I said I’d stop writing about Apple for a minute, but this is a really good post over at Daring Fireball:

Essential to the Mac’s continuing relevance is that it is continuously evolving. Much has changed since 2010, and much will surely change between now and the Mac’s 50th anniversary in 2034. But one thing that can’t change without destroying it is its openness to software outside Apple’s control.

I agree that Apple isn’t likely to force a 27% fee on all purchases from Mac apps outside the store. Just the idea that they could — with the same legal justification as iOS — is concerning.

@manton shhh all the big companies will have have secret agreements with special terms.

@manton it’s never been more possible for them to clamp down on the Mac.

@manton I feel that I'm in the minority, but what leaves me cold about iOS, watchOS and it seems visionOS, is that there is so little non-serious code. My mac is full of little programs, games and snippets that people did just because it was fun. There is good software on iOS, etc, but it almost all made by serious people. I love software by serious people, it has less bugs and more features, but it is kinda boring to only have that.

@everson @manton I love this perspective. So true. This sort of playfulness is what brings technology to life. Apple’s aggressive stance toward developers is killing some of that playfulness and, in turn, strangling the future of the platform.