Facebook Taking On Apple?

oDDmON oUT writes "Techcrunch has a piece about Facebook's Project Spartan, which aims to deliver app store functionality through the use of HTML5 in the iOS Safari browser. Given Facebook's shifting sands privacy stances, as well as their track record with their "trusted partners", I don't think I'd be alone in wondering if this wouldn't put a great big stake in the heart of the assertion that iOS is the most secure operating system in existence today."

creating a web site considered 'taking over'?

[darkeye]

how is creating a web site for a particular browser considered as 'taking over' that particular browser?

and how is this related to the security of any OS?

(and how would iOS be a most secure OS among all OSs around? like, seriously? and how would this statement be relevant anyway?)

Eh?

[DavidR1991]

I read the article, but I don't really understand why this is 'taking on Apple'. Yeah, it's trying to undermine the app store via Facebook apps, but if that were a huge tactic against Apple, surely it would be working already? (Surely Facebook is accessible and usable with apps as-is without this 'Project Spartan'? In which case if HTML5 apps via Facebook were what people wanted, surely they would already have a big stake in the iOS audience?)

Security

[poor_boi]

Maybe I'm daft, but what does Facebook making an App Store have to do with the security of iOS?

Re:Competition!

[betterunixthanunix]

In the end, everyone will lose. Facebook will try to get as much data about iPhone users as possible; Apple will try to prevent Facebook from getting this data, and lock down iOS more and more. At the end of the day, iOS users will wind up with both less privacy and less freedom than ever before.

I doubt Apple has a problem with this

[SpiceWare]

as it supports Apple's goal of HTML5 over Flash.

stake in the heart?

[MasterOfUniverse]

How will facebook installing webapps on ios (or any os) will be a stake in the heart of iOS being secure??? if there is a security problem in safari, that would be a security issue in itself. And also there is already such service available (openAppMkt)

Apple on iOS Web Apps

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, because Apple just hates it when you develop web apps for iOS, and is doing everything it can to prevent developers from using HTML5 to mimic native iOS features [apple.com].

Re:Eh?

[bennomatic]

I'm totally with you. Remember when the iPhone launched and met with groans because the app development environment was HTML5 and that was it? No native SDK? What Facebook is apparently doing is doing is following guidelines that everyone else rejected four years ago. Funny thing is that Windows 7 Phone is doing the same thing. And I think WebOS isn't far off. I'm constantly amazed at how some people can see anything as bad news for Apple.

Re:I don't follow

[gstoddart]

what does a rumored product have to do with being secure "today"?

I think the reasoning goes something like ... since we don't trust Facebook not to be dickheads, allowing them to install software on your device likely wouldn't be very secure since they might "decide" that you actually did opt-in for something you've never heard of.

Facebook does have a bit of a history of deciding that their partners should have access to your data, because it's beneficial for them. Or changing the defaults of things to be permissive because that's what they want.

Facebook, from what I've read, might not be perceived as a company one would actually want to put that much trust in. They'll hand over all of your details to Zynga in a heartbeat if it makes them a few bucks.

Re:Story link is wrong

[camperslo]

What is it with press releases being passed off as news?

"News is what people want to keep hidden and everything else is publicity. ..." - Bill Moyers

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bill_Moyers [wikiquote.org]