Paul Haddad on the Tweetbot Beta for Mac
A lot of our Tweetbot for Mac Alpha users have worried about what’s going to happen to them now that the Alpha has been pulled. A few folks have suggested that we release a new version but without the ability to add any new accounts, we thought it was a good idea and have done that.
You can grab the Tweetbot for Mac Beta here. It’s important to realize that with this build you can’t add or reauthorize any accounts. If you delete an account or de-authorize an existing account you will not be able to add it again until the final version comes out.
Apparently the new Twitter API is already damaging developers around the world. After having to pull the Alpha to avoid reaching their user cap too soon, Tapbots has released a new version of its client.
This was a necessary move in order to keep the development open to the public without allowing new users in. The new “beta” can be used only by users who had already requested their token during the alpha stage. New users will be sent straight to Tapbots’ website where they will learn that for them the doors are closed.
This is a very weird situation, because the API is already giving headaches to developers before being enforced for real. I can only imagine the disaster that will come after.
It’s really a pity because Twitter is a great platform with incredible potentials, but I’m worried that it could end up by being like Facebook: full of noise and not with interesting content.
The App.net model now seems really a good alternative to keep contents in users’ hands, where it really belongs.