Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#571

Post by bitL » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:33 AM UTC

popeathlete wrote: post #553

throwaway140820 wrote: post #543

Apologies for the extreme swearing that ensues. Wow, I would have hoped for better support from the HN community. Instead there are apologists after apologists. So what if Epic is big. Really, seriously shouldn't we have had alternative app stores available form the official ones. Why is this even a point of debate? All the time we hear stories of people one of our own getting fucked by these app stores and their lor…

Epic is no better. Trading one owner for another makes no difference in the best case. It's either free and open source and user-focused or nothing.

It's like with politics - you vote for the polarizing person that would eat the other ones so that there can't be a lasting consensus disadvantaging some group permanently. Politicians need to be at each other's throats and never sure about anything to minimize the damage they would do otherwise.

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#572

Post by throwaway6000 » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:34 AM UTC

wmichelin wrote: post #547

throwaway140820 wrote: post #543

Apologies for the extreme swearing that ensues. Wow, I would have hoped for better support from the HN community. Instead there are apologists after apologists. So what if Epic is big. Really, seriously shouldn't we have had alternative app stores available form the official ones. Why is this even a point of debate? All the time we hear stories of people one of our own getting fucked by these app stores and their lor…

I'm right with you. This is much worse than what Microsoft got in trouble for many years ago. They know what they're doing in wrong and I sure hope Epic gets their day in court. It's predatory and anti-consumer. Apple can eat shit.

Fortnite for Android just got axed from the Google Play Store too https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/13/fortnite-android-google-ki...

Oops! Apple Bad, Google Good? ;)

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#573

Post by etchalon » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:35 AM UTC

throwaway140820 wrote: post #568

msh wrote: post #562

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does epic single out two platforms and not also sue Microsoft (Xbox), Sony and Nintendo. Seems like double standards to me.

Can we please have a precedent set, once that starts I am confident other walled gardens will come down too. Also gaming consoles are not an essential part of life, at least not in my country where people usually can't afford to indulge in those luxuries.

Android sort of proves that walled gardens won't come down.

And Epic's lawsuit(s!) aren't about brining those gardens down.

They're about Epic, and other developers, getting absolute control over their place in that garden.

They don't care that the walled garden exists.

They're just angry about the cost of the manure.

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#574

Post by gpm » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:37 AM UTC

msh wrote: post #562

throwaway140820 wrote: post #543

Apologies for the extreme swearing that ensues. Wow, I would have hoped for better support from the HN community. Instead there are apologists after apologists. So what if Epic is big. Really, seriously shouldn't we have had alternative app stores available form the official ones. Why is this even a point of debate? All the time we hear stories of people one of our own getting fucked by these app stores and their lor…

Why does epic single out two platforms and not also sue Microsoft (Xbox), Sony and Nintendo. Seems like double standards to me.

Because those are the platforms they have standing on I assume. Did Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo perform similar anti-competitive actions against Epic Games? They can't sue just because they have an illegal policy, they also need to have been "personally" (as a company) affected by it.

They also have limited amounts of money, and lawsuits are expensive. Better to get precedent established first before suing everyone else (I'm actually surprised that they picked two fights because of this).

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#575

Post by jacobsenscott » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:40 AM UTC

throwaway140820 wrote: post #543

Apologies for the extreme swearing that ensues. Wow, I would have hoped for better support from the HN community. Instead there are apologists after apologists. So what if Epic is big. Really, seriously shouldn't we have had alternative app stores available form the official ones. Why is this even a point of debate? All the time we hear stories of people one of our own getting fucked by these app stores and their lor…

I truly believe apple pays people to comb through HN and down vote any comment critical of apple. The simple fact is that apple has done more than any other company in the history of computing to quash the freedom to control your own computing devices.

It is impossible to fight apple in the way we fought microsoft years ago - by building out a good opensource ecosystem. The entire reason for the app store is to stop that from happening.

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#576

Post by selimthegrim » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:40 AM UTC

crobertsbmw wrote: post #559

Can we wave the Havel at Amazon too? I feel like they are more predatory and anti-consumer than Apple is. They take at least 30% bu the time you consider that you are practically forced to buy their ads, FBA, deal with (amazon’s) counterfeits etc.

Havel is too peaceful for the matter at hand :p

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#577

Post by Abishek_Muthian » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:41 AM UTC

I'm all in for the support of 3rd party Appstores like FDroid on iOS and its inevitable to not compare Android ecosystem support for that.

But, situation is not that comfy with ChromeOS. If we need to side-load an .apk, we have to enable developer mode (which means powerwash) thereby Google explicitly making it an Anti-feature.

Interestingly, android 10 on mobile allows direct install/update from FDroid making it no different from Playstore. Now why this double stand when it comes to side-loading android apps in ChromeOS vs Android? The obvious statement would regarding security and that's exactly what Apple uses to prevent side-loading apps.

Now coming back to Apple, it has been allowing side-loading .ipa onto iOS devices(Although not as easy as in android) and it has also removed the need for $99 developer license which was needed earlier to side-load .ipa!

So, the line between android vs iOS w.r.t side-loading apps is getting thinner at least w.r.t ChromeOS.

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#578

Post by dannyw » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:43 AM UTC

throwaway6000 wrote: post #572

wmichelin wrote: post #547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm right with you. This is much worse than what Microsoft got in trouble for many years ago. They know what they're doing in wrong and I sure hope Epic gets their day in court. It's predatory and anti-consumer. Apple can eat shit.

Fortnite for Android just got axed from the Google Play Store too https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/13/fortnite-android-google-ki... Oops! Apple Bad, Google Good? ;)

Google Bad, Apple Worse.

At least you can get other app stores on Android.

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#579

Post by submeta » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:44 AM UTC

throwaway140820 wrote: post #543

Apologies for the extreme swearing that ensues. Wow, I would have hoped for better support from the HN community. Instead there are apologists after apologists. So what if Epic is big. Really, seriously shouldn't we have had alternative app stores available form the official ones. Why is this even a point of debate? All the time we hear stories of people one of our own getting fucked by these app stores and their lor…

> Wow, I would have hoped for better support from the HN community. Instead there are apologists after apologists.

I am wondering if Apple pays a battery of social media / marketing guys to influence the discussions in their favor.

Now let the downvotes begin.

Re: Apple just kicked Fortnite off the App Store

#580

Post by raxxorrax » Fri, Aug 14, 2020, 4:44 AM UTC

throwaway6000 wrote: post #549

throwaway140820 wrote: post #543

Apologies for the extreme swearing that ensues. Wow, I would have hoped for better support from the HN community. Instead there are apologists after apologists. So what if Epic is big. Really, seriously shouldn't we have had alternative app stores available form the official ones. Why is this even a point of debate? All the time we hear stories of people one of our own getting fucked by these app stores and their lor…

1. Apple establishes rules that EVERY app publisher follows for YEARS. 2. Fortnite doesn't follow rule. 3. Apple kicks Fortnite out of the App store. What were they expecting?

The comment is expecting you to have an opinion or some kind of comment on the practices that determines accessibility to software.

I will start: Are software stores and locked down environments really a good idea, when conflicts like this determine what kind of software you can install on your devices? Without a comment on who is in the "right" here, I will just use a clear 'no'.