Crackulous to bust iphone app protection

[JWiPhone]

I thought this was interesting. Any other views on this?

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/02/crackulous-released-promises-to-bust-iphone-app-protection-sche/

[jjvaldez]

so this is to steal apps. if so isint that $hit illegal man?

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Great -- now Apple can really focus on preventing jailbreaking...

[patrickj]

^ Exactly. The other thing that strikes me is how this will affect iPhone developers. To say thanks for creating great apps that you want (if you support this app) you steal their apps and rob them of income they should be getting. To some of the bigger devs, the stolen portion may not make or break them, but for some smaller devs, this potentially pushes them right out of the game.

That'll be great huh. Steal all those great apps, bankrupt the people who make them, leading to less and less quality apps - especially those from smaller devs. Yeah that's sticking it to 'the man' right? Hurt the little guys most.

Way out of order ...

[psylichon]

Yeah, and I'm thinking most discussion of this application will be barred from these forums, so be careful folks, and do the right thing.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

^ Exactly. The other thing that strikes me is how this will affect iPhone developers. To say thanks for creating great apps that you want (if you support this app) you steal their apps and rob them of income they should be getting. To some of the bigger devs, the stolen portion may not make or break them, but for some smaller devs, this potentially pushes them right out of the game.

That'll be great huh. Steal all those great apps, bankrupt the people who make them, leading to less and less quality apps - especially those from smaller devs. Yeah that's sticking it to 'the man' right? Hurt the little guys most.

Way out of order ...

None of this matters to these jackals -- they can only think in the short-term.

[patrickj]

None of this matters to these jackals -- they can only think in the short-term.

I guess that sounds right :(

[Hondamaker]

Great -- now Apple can really focus on preventing jailbreaking...
That's exactly what I was thinking. Apple will no doubt create a new firmware update for the 3G or the next gen that will probably totally prevent jailbreaking. Sometimes these hackers go to far.

[chris]

I would say the problem is that plenty of "jailbreakers" do not upgrade their firmware without first checking for compatibility. Sure there are a few devs making bucketloads off the app store, but plenty of developers are not doing so well. It's tough enough competing with the .99 cent apps, but now piracy.

FWIW (and I may be in the minority), but would we have these issues if Apple would announced an SDK (or a forthcoming SDK) when the v.1 was released? The jailbreaking community grew in response to Apple's lack of support for native apps and the push was for "web apps". Anyone even use those now?

[patrickj]

FWIW (and I may be in the minority), but would we have these issues if Apple would announced an SDK (or a forthcoming SDK) when the v.1 was released? The jailbreaking community grew in response to Apple's lack of support for native apps and the push was for "web apps". Anyone even use those now?

I think the answer to the first question is, sadly, yes we would. As Napoleon mentioned above, I believe there is little or no 'thinking' done by those who want to steal apps. Or the only thinking is about themselves.

I think there is a HUGE difference between supporting jailbreak, and supporting piracy and theft. The Dev Team has made clear always that they do not support piracy.

The only thing that would've reduced or eliminated the popularity of jailbreaking is if Apple would've made this a completely open platform.

I still use a few web apps - Google Reader is one that I use daily ...

[Youngbinks]

This is definitely a step backwards for the iPhone development community. I can't see this benefitting anyone aside from the thieves that wish to pilfer free apps from others.

I also agree that Apple will probably get even more aggressive about stopping the Jailbreak process.

[CBRfanatic]

I personally think this is not a big deal. You all are only complaining about it now because you know about it, but this has been going on for some time now. All you had to do was go to your favorite torrent site and put iphone or itouch apps in the search and hundreds would come up, ive seen one torrent with over 600 apps all unlocked and ready for use with some SSH or even just syncing through itunes!
Crackulous is just another way to do it soley on the iphone.
And yes they dev community will loose some money, but the % of people jailbroken compared to the non jailbroken balances it out.
Piracy is in every form of media, from music and movies, to books and video games, you cannot stop piracy, and the iphone was bound to fall into the scheme of things sooner or later.

Disclaimer: I do not condone or promote piracy

[chris]

I think there is a HUGE difference between supporting jailbreak, and supporting piracy and theft. The Dev Team has made clear always that they do not support piracy.


