The enforced implementation of one of OS X Lion’s flagship features, sandboxing, has been delayed until March next year.
Apple had originally told developers that they must support sandboxing in their applications by this month if they wanted to continue to sell them on the Mac App Store.
Sandboxing is designed to prevent applications from damaging other files, folders and programs on a Mac by limiting access to them from within an app. For example, applications currently have access to every file on a Mac and so could, say if they become infected by malware, delete any file they want.
Sandboxing is designed to prevent this. There are problems with it, however. Because sandboxed apps have only limited access to files and other applications, the tasks an application can accomplish are significantly restricted.
Applications whose functions would be seriously impaired by sandboxing, as it is currently implemented, include FTP clients, back-up tools, iTunes add-ons, and shortcut utilities. Applications such as Transmit and TextExpander would not fulfil their core function if sandboxed.
DragThing developer, James Thomson told MacUser that: ‘As it stands, I don’t think I could make a version of DragThing that would be both useful and work in the sandbox.’ Thomson said that he thinks ‘ sandboxing is a great idea in principle, protecting users from malicious or badly written apps,’ but added that ‘in it’s current form, sandboxing could stifle a lot of creativity along with making users safer.’
Apple notified developers of the delay yesterday, but didn’t give a reason. As things stand, apps which don’t conform will be removed from the App Store in March.
