Apple has started accepting Mac apps for the Mac App Store. Developers can login and start submitting their applications for review. While that’s big news, there’s an even bigger problem going on right now— the giant free-for-all when it comes to naming your application.
Todd Ditchendorf, the developer of the famous Fluid application that lets you turn any webpage into a standalone application has had his application name yanked out from underneath him.
When you think of Fluid, what comes to mind? If it’s anything other than Todd’s application, I’d be surprised. So, here we are on the eve of the Mac App Store taking submissions, and people are already out there grabbing popluar names.
What’s the vetting process for this going to be? Clearly this might become a problem pretty quickly. How many applications out there have a unique name? It’s going to become increasing difficult to land your namesake now that the app boom is going on again. Unlike the iPhone, these apps aren’t being created from scratch. Some have been around for a long time, and re-branding is going to be pretty difficult for some.
I’m all for a Mac App Store, but Apple’s going to have to do something about these kinds of quirks. A lot of developers are probably finding themselves without proper representation on the Mac App Store tonight, and that’s not right.
When I search for Todd’s Fluid on the Mac App Store, what the heck is going to come up? It better not be a potty-humour application. I’ll be pretty pissed.
