> Obviously, allowing other engines can hurt their services division and that's why the alternatives use the provided WebKit on iOS as enforced by the ToS
This is almost certainly true now, but the rules predate their big services push. The main thing that prevents other browser engines is:
- Apps cannot run arbitrary code. So an emulator that bundles a fixed set of games is fine (providing the copyright is kosher), but an emulator that allows you to supply your own games is not. This of course also rules out executing JavaScript on web pages.
- iOS apps cannot mark memory as executable, i.e. no dynamic compilation. This alone would tank the performance of any competing engine even without the above restriction.
Lame rules, imo. I understand their origin, but it’s one of many things holding the platform back.
This is almost certainly true now, but the rules predate their big services push. The main thing that prevents other browser engines is:
- Apps cannot run arbitrary code. So an emulator that bundles a fixed set of games is fine (providing the copyright is kosher), but an emulator that allows you to supply your own games is not. This of course also rules out executing JavaScript on web pages.
- iOS apps cannot mark memory as executable, i.e. no dynamic compilation. This alone would tank the performance of any competing engine even without the above restriction.
Lame rules, imo. I understand their origin, but it’s one of many things holding the platform back.