This strikes me as a reasonable policy on the part of Apple. Plus, I’m highly amused by the prospect of iPhones turning into rutabagas.

I asked [Apple marketing honcho Greg Joswiak] about independent, native software development for the iPhone. He said Apple doesn’t oppose native application development, which was new to me. Rather, Apple takes a neutral stance – they’re not going to stop anyone from writing apps, and they’re not going to maliciously design software updates to break the native apps, but they’re not going to care if their software updates accidentally break the native apps either. He very carefully left the door open to a further change in this policy, too, saying that Apple is always re-examining its perspective on these sorts of things.
…
So to summarize: Apple will neither forbid nor support native code on the iPhone/Touch. They will not design software updates specifically to break native apps, but if the updates happen to break native apps or your native apps turn your iPhone into a rutabaga, don’t go crying to Apple, ’cause it ain’t their problem.

Heh.

I’m not doing any hacking with my iPhone at present, but I might be interested in doing that once it’s easier and safer to do, particularly since Apple isn’t hostile to it. Most of all, I want a @!#% task application on my iPhone. (Seriously, iCal has tasks, so why aren’t those ported to the iPhone?!?) Paul and I have been using web-based Ta-da Lists for out-on-the-town tasks. So if I have various stuff I need to do while at Boulder, I just add them to my “@Boulder” list before I leave the house. I’d rather have my full task list on my iPhone, but that’s workable.

Paul and I also now use Ta-da to keep a single integrated online grocery list, rather than random scraps of paper around the kitchen. That way, if Paul happens to stop by the store for something for himself, he can just check the Ta-da “Groceries” list to see if I also need anything — and vice versa. Since I’m cooking regularly again, my shopping lists can get long, so it’s important that the Ta-da list (unlike a plain old e-mail list) allows the shopper to check off items as they go into the cart. The only drawback is that the web access can be rather slow on Edge. Still, it’s way better than the old paper-based method.

However, maybe it’s time for me to see if any better options are available, since I found Ta-da right after the iPhone was released. Suggestions are welcome, if you have them!