日前，苹果宣布将对其手机应用开发商解禁，向第三方工具（（例如Adobe的Flash程序）开发的应用软件开放市场。

Apps for iPhone

苹果总部的这一决策，对利用第三方工具开发应用软件的程序员来说，可谓极大的好消息，因为这意味着他们的应用终于被苹果正名，有望重返iPhone和iPad平台。不过，iPhone用户仍然不允许访问由Flash工具开发的网站，因为打开该类网站往往需要运行外部托管代码，而这恰恰是苹果应用新条款所明确禁止的行为。

苹果公司在一份声明中表示，“我们对制造iOS应用的开发工具全面解禁，但前提是这些应用不需要下载任何代码。相信这一改变将给开发商更大的创造空间，同时又能保证苹果所要求的应用安全性不打折扣。”

在过去两年中，应用开发商总是指责苹果保守的应用条款和苛刻的应用审核程序，因为苹果极高的准入门槛，往往导致他们耗尽心力、通过道道程序检测的应用仍然被毫不留情地拒之门外。

在本次解禁行动中，苹果还公布了最新应用批准条款，开发商对照该条款即可获知苹果应用商店的产品标准。

另外，苹果还放宽了今年年初的规定，从此开发商可以开始使用第三方开发工具，转换原先为其他平台编写的代码。因此，最初由Flash工具或Java语言开发的应用无需重新编写代码，即可以直接转换成iPhone应用。

谷歌的Android应用市场一直是苹果应用商店的劲敌，该应用市场对开发商的准入门槛较低，也一度是许多应用产品上架的首选，这也为Android手机用户创造了极大的便利。苹果公司的这项决策，相信不但将使iPhone和iPad的粉丝更死心塌地地追随苹果，更将为苹果应用商店的市场竞争增势，这对Android应用市场来说确实是个不小的考验。

Apple Eases iPhone Developer Restrictions

Apple today said it is loosening restrictions on developers creating applications for its mobile devices, potentially opening up its market to products made with third-party tools like Adobe’s Flash program.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company’s changes appear to allow programmers to create apps for its iPhone and iPad products using third-party tools like Flash. But iPhone users will likely not be able to access Flash-based websites, which require running externally hosted code that the new guidelines prohibit.

“In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code,” Apple said in a statement. “This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.”

Over the past two years, developers have criticized Apple for the closed nature of its rules and app approval process. Creating apps with very little direction from the company, software makers had often taken their products through the full development process, only to have it blocked by Apple from its online store.

The company is also publishing guidelines for app approval, so developers will have a better sense of what can be sold in its App Store.

Apple is also easing rules imposed earlier this year on using third-party tools that “translate” code written for another platform. Apps originally developed in Flash or Java language can be converted into iPhone apps without rewriting them.

Google’s Android Market, the chief Apple App Store competitor, has few restrictions on developers, creating a market with an abundance of products for Android phone customers.

The easing of developer restrictions should allows Apple to compete better with its rival and create products that iPhone and iPad enthusiasts have been waiting for. （source：mobiledia）

声明：本文中文为游戏邦翻译，英文原文采用mobiledia，转载请保留版权信息，谢谢！