James Gardiner has written a very interesting blog post dissecting and rebutting Steve Jobs’ recent open letter on why Apple will not support Flash on its devices (translation: attacking Adobe Flash where he can).

The full post: Apples attack on Adobe Flash, its all about online video. (via Slashdot)

James closes his article with:  ”In conclusion, as a developer who likes Flash, to tell the truth, I can respect the business decision by Steve to not allow Flash on their iTechnology platforms for good old competitive reasons. What is wrong here is that Apple is on a campaign of deception. They are not happy to not use flash, but are also producing FUD to displace Flash as a relevant web technology.”

I agree. In my view it’s all about the money, although James thinks it’s about the video. I think Mr. Jobs just does not want a platform that can be (and is) used for free games on his devices where he is currently making 30% off every game sold in his App Store. And that is fair and completely up to him, but just come out and say that, don’t piss on another company’s work and products to hide the fact that you like your revenue stream.
And for the record: as a developer I have rarely seen any company so closed, proprietary and revenue-focused as Apple. Apple is no longer “cool” (although they do make very “cool” products), it is just as much an “Evil Empire” as they say Microsoft, Google, Adobe or anyone else is. No biggie, it happens to every company at that level, but for God’s sake be honest about what you are.