I agree completely.

The only thing that would've reduced or eliminated the popularity of jailbreaking is if Apple would've made this a completely open platform.

Yes and no. It's technically a closed platform, but if native apps were available at launch, I don't see the jailbreak community (users and developers) growing as it did during year one.
I still use a few web apps - Google Reader is one that I use daily ...
Ah! You are correct sir. Google Reader is my favorite app! Going to give Feeds a try. I hear it supports Google Reader.

-Chris

[psylichon]

While the jailbreaking community definitely made this situation easier to achieve for the warez guys by granting system-level file access, I don't think we can blame them or Apple for this situation. Ever since the Appstore was introduced, I knew it would be hacked. Every platform eventually is, but especially the popular ones.

The Appstore has been easily cracked since inception... this is merely a new delievery method. You really can't stop these guys, all you can do is simply not support them on a personal level.

[Ezekiel2517]

honestly, all i have to say is that some apps are worth .99 and others are not. if an app is useful enough, then id gladly pay for it. but most of the time you end up buying an app and turns out to be a crapp, without you ever getting to try it out first. then you end up not ever using it again, and turns out to be a waste of money...

[patrickj]

I agree completely.

Yes and no. It's technically a closed platform, but if native apps were available at launch, I don't see the jailbreak community (users and developers) growing as it did during year one.

Ah! You are correct sir. Google Reader is my favorite app! Going to give Feeds a try. I hear it supports Google Reader.

-Chris

I think you're right on the point about if native apps were available at launch.

I need to try Feeds as well. Have been giving Doppler a whirl, and it's not bad so far - think I prefer it to Byline so far ...

[patrickj]

honestly, all i have to say is that some apps are worth .99 and others are not. if an app is useful enough, then id gladly pay for it. but most of the time you end up buying an app and turns out to be a crapp, without you ever getting to try it out first. then you end up not ever using it again, and turns out to be a waste of money...

I agree that there are plenty of crap apps out there, that aren't worth squat, and that there should definitely be either a proper trialing mechanism, or more apps that do 'Lite' (free) versions to give you a feel before you purchase a full version.

But ... if I bought a number of new snack products at a grocery store that turned out to be crap, I still wouldn't feel like next visit I'd steal some stuff to make up for it ...

[chris]

honestly, all i have to say is that some apps are worth .99 and others are not. if an app is useful enough, then id gladly pay for it. but most of the time you end up buying an app and turns out to be a crapp, without you ever getting to try it out first. then you end up not ever using it again, and turns out to be a waste of money...

If they allowed trials, I bet that would increase downloads. Not sure if that translates to sales, as some apps do fall short.

[patrickj]

Good news tonight. Seems Crackulous has been cracked and is getting sold by someone other than its original creator. Apparently the guy who created it is outraged that his pirate app has been pirated. It doesn't get much funnier than that.

Erica at ars technica has an article up on this ...

[JWiPhone]

Good news tonight. Seems Crackulous has been cracked and is getting sold by someone other than its original creator. Apparently the guy who created it is outraged that his pirate app has been pirated. It doesn't get much funnier than that.

Erica at ars technica has an article up on this ...

Funny..I guess that is what is called poetic justice. What goes around comes around in this case.

[PartisanEntity]

Most apps in the App Store are so reasonably priced that there is really no excuse to steal.

This Crackulous app is very annoying. I hope it doesn't blow out of proportions and cause Apple to go into full war mode, which would ruin it for all of us.

But all Apple has to do at this point is patch whatever security hole is in the App Store, or did I miss something?

[Ezekiel2517]

Good news tonight. Seems Crackulous has been cracked and is getting sold by someone other than its original creator. Apparently the guy who created it is outraged that his pirate app has been pirated. It doesn't get much funnier than that.

