iPhone Can Now Run Apache, Python, Vim

An anonymous reader writes "After the first Hello World application, hacker NerveGas and the people at #iphone-shell have built Apache, Python and other Open Source apps for the iPhone using NightWatch's toolchain. Yes, your iPhone can now be a Web Server and do all sort of 1337 things. This also means that third-party applications for iPhone will happen no matter what. People, iPhone Doom could be just around the corner." It's fairly thin on information but if true, this will lead to good things. Like hopefully permission from apple.

How about Applescript or Fscript?

[argent]

Something that's got good Cocoa bindings, anyway, so you can write native apps in them...

no complaints

[toQDuj]

They didn't complain about the hacks of the iTV, so I haardly expect them to throw a tantrum over these few geeks willing to turn their iPhone into a webserver...

B.

AIM instead of SMS?

[Oink]

I think AT&T is going to force Apple to lock this down. From what I hear (maybe I'm mistaken, I don't have one yet), the only texting available on the iPhone is SMS, and not iChat. If you were free to install AIM on your phone, there goes a large portion of AT&T's income from text messages. Again, I don't know the details of the forced AT&T plans . . . are unlimited text messages forced on you? If not then I suspect I'm right. =)

Is this something that can be patched in a forced software update?

VLC ?

[mbone]

Anyone port VLC to the iPhone ? Its lack of RTP support was my biggest disappointment about it.

Re:iPhone as a server

[cyfer2000]

But it has a 600MHz CPU and 128M DDR SRAM, 10 years ago, we ran servers on much worse hardwares.

Re:my thoughts

[peragrin]

Actually given that Apple pulled a MSFT and made everything on the iPhone run as root I doubt this at least in the short term. It shouldn't be hard to correct the situation though in an update. Since it is running a mini OS X it already has multi user support.

Re:iPhone as a server

[*weasel]

Put the wifi in a peering mode and suddenly it makes a lot more sense.

Simple mobile myspace-type sites would be pretty huge for a mososo.
Particularly if it's integrated with file/stream sharing and a decent discovery app.

Re:Jamie Zawinski said...

[Mattintosh]

Sooo.... When does DoomMail happen? I want to be able to run around my various mailboxes and delete spam with a BFG.

Re:my thoughts

[pauljlucas]

That episode was the farthest off I have seen Apple in understanding their developers/customers.

Yeah, they sure didn't understand the 700,000 (!) customers who bought the phone on the first weekend.

Re:Inaccessible but prominent API

[Psykechan]

Apple represented it as running "True OS X". They even mentioned it supporting Cocoa. Why the hell would you talk about the programming interface if you don't intend to give your developers access?

For some strange reason the Sega Dreamcast popped into my mind with its Windows CE sticker right on the front. Since only licensed developers were allowed to make software for the system, it really didn't matter what the API was. Basically it was about as much useful marketing speak as "blast processing".

As I understand it, Apple wants to treat the iPhone (and iPod for that matter) in the same way that video game manufacturers treat their consoles. They are closed systems which run signed binaries which only a few elite people are allowed to make. You'll probably see a few third party apps pop up for the iPhone in less than a year, but it will be very tightly controlled.

Re:my thoughts

[Midnight Thunder]

they also need to ensure that third parties don't break the human interface guidelines

Why? They've never even bothered to keep them themselves, so why should they care what third-parties do?

Yup, this is certainly a fair point and one that many people are pissed about. Apparently Apple is meant to be rectifying this in 10.5, but we'll see when it comes out.