TiPB Q&A: More on OpenClip's Shared Cut/Copy/Paste Framework

Following up on the earlier post about OpenClip, the new open-source framework for implementing a shared (i.e. cross-application) clipboard for the iPhone, the video above highlights developer Zac White's presentation at iPhoneDevCamp2. Not enough for you? Okay, TiPb had another chance to talk with the innovative folks at Proximi (makers of MagicPad, the original proof-of-concept for this functionality), who were kind enough to share a few more details with our readers.

Check out he Q&A after the break!

(Responses courtesy of Brian Radmin of Proximi fame)

TiPb: Hi Brian. Thanks for the heads-up on OpenClip. We have a few questions for you, but is there anything you'd like to start off with?

Brian: Hey Rene. To preface this, our sole intentions are to promote app-to-app copy / paste, not Proximi, Inc. While we made MagicPad and worked with Zac White to establish OpenClip.org, it is truly a collaborative effort with most of the credit being owed to him (Zac is a student developer at the University of Oklahoma).

Watching Cali Lewis' video, it looks like the OpenClip implementation UI is varying by application. (i.e., slide-up buttons for Twittelator, static buttons for Wordpress, and the existing pop-ups in MagicPad). Is this intentional, simply providing a Core-like service Apps can use as they wish, or are you eventually hoping to standardize the interface for usability, like the CMD/CTRL X/C/V conventions?

In our proposal for copy / paste / text-selection candidate (http://magicpad.proximi.com/video.php), we discussed the different types of applications and why we felt variation in UI experience was necessary.

Do you still see this effort as "proof-of-concept" pushing Apple towards implementing cut/copy/paste themselves (making you obsolete, as you mentioned last time), or are you now figuring it will take so long for something official to come down the pipe, you want to provide truly robust solution yourselves?

We are definitely hoping Apple makes OpenClip obsolete. True system-wide copy / paste is not possible without Apple. We just hope our efforts help speed the process along and provide additional utility to iPhone users in the meantime.

Finally, is auto-correction playing nicely with cut and paste yet? (Or is Gruber going to yell at us again =) )

We've taken a lot of time to implement auto-correction in MagicPad, and while we've had success with Roman character keyboards, non-Roman languages are not functioning properly. The lack of Apple's documentation on the auto-correction method is making it really difficult to integrate with our UI for text-selection. Trust me, we're trying, but Gruber will still be yelling at us... =)

Thanks Brian! Can't wait to see more OpenClip aware Apps. Also can't wait for Apple to get serious about implementing this (or whatever their ultimate take on the functionality ends up being) officially.