PCs.

In regards to working around the App Store approval process, Hewitt proposes web apps as the main inroad to iPad development, free of restraints -- although this does require a developer to host the app on their own server. Web apps are the key to client-side freedom too, the developer says.

 
Previous Comments

lol

01/29, 05:37pm reply

Someone come crawling back with his tail between his legs...

dliup

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2006

-3

Comment buried. Show

and...

01/29, 06:26pm reply

Why does anyone care what any particular app developer thinks of the iPad?

testudo

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

-13

Interesting

01/29, 09:13pm reply

Well, he has managed to make one of the best iPhone apps out there. The Facebook app is a great example of what makes the iPhone great. I actually prefer using Facebook on my iPhone over their cluttered, ad-laden website.

As far as webapps go: They seriously need to solve the problem of having to reload the site every time you go to use it. Over 3G the time it takes to load even a twitter client every time you want to post can be very tedious. I'd much prefer if Apple simply made the approval process better for these guys.

Skwidspawn

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2006

+6

oh yeah...

01/29, 11:40pm reply

this is the douchebag that whined about apple's 'walled garden' while working for facebook - the worlds most walled off playground...

Tofino

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2005

+5

Web apps

01/30, 07:51am (1 reply) reply

Why do some developers love the idea of web apps?

I would rather play a game or write a document that didn't require online access to work. That is what makes the iPhone appealing when I have enough battery power left because the 3G or wifi is not sucking up the power.

ApeInTheShell

Senior User

Joined: Nov 2002

+3

Dooooooouuuuuche

02/01, 01:46am reply

The terms was invented for this guy

redwood

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2003

0

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