Apple NDA too probitive for iPhone developers?

The iPhone development community has seen large growth since the introduction of the SDK. The App Store has seen many great third party applications released but developers are now starting to run into problems while trying to to innovate new functions. All developers who download the iPhone SDK are required to agree to a NDA that does not allow developers to discuss code on forums or through email. This means that if a developer is unsure of how to code a certain function then they have no where to look for assistance.

Developers have become quite vocal about their frustrations, one developer, Justin Williams, even started a site as a way to showcase his fellow developers' frustration with Apple. He did not figure the site would see many visitors and only last about a week, but ever since it was found it has been commented on and linked to through Twitter.

Brian Dear of Eventful has praised Apple for the tools they have provided but feels as though he would be capable of more without the NDA. "We want the developer community to be a lot like the open source developing community where you can help and talk to one another about the best way to do things," Dear says. Dear even claims that a certain user interface enhancement for his project needed to be dropped simply because no one on his team could figure out how to implement it.

Dear also urges "Apple to transition from its current position to one of supporting and encouraging a thriving, open developer ecosystem for the iPhone." He believes that opening up the NDA would allow developers to create much more expansive, feature filled and bug free apps.