We were pretty excited when VLC, our favourite multi-format video player, dropped for iOS, but it looks like the sun has already set on that glorious endeavor. Just as we’d heard it might, VLC has been removed from the App Store—though not at Apple’s request. Rémi Denis-Courmont, a lead contributor to the project, decided that the the DRM in the App Store violated the GNU public licence, requesting that Apple remove it. We’re not sure we buy this interpretation of the GPL, and it doesn’t quite make sense that it takes what was a completely free and easily available app away from millions of users. Worse, it doesn’t set the best precedent for other open source projects, especially with the Mac App Store having similar DRM features. We hope you all grabbed your copy while you had a chance. [via TUAW]
Brendan
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 8:14 AMVLC costs $4AUD on windows phone 7, such bull…
Dean
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 10:48 AMSelf righteous idiots – seriously
matt
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 12:42 PMyeah… open source…
everyone wants something for their work…
unfortunately this is something millions of its eager users cannot give…
boc
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 2:55 PMAren’t you being a bit self-righteous yourself calling him/them idiot/s just because you’re put out by them sticking to their principles?
Dan
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 3:09 PMI don’t get it.
Android is an open source OS and VLC is open source software.
Open source software and… Apple?
Why did iOS get it before Android anyway?
Greg
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 4:42 PMSo just download it from elsewhere and install it.
What self respecting geek uses a non-jailbroken iPhone?
Simon Reidy
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 9:00 PMThis has nothing to do with openness and everything to do with one bitter Nokia employee with a vendetta against Apple. The Result is millions of people being denied access to great software. Good one.
Luckily thanks to the developer Ryan Petrich, there is already a modified version on Cydia. It’s exactly the same software, except than rather than have to load vids onto your device via iTunes (which was a pain in the arse anyway) you simply drag and drop them into a folder via SSH or USB.
Yet another great reason to jailbreak :)
Sam Timmins
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 5:51 AMReason #812 why you’d be better off with an Android. :P
Steve
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 7:15 PMThis is so goddamn pathetic. This self-righteous asshole with a chip on his shoulder, personally inconveniencing millions of people who use this app because of Apple’s closed ecosystem.
It wouldn’t be too bad if he released his own, legitimised version of the app, but no. He’s just screwing everyone who used it, because the default iTunes requirements were unacceptable.
ezcool4141
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 9:19 PMSeriously i was hoping to see this app becoming number one in the app store (it has great potentials as well!).