Opinion: Third party copy-and-paste application for iPhone is flawed
There's a lot of buzz on the Internet at present about an open source bit of software called OpenClip, which is effectively cut-and-paste functionality that other developers can build into their applications to bring users closer to the feature many have been crying out for since the iPhone launched last year.
The trouble is, the system is flawed.
Leave aside the fact that it hasn't been sanctioned by Apple, and focus on the issue that it's only going to work with third party applications, and from developers who choose to implement it at that.
Bearing in mind the system has only just been released, none of the existing applications you can download from the official App Store will contain the code. This could be fixed by updates, presuming Apple lets such applications be amended in this way, but it could be a long wait.
According to reports, applications featuring OpenClip include American Heritage Dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus applications, an update of Twittelator, MagicPad, Wall Street Worlds, and others.
So, to reiterate, if it's not clear: no Safari, no Mail, no Contacts, no Notes - none of the iPhone's native applications will get it.
This means you'll either have to find a suite of third party applications that do include OpenClip to do these tasks for you, if C&P is that important to you (good luck finding email clients and web browsers), or go without.
Arguably, it's these applications - the mainstay of most iPhone users - which could really do with copy and paste the most. Until Apple decides to implement it (maybe in firmware version 2.1, maybe not) we're stuck without it.
Don't get me wrong. OperClip is a great concept, but a decent native function that works in Apple's own apps and can easily be built in to third party ones via the SDK is a far better solution.
I'll be waiting for that, thanks.
What do you think? Am I being too harsh on an independent developer's admirable attempt at fixing a missing function? Leave a comment below or in the iPhonic.tv Facebook group
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