GitHub Should Start an App Store • Hacker News Board

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#11

Post by rvz » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:40 PM UTC

> They already host source code of millions of apps. Release integration should be trivial to implement.

So that it too can become an Apple / Google App Store where it can also control which apps, repositories are allowed or not? Essentially you're moving to another centralised platform, but the reason is because they 'listen to their users'? No thanks and no deal.

Hosting an app repository on your own website is fine and already decentralised. So far, Cydia and F-Droid are doing it right with being a potential alternative App Store.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#12

Post by fbelzile » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:40 PM UTC

Pfhreak wrote: post #4

Sounds like a great way to create incentives that undermine githubs mission while simultaneously taking a huge amount of developer resources for a product that will have niche interest at best. Building app stores is hard. Moderating app stores is hard. Both are significantly different from running GitHub. While I appreciate the author's intent here, this just doesn't feel like it was deeply thought out.

I don't know though, Microsoft already runs multiple app stores (Xbox & Windows, Edge). I don't see why they couldn't build it out for another platform or at least figure out some kind of arms-reach integration with Github -> Microsoft Store.

This could be a nice come back into the mobile sphere they lost out on. As a developer, I completely agree that Microsoft earned my trust over the years.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#13

Post by jhasse » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:41 PM UTC

0df8dkdf wrote: post #3

Hmmm the main issue is not an App Store. It is rather how Android is packaged. There is F-Droid type of store out there, it is just that it is not in the play store. As for iOS there really no proper way to install except jailbreaking any way. The bottom we don't need another App Store, rather a FOSS distribution of OS for Android (e.g: https://www.replicant.us/about.php ) that kind like the Debian distro for desktop…

Darwin is only the kernel. iOS is closed-source.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#14

Post by jberryman » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:41 PM UTC

I'm not sure what my point is here exactly, but: debian has had an "app store" for 20+ years that works brilliantly, can be trusted not to fuck with or spy on you, has never pulled youtube-dl/nmap/etc (as far as I know), (while also being naturally free of forum software for white supremacists (bonus!))

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#15

Post by mjoin » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:42 PM UTC

Pfhreak wrote: post #4

Sounds like a great way to create incentives that undermine githubs mission while simultaneously taking a huge amount of developer resources for a product that will have niche interest at best. Building app stores is hard. Moderating app stores is hard. Both are significantly different from running GitHub. While I appreciate the author's intent here, this just doesn't feel like it was deeply thought out.

GitHub has been expending its services, diverging from its original intent (e.g. remote visual studio code).

I disagree. I think providing that a way to distribute applications through GitHub, with builds certified as coming from the original authors, would be beneficial.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#16

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:43 PM UTC

Pfhreak wrote: post #4

Sounds like a great way to create incentives that undermine githubs mission while simultaneously taking a huge amount of developer resources for a product that will have niche interest at best. Building app stores is hard. Moderating app stores is hard. Both are significantly different from running GitHub. While I appreciate the author's intent here, this just doesn't feel like it was deeply thought out.

[deleted]

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#17

Post by notsureaboutpg » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:45 PM UTC

garrepi wrote: post #9

> Unlike Google they actually listen to their users. They were awesome during youtube-dl debacle. I wouldn't say they were "awesome" during the youtube-dl stuff. They were slow to respond and non-transparent about what was happening behind the scenes. Also, user's have been calling for GitHub to terminate their contract with ICE for a long time now[0] to no avail. GitHub is better than most, no doubt, when it comes t…

GitHub won't terminate any contract with ICE now that they are owned by Microsoft, who has a ton of government and military contracts

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#18

Post by WhoIsSatoshi » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:45 PM UTC

I am totally behind that. The Ethos of the platform and the visibility it has are priming it for acceptance and its own market. When Open Source crystallizes around it, this could be the spark to break the duopoly of the mobile platforms (by framing a hypothetical future alternative), AND provide Desktop OS's an Ethos-First platform for releases, where the developers would want to be on their best behavior from the get-go.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#19

Post by mojuba » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:45 PM UTC

Pfhreak wrote: post #4

Sounds like a great way to create incentives that undermine githubs mission while simultaneously taking a huge amount of developer resources for a product that will have niche interest at best. Building app stores is hard. Moderating app stores is hard. Both are significantly different from running GitHub. While I appreciate the author's intent here, this just doesn't feel like it was deeply thought out.

Agreed, I doubt GitHub will do this but you know what, anyone could start an App Store linked to GitHub (or GitX, or all of them, doesn't matter).

This has been tried in the past - Freshmeat, SourceForge, but that was a different era and also none of them tried to upgrade and modernize. So now there seems to be a niche opening for this in 2021.

Make an App Store platform everyone would love to be on. Get developers on board by giving them first 2 years for free, then a moderate membership fee. Take a reasonable cut from IAP's against providing customer support for the payments/chargebacks/fraud. Just make it awesome, reliable and fair.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#20

Post by acct776 » Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 4:45 PM UTC

fbelzile wrote: post #12

Pfhreak wrote: post #4

Sounds like a great way to create incentives that undermine githubs mission while simultaneously taking a huge amount of developer resources for a product that will have niche interest at best. Building app stores is hard. Moderating app stores is hard. Both are significantly different from running GitHub. While I appreciate the author's intent here, this just doesn't feel like it was deeply thought out.

I don't know though, Microsoft already runs multiple app stores (Xbox & Windows, Edge). I don't see why they couldn't build it out for another platform or at least figure out some kind of arms-reach integration with Github -> Microsoft Store. This could be a nice come back into the mobile sphere they lost out on. As a developer, I completely agree that Microsoft earned my trust over the years.

There's pushback on another app store from Microsoft because nobody wants more walled gardens.

The pendulum has shifted, and it's swinging towards PWA.

Per Microsoft, Outlook is now a progressive web app.

App stores are dying - they're just going to take a bit to timeout.