Some RockApp thoughts

[szr]

Hi. I recently noticed an update for zodttd's snes4iphone on Cydia, which I already had installed and working on my 3GS for some time and ran just about any ROM I threw at it just fine.

Perhaps I should have read the notes a little closer, as when the update installed, I could see another app being installed called RockApp (Rock Your Phone.) So, being curious about what was changed in snes4iphone, I opened it, only to be greated with a login that was not required to identify yourself to Rock App. Not knowing much about RockApp, I decided for the time being to uninstall it, but it turned out doing so always removed snes4iphone - "What the hell ??!", I thought.

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Now, I am all for progress and seeing newer, better things. Cydia is great IMHO, but theres always room for improvement. There appear to be many great aspects to RockApp, such as speed, able to keep track and backup what you've installed. But, what seems to worry me is that, much like Valve Software's Steam service, paid programs seem to require some sort of authentication before you can use them, even programs like the snes emulator which otherwise requires no active Internet connection.

Like Steam, this imposes external control over some software that you wish to run, and this is something I am always weary of. I always believed this was the biggest problem with Steam, that it was forced on players of Valve's games as a requirement when it should have been a suppliment - there when you want and need it, but not if you don't. It is even required for single player games that otherwise need no 'net connection.

Update:
Ok, as a follow up, after doing a a little more research, it seems many of my suspitions have been confirmed. Like Steam, RockApp does appear to tie apps to purchased to an account, and it looks like it uses this (in concert with checking a phone's unique ID) to prevent you from using an app you've bought on RockApp on more phones. This is NOT why I (and as far as I can tell, many others out there) have "jail broken" my iPhone. This is worse than individual apps from the Apple app store that may do some checking as well, in that you are dependant on a central app (again, like Valve's Steam) just to use something you've purchased. RockApp installs special extensions that might as well be a daemon, as it does in fact use some CPU and memory, and as we all know, that is quite a finite resource on these types of devices.

Yeah, I realize it probably doesn't use that much in the way of resource, but that's not the point. I don't mind paying for other people's work (I have donated to various authors) but I I will not do it my means of a nanny app like RockApp in order to do it. It's my phone/device/personal-computer, I've jail-broken it to GAIN freedom, not loose some. I really hope the people behind RockApp realize this, as I know I am not alone.

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I welcome any comments, corrections and other thoughts on anything I have put forth here. I harbor no ill will towards the authors/dev like zodttd, or any other. I applaud and thank them and others for many of their contributions to the community who have made it what it is. Just remember, having control over one's own device is a wonderful and not so little thing.

[skiptowncat]

I've never used rockapp, I don't see the need. If it aint broke, don't fix it!!!!!

[iPhone 3GS Helper]

Its not broke they updated and fixed it now. But like the other user said no need for it. You can download all in cydia.