Scheme is also dead on the iPhone
Developers have been up in a storm about Apple's recent changes to the the Developer Agreement that came along with iPhone OS 4.0. I am directly affected by this change because I recently wrote a 3d game for the iPhone, Farmageddon, completely in Gambit Scheme.
I'm sure you've read the related section, but for completeness, here it is:
"3.3.1 … Applications must be originally written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript as executed by the iPhone OS WebKit engine, and only code written in C, C++, and Objective-C may compile and directly link against the Documented APIs (e.g., Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited)."
Gambit Scheme compiles to portable C, so there's no problem running it on the iPhone. Many of my blog posts have been discussing the advantages of writing iPhone games in Gambit and how I have solved problems of debugging and rapid development.
Developing Farmageddon in Scheme was an experience I'll never forget. I had access to a Gambit Scheme REPL from my running application, either on the simulator or the device itself. This means that, in combination with Emacs, I was able to develop my game in real-time. Literally. I was able to write code and immediately send it to my running 3d game. It was incredible, and I have a youtube video to prove it.
To top it off, after experiencing such enlightened development practices, I get to publish my game to one of the most popular and accessible markets alive.
But not anymore. Apple made it extremely clear that they don't want any of this going on. Many of you have asked me about what this means for Scheme on the iPhone.
The answer is short: it's dead. Just like MonoTouch. Just like any other transformer or compiler for the iPhone.
I'm not the first to say it, but this is really disturbing. Throughout my experience developing Farmageddon, I've been realizing that this is what programming is all about. We shouldn't be thinking within the bounds of our current tools; we should be wondering how we can use our tools to construct new tools that serve us better. Apple's recent changes forbid this kind of thinking.
These recent changes might be an attempt to do two things: one, control the quality and behavior of iPhone apps, and two, discourage "meta platforms" where a single application can run on several platforms. But the implications of the changes, whether Apple knows it or not, goes much deeper than that, and games are a perfect example.
Games are inherently multi-platform, at least more so than UI-heavy programs. You don't need to hook into any of the iPhone's UI to write an iPhone game. I probably only call 5 Objective-C methods in my game. All a game needs is a 3d context. So, firstly, the quality of games won't change at all, and secondly, it's relatively easy to port a game from the iPhone to a different platform. The only thing they are restricting is using better, more productive tools to create games. And for a company as large and powerful as Apple, that is really scary.
Basically, I am sad that Apple is restricting developers' creativity. I understand that it is beneficial for Apple from the business perspective, but as the owner of the largest and most powerful mobile sector, Apple should be careful what the do with that responsibility. The have a powerful influence on the future of computing; lets pray they start doing a better job.
Update: I am trying to call Apple to get a comment on this. So far I've only been able to find their PR department, and I left a message on their voicemail as a journalist inquiring for comments about section 3.3.1 of the Developer Agreement. I will let you know if I get a call back.
Update #2: Thanks for all the encouragement and interest in my article. I am trying to start a business around Scheme, and I need to make as much money as I can from my game. I am not planning on pulling my game yet, but I'm considering it. I hope that you want to support my work by buying my game while it's available! I think you'll find it quite fun.
(please discuss this article over at reddit)