Okay, so it wasn't just the usual grousing. Developer sentiment regarding Apple's changes to the Developer Connection this week remains "icky." When we use the word "icky," of course, we are using it as the scientific term comprising equal parts anger, loathing, and incredulity. MacCentral has the data to support this conclusion in a special report. Among MacCentral's respondents, opinions ran 8 to 1 against the recent changes to the system. Most respondents were reportedly "very angry," and several apparently intimated that they were leaving the platform altogether.

Perhaps most telling of all is the fact that the words "sucks" and "stupid" occurred repeatedly in the data set. Given that the test group consisted of professional and amateur software developers, and not a Beavis & Butthead fan club (though we admit the overlap could potentially be fairly high), we think it's safe to say that emotions are running pretty strong. The issues that concern developers the most are: that the new pricing structure hurts smaller developers and students who can't necessarily pay the higher fees; that hardware discounts now only apply to people who can shell out $3500 for the highest tier of the program, and those people are probably the ones who need the discounts the least; and that this is just one more example of how poorly and/or indifferently Apple has been treating its developer base, which is its life's blood.

In the interests of scientific rigor, MacCentral has also posted Apple's response to the developers' complaints, which consists largely of praise for the new structure by several larger development houses like Dantz and Casady & Greene. Of course, these companies praise aspects of the program like better international support and an improved web site-- they don't address cost issues at all. While we love to see Apple making money, doing so at the expense of the developer base seems more than a little shortsighted. The world watches and waits for Apple's next move...

Meanwhile, Apple's trying really hard to weather out the storm until the Worldwide Developer Conference next month. While the natives grow more restless with each passing day, Apple is attempting to smooth over the increasingly-bumpy relationship with its programmers by insisting that its currently-murky software strategy will be revealed in detail at the WWDC. A press release claims that over the course of WWDC's five days, Steve Jobs and gang will shed light on all manner of Apple technologies, including WebObjects, ColorSync, Applescript, Quicktime, Rhapsody, and of course the Mac OS.

AtAT will not be attending the shindig that starts on May 11th for a number of reasons, including the facts that 1) we have no way to get to San Jose, 2) we're not developers, and 3) there's no way on earth we could afford to shell out the $1045 attendance fee. (The new developer program costs aren't the only indication that you have to be rich to be a Mac developer these days.) And while Steve Jobs states that "this is a meeting developers won't want to miss," we're a little concerned that the event's high cost, coupled with recent Apple moves that have proven to be very unpopular with the developer community, will lead to a pretty sparse turnout.

After years of lukewarm developer relations, the recent Quicktime licensing ruckus-- followed closely by higher developer support costs and reduced benefits-- may well be enough to make a considerable number of Mac programmers start thinking very seriously about leaving the platform. After all, as my crazy uncle Remo always said, "too many kicks in the head can make anybody tired." And our personal advice to Apple is that a small teaser press release telling developers that all will be revealed at WWDC is not necessarily going to help matters, especially given the fact that the Mac development community should probably have been told Apple's software strategy a long, long time ago. Here's hoping that thirty more days isn't too long to patch things up.

For the most part, Microsoft knows how to pick its battles. Given the beating they took in the courtroom in the continuing Redmond Justice case (which, as of yet, hasn't affected their business one iota, but still), they're now trying to shift the arena of the conflict from the court to the minds of the public. Their new national print advertising campaign tries to state that the central issue of the whole affair is whether or not Microsoft has the right to innovate. (While we suppress a collective giggle, you might want to read the details over at CNET.)

It's a great strategy, of course-- Microsoft has a proven history of being able to get the American public at large to swallow whatever they spoonfeed them. One need look no farther than the dominance of Windows to see that. So since the courts aren't buying the specious arguments, why not twist the case's focus from "anticompetitive marketing practices" to "freedom to innovate" and let the court of public opinion decide? Shades of "a courageous move, taking on that formidable pro-crack lobby" and "all babies should eat!" (Bonus points to viewers who correctly identify either or both semi-obscure references.)

And of course, the AtAT Ironic Statement of the Week Award goes to Microsoft chief operating officer Bob Herbold, who states: "Some of our competitors have been working to hobble competition." Er, just who's on trial for antitrust violations, here, Bob?