Stanford offers Apple iPhone course
p2pnet news view | Mobiles:- “cs193P – iPhone Application Programming – Marcos/Doll – TTh 12:50-2:05 – Packard 101″
It’s from a Stanford syllabus. The university is unabashedly offering iPhone programming.
But no surprises, really. Stanford —- one of America’s most prestigious universities —- is, after all, Apple-land, enjoying a warm and cozy relationship with the company.
It admitted doing a deal which, “in effect turned the university into an Apple iTunes promotional outfit,” said p2pnet in 2006, going on »»»
“Not only is it foisting iTunes, a hard-core commercial product, onto students, it’s bragging about it, even publicly linking its name to the product in a url,” p2pnet posted. “And were that not enough, its alumni association will tout the ’service’ during its annual reunion homecoming weekend …”
Now, “No need to pay the $31,200 tuition,” says Forbes. “No need to live on campus. No need even to be a student.
“The nearly 500 tracks that constitute ‘Stanford on iTunes’ are available to anyone willing to spend the few minutes it takes to download them from the Internet.
“While a number of other universities are now using iTunes to distribute class-specific content to their students, including Duke University, Drexel University’s School of Education and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Stanford is the first to make a substantial amount of recorded university events available to the public at large.”
Sharing courses online? Great idea.
But why didn’t Stanford, and Drexel et al, get other schools involved, working with them to develop a p2p application they could then have proudly and collaboratively distributed around the world?
Be that as it may, the new Stanford course, “will likely be taught by one (or more) of the same Apple employees that teach a Cocoa Programming course on campus,” says The Unofficial Apple Weblog, also noting, “Apple and Stanford have shared a close relationship”.
But, “Whether or not that gets them around the NDA restrictions probably will require a lawyer to understand and explain.“
In another post, TUAW explains »»»
On July 11, the iPhone SDK emerged from beta sparkling with dew. Trumpets sounded and a few frolicking nymphs danced in joy. The dawn shone bright, the sky offered the blue promise of a new day. And there in the meadow of newly released products stood a mass of grumpy developers shouting: ‘What about the *@!$%ing NDA?’
For the happy blue release fairy had granted the developers’ wishes but had neglected one teeny tiny detail: the restrictive, regressive NDA still ruled over iPhone-land from its dark menacing tower in far-off Cupertino. The hard-working developers could not bring forth their coding jewels from the mines of iPhone Mordor. Instead, they labored under the cruel chains of confidential information and non-specific release clauses. Moreover, their inability to talk freely with one another about their challenges and successes hampered the advancement of the platform.
Now you know. 
.
.Stumble It!
New York Times – Stanford U joins Apple sales, November 5, 2005
p2pnet - Stanford, Apple love-in, January 25, 2008
The Unofficial Apple Weblog -Stanford to offer iPhone programming course, July 23, 2008
TUAW -TUAW Memewatch: iPhone developers irked over still-active NDA, July 23, 2008
, August xx, 2008
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August 15th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
how sad