Twitter Moves to Shut Out Outside Apps

Twitter is calling on developers to stop designing apps that let users tweet without using the firm’s own software. Shockingly, developers aren't too thrilled. Most consider the move an effort to seize more of the revenue pie, the BBC notes; one developer slammed the suggestion as “appalling.” Twitter’s chief coder said it was seeking a more “consistent” means of accessing the growing site.

Writing on Twitter’s software development discussion board, Ryan Sarver said current developers of such apps could maintain them, but newcomers shouldn’t create Twitter-accessing software. Twitter will grow stricter about enforcing the policy, he noted. “We need to ensure users can interact with Twitter the same way everywhere,” he said, warning of the confusion the client software could create. That leaves developers “walking on eggshells,” said one commenter. Another gave a summary of Sarver’s post: “Thanks for getting so many people interested in Twitter. Now get lost.”