Erica at ars technica has an article up on this ...

yeah it is pretty funny, heres a conversation between crackulous and adam from gizmodo (http://i.gizmodo.com/5144751/crackulous-allows-for-app-store-piracy):

Subject: INACCURATE: Crackulous article
Crack Ulous Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 4:14 PM
To: adam@gizmodo.com
Adam, you are linking to a pirated version of the app. Please link to REMOVED (the official Crackulous site) instead of supporting the pirates in the crackulous article. Thanks.
Adam Frucci Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 4:16 PM
To: Crack Ulous
Are you serious? This isn't a joke? You're seriously trying to stop
an app designed to pirate apps from being pirated?
Crack Ulous Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 4:21 PM
To: Adam Frucci
No but I need people to support my work... I deserve appreciation.
Adam Frucci Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 4:23 PM
To: Crack Ulous
But the people who have legit apps that Craculous will help pirate
don't? You honestly don't see the irony here?
Crack Ulous Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 4:24 PM
To: Adam Frucci
Yes.. but Adam, all I ask is that you link to REMOVED in your article because some people still buy and support. Some people in the scene appreciate my work. Is it too much to ask? :)
Adam Frucci Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 4:34 PM
To: Crack Ulous
No.
Crack Ulous Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 4:35 PM
To: Adam Frucci
Ok if you could please do that I would be very appreciative. Thanks.


smell the irony in that? :rolleyes:

[PartisanEntity]

Actually there is another update from Gizmodo:

Update #2: The jackass above was a developer trying to screw over the people behind Crackulous. He wasn't the real developer, nor was he a scammer. He made no money from this. Moral of the story is still this: don't pirate apps. And this guy is a douche.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

Unfrigginbelievable.

[pradley]

I started reading this thread because I could not, and do not, understand jailbreaking. Originally I had thought that the point was to allow the installation of programs (all the ones I had in mind required payment to a developer) that were not available in the AppStore, such as copy/paste, linked PIM software (such as Agendus or Datebk), and internal backup. From what I now read I realize that jailbreaking would allow me merely to install new ringtones and new wallpapers. Big Deal! Jailbreaking seems to me a complete (and possibly dangerous) waste. Does anyone disagree?

Crackulous is disgusting: it's plain theft, the guy should be arrested (but then why should we taxpayers pay anything to jailkeep him?)

[CBRfanatic]

Actually there is another update from Gizmodo:
i was about to say, Crackulous is a free app from his site....
on another note, <redacted> has just been updated and runs much smoother.....(i only tested for sake of posting the info...)
........
eh, why lie, i use it, so what. Its not any different from people using pirate bay or demonoid or mininova or usenet, etc. How many people here downloaded copies of leopard, or vista, or CS4, Final Cut Studio, etc, i dont wanna hear it....lol

[CBRfanatic]

I started reading this thread because I could not, and do not, understand jailbreaking. Originally I had thought that the point was to allow the installation of programs (all the ones I had in mind required payment to a developer) that were not available in the AppStore, such as copy/paste, linked PIM software (such as Agendus or Datebk), and internal backup. From what I now read I realize that jailbreaking would allow me merely to install new ringtones and new wallpapers. Big Deal! Jailbreaking seems to me a complete (and possibly dangerous) waste. Does anyone disagree?

Crackulous is disgusting: it's plain theft, the guy should be arrested (but then why should we taxpayers pay anything to jailkeep him?)
you obviously need to play around with your jsilbroken phone some more....

[pradley]

My phone is not jailbroken: I posted because I wanted to know if jailbreaking was worth the effort. So let me put it this way: what can I put on the phone by jailbreaking that I cannot otherwise? I will not jailbreak my phone simply to find out what it allows me to do. I hope that you and others who have jailbroken can help me find a reason to jailbreak. At this point, I don't see any.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

I started reading this thread because I could not, and do not, understand jailbreaking. Originally I had thought that the point was to allow the installation of programs (all the ones I had in mind required payment to a developer) that were not available in the AppStore, such as copy/paste, linked PIM software (such as Agendus or Datebk), and internal backup. From what I now read I realize that jailbreaking would allow me merely to install new ringtones and new wallpapers. Big Deal! Jailbreaking seems to me a complete (and possibly dangerous) waste. Does anyone disagree?

Crackulous is disgusting: it's plain theft, the guy should be arrested (but then why should we taxpayers pay anything to jailkeep him?)

It's precisely because of jailbreaking that I have video recording and copy & paste on my iPhone...

