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FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

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Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#181

Post by martin1975 »

jonas21 wrote: post #35
Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #3

This is outrageous. Google definitely lived long enough to become a villain. It is incredible how much goodwill they've lost in the past decade. When was the last time they did anything good ?

> When was the last time they did anything good? Oh I dunno... how about that time they solved protein folding? https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-03348-4

that's great. Whom has been impacted by this and how, in more detail? I would say Google Maps is far more impactful and good than any protein folding....

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#182

Post by heavyset_go »

deanclatworthy wrote: post #179
heavyset_go wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Just wait 5-10 years and it will probably be the same way on Windows and MacOS. They will argue that installing arbitrary, unvetted software through the web is dangerous, so it's only reasonable for Microsoft and Apple to make this very difficult and instead promote installing all software through their app stores Apple already does this on macOS. macOS treats all un-Notarized apps as if they're radioactive, and le…

> Every Mac based on the M1 chipset and above will not run unsigned binaries, either. So this is different to Intel macs? You can’t just go to security and privacy and “allow”?

Yes, it's different. You can read more about it here[1]. There's no option to run unsigned binaries on M1 Macs on macOS.

[1] http://www.rahulgaitonde.org/blog/2020/11/12/apple-m1-and-th...

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#183

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

scrollaway wrote: post #177
Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The world changing resource is OpenStreetMap. Google Maps is just an asset to better track users. As for YouTube, it is technically marvellous, but since they started censoring and silencing one side of a political spectrum, YT turned into a propaganda machine, no less.

I love OSM but without Google Maps it would not exist. It’s just not all black and white.

Actually, OSM was launched before Google Maps, in August 2004, while Google Maps were launched only in February 2005, six months later.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#184

Post by WhyNotHugo »

ThePhysicist wrote: post #113

Just wait 5-10 years and it will probably be the same way on Windows and MacOS. They will argue that installing arbitrary, unvetted software through the web is dangerous, so it's only reasonable for Microsoft and Apple to make this very difficult and instead promote installing all software through their app stores (which they already start doing). Once software is primarily distributed via these stores they will also…

10 years sounds like a stretch.

Windows recently started blocking torrenting software due to being “malware”. Coincidence that it’s the main distribution mechanism for Linux distribution’s installation media?

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#185

Post by dylan604 »

proactivesvcs wrote: post #139
ThePhysicist wrote: post #113

Just wait 5-10 years and it will probably be the same way on Windows and MacOS. They will argue that installing arbitrary, unvetted software through the web is dangerous, so it's only reasonable for Microsoft and Apple to make this very difficult and instead promote installing all software through their app stores (which they already start doing). Once software is primarily distributed via these stores they will also…

Microsoft are already inferring that arbitrary software is dangerous - SmartScreen's behaviour for unsigned code works against FOSS because a project (or person) has to pony up money to pay for a certificate.

maybe this is something that can be part of a give/take relationship. allow for FOSS to be part of the signing/notrization software as long as the FOSS is truly not-for-profit (no free software for install, but doesn't work without lots of in-app purchases, ads, etc). At least offer FOSS software devs a lower cost entry for dev accounts??

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#186

Post by WhyNotHugo »

leereeves wrote: post #136
ineedasername wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah-- I thought SteamOS was mostly dead, sitting on a shelf "just in case". I was wrong, and it now appears that Valve is sending the message "we're ready to do this thing at any time". Steam has something like 100 million+ active monthly users. Certainly some are casual and wouldn't make the switch, but that's a lot of home desktop market share to lose even if only half made the switch initially, and there'd be a h…

That's why Microsoft won't do this. Steam users have a big investment in games on Steam, and are quite likely to switch to SteamOS, even if not every game works perfectly, rather than buying all those games again. And that would create a big Linux customer base that game studios and hardware makers would develop for, threatening Microsoft's monopoly on the desktop.

Amazing that Steam, so controversial for pushing it’s locked ecosystem at the time, is now the one pushing Linux gaming forward and a driving force _away_ from windows.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#187

Post by Andrew_nenakhov »

mattnewton wrote: post #178
ineedasername wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah-- I thought SteamOS was mostly dead, sitting on a shelf "just in case". I was wrong, and it now appears that Valve is sending the message "we're ready to do this thing at any time". Steam has something like 100 million+ active monthly users. Certainly some are casual and wouldn't make the switch, but that's a lot of home desktop market share to lose even if only half made the switch initially, and there'd be a h…

Anecdotally, but my windows machine's sole purpose is to run steam games (and associated utilities around it like discord that all seem to either be web apps, wrapped in electron or chrome). The only thing keeping me from installing Linux for everything is poor proton support on a handful of games.

The only thing that keeps me on Windows is that because CheatEngine doesn't work on Linux. I like playing around with it to enhance my gaming experience (usually to boost enemies in late stages of CK2 / EU4).

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#188

Post by ineedasername »

tinus_hn wrote: post #158
ineedasername wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I could see that on Windows Home Edition, but I don't know how they would make that work for Enterprise Edition. I don't see companies like SAS or Oracle and many others being willing to pay a Microsoft tax to distribute client software or desktop apps for their products. Or IBM for applications like SPSS. SaaS may end up eating a lot of that sort of thing, and web clients would help mitigate the requirements, but I…

If you had any idea of the amount of money companies are already spending on Microsoft licenses.. the cost of a signing certificate really is just a drop in the bucket. The only issue companies have with getting their apps signed is managing the certificates.

The issue is the revenue cut MS wants for sales through their app store and companies losing near total control over the distribution of their software.

Yes, getting their software into the MS store would be easy. Revenue and control aren't things they'd want to give up. Even if they simply raised their prices, at some point they'd say, "Hey, we can distribute this on Linux instead and keep the 5/10/30% cut MS is taking." (See Fortnite as an early example)

Even if they gave up no revenue, what company would say "Sure!" to MS saying, "Would you mind giving us tons of control over your software distribution?" I don't see what the companies would have to gain on that.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#189

Post by blacklight »

I have said it many times already: stop uploading your apps to the Play Store.

It's a shitty product developed by a shitty company.

It takes a mandatory 30% share of all of your payments for offering you a shitty service with no human support.

It has opaque and inconsistent removal practices completely managed by algorithms, and violating any of the many unwritten rules can result in the output of your hard work disappearing overnight, and what's worse is that often there's no human to validate these decisions and the reasons for removal aren't

F-Droid is the way to go if you build FOSS apps. Real humans are behind he keyboard to validate your app and answer your questions, the store sits completely outside of the money cycle, your source code is protected by the right licenses, and apps don't get banned just for linking a URL to their website.

Re: FOSS app removed from the Play Store for linking to the project's website

#190

Post by WhyNotHugo »

eugeniub wrote: post #134
m4rtink wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The possibility of OS vendors forcing users to only install software from their walled gardens is the reason Valve started to support Linux, created their own Linux distro (Steam OS, now based on Arch Linux) and ultimately why Steam Deck was built. IIRC the main trigger was Windows 8 that back then had a strong push to only use Windows Store to install software. Valve could not conceivably continue doing business if…

I'm happy with what Valve is doing now, but as a whole, the fact that Steam OS is a Linux distro doesn't necessarily mean that Steam OS / Steam Deck won't become locked down in the same manner in the future. Android itself is open source and Linux-based.

They have no reason to lock it down.

While competition focuses on locking down, DRM, anti-piracy, etc, Valve just focuses on selling in-game hats.

In more seriousness: They also have good synergy with the Linux ecosystem, and locking out kind ends up working both ways.

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