OpenClip Gets Closed

• Author: admin
• Filed under: Tech News
• Date: Aug 26,2008

A few days ago I wrote about OpenClip, a framework which was designed to allow applications to perform copy-and-paste, something that has been missing (but really, really desired) from the iPhone.

Developer Zac White found a way to create a shared clipboard, which could then be used between applications. Well, it appears that iPhone firmware 2.1 is closing that loophole, so while copy-and-paste could stil work within a single application, the ability to do so between applications will no longer exist.

As OpenClip says on their site:

Yes, it’s true. I mentioned before that this was definitely a possibility, but I don’t believe it is an inevitability. But anyway, lets define breaking:

Apps that use OpenClip will no longer be able to copy and paste between applications. However, applications can still utilize a persistent way to store data inside the application, meaning that copy and paste within the app will still work fine. And on top of that, apps that utilize only one form (either copy or paste) can disable interface elements when Apple axes OpenClip.

However, even though apple is killing the concept behind the current OpenClip, that doesn’t mean we can’t change the concept. A shared clipboard could be stored in an Address Book card or even on a remote server. Those solutions aren’t as good as the OpenClip implementation, but they aren’t bad.

White also debunked any thoughts that Apple is doing this on purpose, saying:

… some seem to think that Apple is squashing OpenClip specifically. I don’t really believe this to be the case. Even though I debuted to concept before the newest beta was release, I’m sure Apple had been planning to kill this kind of thing for a while.

Perhaps 2.1 will contain native copy/paste functionality anyway, so this would have been superfluous. Or, perhaps not. I’m genuinely hoping Apple is looking at only one item: 3G connectivity (yes, it’s my high horse).