Steve Jobs’sWWDC announcementthat there will be a “ new way tocreate applications for the iPhone ” via the Safari browser app engine let down some Mac developers who were hope for the power to design native apps . But there ’s also similar reaction from another quartern : mobile developers and other experts who concenter on the fluid - machine world .

“ World Wide Web - base apps are coolheaded for a mountain of things . But what people were looking forward to was to to let them germinate aboriginal practical software , ” said Anthony Meadow , president ofBear River Associates , an ISV for mobile applications

Without aboriginal entree to facilities , you do n’t have computer storage or share-out of information between applications , or meter reading and publish from savoir-faire book and iCal . “ There is not any loose way to do that with a Web - based program , ” said Meadow .

Overall , Meadow was not impressed , although he admitted it is really not very readable what Apple signify . But , he sum up , “ If they do n’t intend to have access , they should just tell us . ”

Ken Dulaney , the elderly mobile analyst with Gartner enjoin Apple ’s Web 2.0 root is probable to be similar to what RIM does now .

“ It avoid have to put code down on the twist , ” Says Dulaney , which in twist protect it from crashing due to outside influence .

On RIM devices , the software is rendered on the server side , and the cache in the internet browser reformats it and push it down to the gimmick .

“ The code is only resident in short on the equipment , ” Dulaney articulate .

like technology is also used by gimmick manufacturers using roving Linux from MontaVista .

Now resident on ten-spot of millions of electric cell phones , the MontaVista design uses a “ computing equal ” design , Linux on the server and on the telephone set , giving developer the flexibleness of partitioning an software on the client side and waiter side . An ISV can put a heavy incumbrance on the phone or a light one , says Jim Ready , CTO and founder ofMontaVista .

“ Linux on the phone is every number as up to as Linux on the waiter , ” tell Ready .

Certainly this supports similar statement from Jobs about Safari on the desktop and Safari on the iPhone .

However , like Meadow at Bear River , Ready has some reservations about the future capabilities or the richness of applications operate on the iPhone .

When applications are developed alone using an “ abstract ” development environment that does n’t talk to the lower level of the equipment , such as the hardware and middleware , there is a dividing line in term of the capabilities of the app .

“ Take video framing rate . The cause you back out of an abstracted environment is because you devote for the abstraction in performance . It is a tradeoff , ” enunciate Ready .

And not only for execution — developer also need to compose native applications that get down nearer to get at the computer hardware and the middleware for size and dominance reasons , as well , although Meadow does n’t see access to hardware as a major problem . “ There is a fistful of people that handle about write to the chip . It is perchance utilitarian for really gamey performance vivid number one wood and low level networking code , ” he says .

So where does that result gamers and concern users whose need for rich web app might be elusive on the iPhone ?

Unfortunately , until the full storey is know , it is tough to tell what the software restriction of the iPhone will be . for sure , if Apple desire the twist to be a great fluid play organization for use by millions of road warrior during those farsighted waits at the airport , it will have to address the exit of how to get developer to save program native to both the hardware and middleware .

In business as well , electric cell phones are currently being used with customized software , such as bar code and RFID reader .

“ You ca n’t do that with a internet browser user interface , ” tell Jerry Panagrossi , vice present of U.S. Operations for Symbian . “ You need something more in - deepness that can talk to IBM or Oracle middleware using native genus Apis for a rich experience . ”

Jim Ready at MontaVista sums it up when he articulate keeping the development environment as simple as possible will alleviate the prominent amount of app . As far as the capableness of those app Ready says , “ There are limit , but sometimes it ’s o.k. that there are limits . ”

[ Ephraim Schwartz is editor at enceinte atInfoWorld . ]