[CBRfanatic]

My phone is not jailbroken: I posted because I wanted to know if jailbreaking was worth the effort. So let me put it this way: what can I put on the phone by jailbreaking that I cannot otherwise? I will not jailbreak my phone simply to find out what it allows me to do. I hope that you and others who have jailbroken can help me find a reason to jailbreak. At this point, I don't see any.
just to name a few of the thousands of things you can do...

Fully customize the appearance of the phone including the lock screen
landscape sms keyboard
mms
copy and paste
video recording
video streaming up and down
better picture app
way better games, doom, quake, snes, GBA, etc
Voip on 3G
full backup
free appstore apps :tounge:
full file access to iPhone
call filtering
better control of onboard sensors
true Haptic keyboard (quick vibration when key pressed, gives a "real" keyboard feeling instead of glass)
run apps in the background

it just goes on and on and on, im sure other people here can add to what i put above, but that dosnt even scratch the surface, if you want it done, it can be made.

[Hondamaker]

It's precisely because of jailbreaking that I have video recording and copy & paste on my iPhone...
I too, jailbreaked to get video recording, copy and paste, tethering, among many others. Research before you jump head first into something you know little about! :wink:
Plus, you don't need to jailbreak to get new ringtones, duh.

[pradley]

Thank you, CBR, that makes things very interesting. One question: after jailbreaking could I download a Word document onto the phone and edit it?

HondaMaker, since you apparently have some difficulty understanding what is written, I have not jailbroken and am right now doing research, duh. I am well aware that I can add ringtones without jailbreaking, as I have done it: I was referring to others (on this site and elsewhere) speaking of jailbreaking as a tool to play with icons and ringtones, which I mistakenly thought was a main reason to jailbreak. If I were "jumping" into this, I would already have jailbroken.

On another note, there was a discussion of web apps at the beginning of this thread, and whether anyone used them. I use them all the time: Google Maps and Reader, NYTimes, Espn, itranslate, Yelp, Around Me, and many others. One of the main reasons I wanted the iphone was the availability and usability of web apps. Google is pushing "cloud" computing (to a degree that I will not accept as of yet) and the iphone - and the new upcoming Palm Pre - make it easy to get into.

[Hondamaker]

HondaMaker, since you apparently have some difficulty understanding what is written, I have not jailbroken and am right now doing research, duh. I am well aware that I can add ringtones without jailbreaking, as I have done it: I was referring to others (on this site and elsewhere) speaking of jailbreaking as a tool to play with icons and ringtones, which I mistakenly thought was a main reason to jailbreak. If I were "jumping" into this, I would already have jailbroken.

You sounded like you werent aware as to how to make ringtones without jailbreaking. Be more specific. As for 'jumping into', I meant jumping into the discussion. Great, another **** joins the forum.

[pradley]

In my first post, I was clear: I wrote "from what I read" I would jailbreak mainly to install ringtones, etc... I was clearly mistaken and I admitted it. You, OTOH, are a ........ (others can fill in the blank, it's really very easy). And I did not "jump into" this discussion about the value of jailbreaking, I started it. I will not comment further.

[CBRfanatic]

hey guys lets get this back on track, if you want to bash it out do it through pm's and not somewhere where we have to sift through it all to actually read this thread.

[CBRfanatic]

Thank you, CBR, that makes things very interesting. One question: after jailbreaking could I download a Word document onto the phone and edit it?
i believe there is something like this, i remember from when i jailbroke before i was deployed. i forget the name tho, so you will have to ask around and or google it, i remember it was on Installer.app when jailbraking first got going, now that everything moved to Cydia i am getting used to the new ways...

[pradley]

If that's the case, then I must look into jailbreaking.

[CBRfanatic]

If that's the case, then I must look into jailbreaking.
you cant loose, if you do it and then decide you dont like it then you just do a restore through itunes and your phone is back to normal.
Make sure to get some good repositories for Cydia, makes it better.

and man your like a hawk on this thread, i had just posted and then my iPhone buzz's with a email saying you replied already, lol.

