Washington Post Story on iPhone Hacking

Jailbreak hits the mainstream media with Mike Musgrove’s report in The Washington Post:

The work that Mac programmers and hobbyists are doing here relies on a new class of underground applications designed for the iPhone called “jailbreak” programs. These unlock the file system and give brave users access to parts of the phone’s inner workings that Apple went through some trouble to rope off.

“Underground” is a little over-the-top. “Unsanctioned”, yes, but it’s hard to see something as “underground” when it’s available for the entire world to download, like Lights Off or MobileTerminal.

Last week, an unauthorized game, called Lights Off, was released for the iPhone’s operating system.

What’s with the passive voice there? I wouldn’t write that “an article was written for The Washington Post”; I’d write that Mike Musgrove wrote it. Why not give credit to Lucas Newman and Adam Betts? Passive voice isn’t just weak writing, it’s disrespectful.

★ Monday, 20 August 2007