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GitHub Should Start an App Store

ankshilp.com

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Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#61

Post by Kalium »

villasv wrote: post #32

> They already host source code of millions of apps. Release integration should be trivial to implement. Release integration is trivial for anyone. It's the easiest and most irrelevant part of the app stores. > Unlike Google they actually listen to their users. They were awesome during youtube-dl debacle. And controversial on others, like shutting down Popcorn Time's repository. As any other, they'll listen if there'…

> Sure, lets pipe user feedback directly into GitHub issues. Good luck with that if you have a hundred issues a day.

Given the garbage-grade issues I have often seen from professional engineers, this sounds like a complete nightmare.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#62

Post by johnisgood »

It is almost like the author forgot that GitHub is owned by Microsoft (despite mentioning it, sigh).

"Tired of big tech censoring apps? Let's have big tech manage an app store, that'll solve it".

or

"Tired of one big tech censoring apps? Let's have another one, the one and only!".

Plus I am sure others have mentioned it by now but GitHub Issues for user feedback is going to suck big time.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#63

Post by krisgenre »

acct776 wrote: post #20
fbelzile wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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

Didn't Firefox recently announce they're discontinuing PWA features?

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#64

Post by GriffonWizard »

Here's a question:

Why do we even need app stores? Why can't we all get comfortable downloading from the Web on mobile like we are on the desktop?

The only benefit to them I see is discoverability, so instead of building "stores" why don't we build collections of applications from around the Web and display them in an app store-like interface. Developers can submit applications, they will show up in our "store" making them searchable and discoverable by users, and when users hit download it will take them to the developers Website to download and install an apk or whatever.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#66

Post by quaintdev »

Kalium wrote: post #61
villasv wrote: post #32

> They already host source code of millions of apps. Release integration should be trivial to implement. Release integration is trivial for anyone. It's the easiest and most irrelevant part of the app stores. > Unlike Google they actually listen to their users. They were awesome during youtube-dl debacle. And controversial on others, like shutting down Popcorn Time's repository. As any other, they'll listen if there'…

> Sure, lets pipe user feedback directly into GitHub issues. Good luck with that if you have a hundred issues a day. Given the garbage-grade issues I have often seen from professional engineers, this sounds like a complete nightmare.

I was definitely not expecting user feedback to go in as GitHub issues. I should have been more clear of what I was expecting.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#67

Post by quaintdev »

Author here, I am afraid my blog is hosted on a Raspberry PI and it might go down because of HN traffic. If that happens, the mirror of the post is at

https://telegra.ph/GitHub-Should-Start-An-App-Store-01-31

Did not expected this to blow up. Thanks for the critical feedback. You guys are tough crowd :)

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#68

Post by crocodiletears »

krisgenre wrote: post #63
acct776 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

>>The pendulum has shifted, and it's swinging towards PWA Didn't Firefox recently announce they're discontinuing PWA features?

Only for desktop, I think.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#69

Post by Irishsteve »

ROARosen wrote: post #57
villasv wrote: post #32

> They already host source code of millions of apps. Release integration should be trivial to implement. Release integration is trivial for anyone. It's the easiest and most irrelevant part of the app stores. > Unlike Google they actually listen to their users. They were awesome during youtube-dl debacle. And controversial on others, like shutting down Popcorn Time's repository. As any other, they'll listen if there'…

The funny thing about these "reasons" the article writes, is that it does not give any reason why GitHub would want to create such an app store. Most the reasons stated are basically what we will supposedly benefit. There is literally no reason from GitHub's point of view why they would be interested in creating such a product to begin with. Of course, there might be reasons form Microsoft to create an alternative to…

It would be interesting for GitHub because they have a large developer community who push to these app stores already, so they have the dev audience, just not the consumer.

They charge said developers a few dollars a month per seat. GitHub could somehow instead be taking a 0%-20% cut topline revenue from some of the apps they host.

Lots of work to make that happen the upside might make it worth while.

Re: GitHub Should Start an App Store

#70

Post by simias »

villasv wrote: post #32

> They already host source code of millions of apps. Release integration should be trivial to implement. Release integration is trivial for anyone. It's the easiest and most irrelevant part of the app stores. > Unlike Google they actually listen to their users. They were awesome during youtube-dl debacle. And controversial on others, like shutting down Popcorn Time's repository. As any other, they'll listen if there'…

>This is situational and opportunistic. It can change any day. In fact, managing an important app store is exactly one way to re-(un)-balance this relationship.

I agree. Sorting huge, multinational, publicly traded companies in friends and enemies list is so obviously bogus and immature that it baffles me that this is so prevalent.

Microsoft is not your enemy. It's not your friend (unless you're one of the shareholders). It's profit driven and amoral. They'll always line up with whatever they believe will maximize profits because that their entire reason for existing.

Apparently Microsoft decided that being more FLOSS friendly (after decades of trying to annihilate these projects, lest we forget) because they decided that it would favor them in the long run.

If they ever decide that they stand to make more profit by throwing the whole github ethos under the bus they will. A few people will make strongly worded blog posts that will reach the top of HN. A few employees might even quit and loudly slap the door on the way out. Then probably nothing will happen.

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