[wd_stroke]

All crackulous does is remove your "signature" from files you legally downloaded from the appstore. Anyone with a computer and winzipSorry but instructions on how to do this has been around for awhile now. It also mean I can save the files (backup) under itunes to both my laptop and desktop (or any other computer) without any issues.

[Squirtle]

All we need is flash and everyones happy. As for crackuluos it was bound to surface.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

All we need is flash and everyones happy.

Huh?! Speak for yourself. :smile:

[Ezekiel2517]

Huh?! Speak for yourself. :smile:
what else could you need? :tounge:

[drumthrasher109]

My view on this: whatever. Cracked apps and programs and stuff will never stop. Cracked apps were here before Crackulous, this just makes it easier, so whatever.

[pradley]

I want to thank those of you who responded to my queries about the value of jailbreaking. I have decided not to jailbreak. I have 31 third-party apps installed and set up the way I want (a most-used page, a games page, a reader's page, a find page). If I were to install jailbreak which, as you know, I must do each time a new os upgrade appears, I would have to reinstall all those apps manually and then put them back in the order I now have them. I don't want to go through that hassle. FYI, I do have copy and paste (in Text, and Magic Pad) though only in limited fashion, and a file transfer app (AirSharing): these are compromises but I do use them and they will do till Apple itself provides full versions.

[Napoleon_PhoneApart]

My view on this: whatever. Cracked apps and programs and stuff will never stop. Cracked apps were here before Crackulous, this just makes it easier, so whatever.

Well, I'm glad that it's just a matter of degree for you.

Murder and stuff will never stop. Murder was here before guns, this just makes it easier, so whatever. :smile:

[drumthrasher109]

I want to thank those of you who responded to my queries about the value of jailbreaking. I have decided not to jailbreak. I have 31 third-party apps installed and set up the way I want (a most-used page, a games page, a reader's page, a find page). If I were to install jailbreak which, as you know, I must do each time a new os upgrade appears, I would have to reinstall all those apps manually and then put them back in the order I now have them. I don't want to go through that hassle. FYI, I do have copy and paste (in Text, and Magic Pad) though only in limited fashion, and a file transfer app (AirSharing): these are compromises but I do use them and they will do till Apple itself provides full versions.

31 app store apps or jailbroken apps. If they are from the app store then when a new version comes out, just do an update instead of a restore. Nothing is gone.

[pradley]

It is my understanding that to install jailbreak I must restore the phone. Am I wrong? If I do a restore, everything is erased and the internal iphone data only is reinstalled, any 3rd party apps are not (all my apps are from the appstore). I won't lose any apps, I know that, but I will have to reinstall them all manually.

[drumthrasher109]

No, you don't have to do a restore. You can just upgrade right to an updated version. All your jailbroken apps will be removed.

[pradley]

The two sites on the installation of jailbreak that I looked at both stated that I had to do a restore. I then spoke to someone I know who has jailbroken iphones and he told me the same thing. Can you point me to a site that tells me I don't have to do a restore?

[drumthrasher109]

The two sites on the installation of jailbreak that I looked at both stated that I had to do a restore. I then spoke to someone I know who has jailbroken iphones and he told me the same thing. Can you point me to a site that tells me I don't have to do a restore?

I don't need to point you anywhere else but here.

All you have to do is open iTunes, click on "update" (to make sure you are on 2.2.1), and let it do it's thing. When it's done, just open QuickPwn 2.2.5 (for Mac or Windows) and follow the instructions. It's all very simple and doesn't require a restore (at all).

[fc97accord]

No, you don't have to do a restore. You can just upgrade right to an updated version. All your jailbroken apps will be removed.

You technically don't have to do a restore, but it is recommended to do a "restore as new" as the old jailbreak leaves behind some files that might not be compatible with the new!!
As for the apps you should be able to back those up syncing with itunes and re-sync once you are done.

[patrickj]

Yup, fresh restore is deffo the recommended way to prep for jailbreak.

[drumthrasher109]

I went from 2.2 to 2.2.1 without doing a restore and everything seems pretty fine. It's like upgrading from Vista with no service pack to SP1 :).

It did leave some files behind but they were pretty much useless afterwards so it doesn't harm anything.

[PartisanEntity]

I never restore and have so far not had any problems, just thought I would mention this.