Exiled iPhone Wi-Fi apps move to Cydia Developers kicked out of the iTunes store for using private APIs are turning to the unregulated Cydia store, and think the demographic might even suit them better. Last week Apple kicked out a handful of applications that made use of "private framework" APIs to enable scanning for nearby hot spots. Now those apps are popping …
if that 0.01% are a) technically competent enough to escape from Apple's vice-grip on their balls and b) not of "cult-sheep" mindset that finds jailbreaking unacceptable on religious grounds, then they're a) likely to be interested in apps that use all of the hardware rather than just the bit Jobs wants you to use and b) probably not a huge ongoing support cost.
Your post, however, indicates that you fit neither criterion.
Forgive my ignorance, but what do these apps do that the phone doesn't do already?
When you go into Settings/Wi-Fi, it checks to see what networks are available, then shows you a list, (or connects if it finds a known network). You can then pick off the list, enter your credentials if necessary and you're connected.
So what would a wi-fi network finder do on top of that which would be of any use?
NB I'm not being sarcastic here, I'm genuinely wondering what they are for.
They provide a clear list of wifi networks, tell you what security is implemented, what the signal strength is, and more importantly tell you what channel they are on (very useful to ensure that you aren't crossing the streams, to use a ghostbusters reference).
I use it for range testing, channel conflict checking, and verifying the security level. All useful stuff.
they display much more info on available WiFi Networks (like BSSID and the likes)
you can log seen accesspoints along with their gps position and display that on a map.
WiFiFoFum also has a feature that can be used to share such maps with world + dog.
All in all Settings will never have the features needed for some serious warwalking.
"referring to the fact that when version 3.0 of the iPhone OS came out all the Wi-Fi-scanning applications stopped working. Those applications then had to be changed, and resubmitted to the iTunes store where Apple happily approved them despite the fact that they clearly made use of private APIs - they couldn't exist any other way."
Except that they can (and do) exist without relying on a 3rd party API - there are still apps on the store that do Wi-Fi scaning!
So this is just FUD!
Banning developers from using Apple Tools to develop Apps for Cydia is like punishing a habitual unlicensed driver from driving... it has absolutely no effect on those peoples' activities. It's effectively an underground movement which will continue WHATEVER edicts, decrees, proscriptions and iLaws Apple issue.
Excuse my ignorance, but why are these APIs private?
Clearly they provide useful features that can be leveraged by developers to write and sell applications. Apple makes it's profit from everything it sells, and it "approves" all applications anyway (so malicious would be stopped, useful would get through), so why not open up the API.
Or are Apple up to something they aren't telling us about .......
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Since Cydia don't appear to be doing anything illegal, the German law directly prohibits clauses the try to prevent you from developing a competitive item (as long as you are not breaking the law).
you will probably find that half of Apples T&Cs are null and void (at least in Germany, since the Krauts are fairly open minded when it comes to issues like that) And before some nupty decides to flame me because of the term "Kraut", I am aloud to use it, since I am one myself.
So many contracts contain clauses, that can just be ignored, but because it is fairly expensive to fight the mega corporates and their law-twister.
Apple make great products, but the company and their policies just stink!!!!
That is why, as long as they don't change their attitude, I will always advise against them!!!!
I frequently use WiFiFoFum in my day job, in a multiple wireless access point environment where the frequency (channels) and strengths of individual access points are incredibly important to ensure correct working of the overall system.
Students and academics expect their iPhones and Android phones to seamlessly roam from access point to access point without any drop out so overlapping cells have to be carefully setup for which WiFiFoFum is a cheap manner of sampling signal strengths and checking everything is working as planned. WiFiFoFum is a lot cheaper than buying a proper device from Fluke!
(Although there is a centralised management tool for managing thin access points every now and then things go slightly wrong and there is no subsititute for actually knowing what thin access points are doing.)
Cydia is not the only package manager for jailbroken iPhones, at least since the release of the blackra1n jailbreak for 3.x firmware. The better alternative is Rock (aka "Rock Your Phone" or "Rock.app"), which has some handy features Cydia is lacking, and it might replace Cydia as time goes on...
I'll be impressed when...
1. App scans for WiFi points, if they are Open, but with one of those network login pages (like what you get in hotels where they charge you £5 for 20 minutes), it starts scanning for connections to the point, captures the MAC address of all attached devices, and then lets you pick a MAC address to spoof as your own. Hey presto, you have free access.
2. App scans for Wifi points, if it finds they are WEP or WPA (including hidden networks), it uses dictionary of default router passwords first, then dictionary of most common passwords to brute force its way in.
3. App does 1 and 2, while you are on the move, and uploads geo-location results to online database of WiFi spots, updating the common password database whilst doing so.
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