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Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

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Re: Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

#11
post #7
post #5

It is result #1 for me when I search. Is this because today is the first day Firefox has been available on the Windows Store and it took some time to build reputation?

Might be region based. Screenshot has euros. I'm also in the EU and Firefox is definitely not the first result for me either. Are you maybe in the US?

Its top result for me too in US.

Re: Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

#12
post #8

As an user, I look at the search results to evaluate the quality of an app store. Microsoft needs to change this problem. Many trash and scam apps are on Microsoft Store for years. User and even developer do not want to download and push their apps in a place like this.

App stores should just have sections curated by humans with reason (and also the wilderness - as a separate section).

Re: Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

#16
Firefox is the first result for me on Windows 11. Seems like store search isn't solved properly anywhere because a query for 'macos' on the App Store shows macOS Monterey as 15th under loads of spammy stuff. Even 'Kaka' is above it! :) https://twitter.com/iBoostUp/status/1457728087525789699

Re: Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

#17
post #8

As an user, I look at the search results to evaluate the quality of an app store. Microsoft needs to change this problem. Many trash and scam apps are on Microsoft Store for years. User and even developer do not want to download and push their apps in a place like this.

App stores should just have sections curated by humans with reason (and also the wilderness - as a separate section).

I agree, though I might even go further?

My controversial take (as someone who ran a very popular software market for a decade myself, which notably didn't do what I am saying, though was effectively handicapped in its search for other reasons): they simply shouldn't have search or discovery of their own, as it is going to be some opportunity for the moral equivalent of a TOCTUO "parser differential" security issue that leads to malware.

If a user goes to Firefox's website and thinks they want to install Firefox, they shouldn't then go to an App Store to search for it and hope they find the same product: it should be essentially forced by the flow that users use direct links--which the user could get from any process, including offline mechanisms--to specific and individual products to install software, rather than assuming the store's search is of high enough quality to help the user not get phished.

But at least only having the somewhat-manually-browsed sections with highly-curated content (to be clear, in the UI as lists from the store developer, not the ability to install things on the device at all or even potentially from the store: you can have content that people can install that isn't in your curated lists) makes it very difficult to use the store itself to phish people.

Re: Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

#18
On the other hand, iOS App Store shows and ad for Chrome, then the Firefox app, then every other browser. Not much related to your actual search term "Firefox" related other than Firefox Focus and Firefox Lockwise mixed in further down the results

Re: Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

#19
post #8

As an user, I look at the search results to evaluate the quality of an app store. Microsoft needs to change this problem. Many trash and scam apps are on Microsoft Store for years. User and even developer do not want to download and push their apps in a place like this.

It's fucking sad. This is exactly how the MS Store looked 10 years ago when Windows 8 came out. How has it not changed at all? These assholes don't seem to have a clue why nobody wants to use their store. Maybe someone at Microsoft should actually try using their products. The poor employees have buggy shit dogfooded to them all the time, while I bet all the C-levels and other execs have Apple shit for work and home.

Re: Firefox is the 45th result when searching for “Firefox” on Windows Store

#20
post #8

As an user, I look at the search results to evaluate the quality of an app store. Microsoft needs to change this problem. Many trash and scam apps are on Microsoft Store for years. User and even developer do not want to download and push their apps in a place like this.

It's seriously embarrassing and terrible. Anybody who uploads a $4.99 "Firefox user guide" to the Microsoft Store should be banned for life before the app even hits prod. Microsoft should require a sufficient barrier to entry so these "developers" can be proactively identified and expelled before they have an opportunity to clog the Store with their detritus.

App store cruft like this is one of the most mind-numbingly frustrating things and I tend to avoid mainstream app stores altogether because of it. There's just too many people in one place, and too many parasitic bad actors sucking the lifeblood out of everybody they can reach.

The worst part is that an app store has the potential to be such a boon for a platform. But these people ruin it. Tragedy of the commons at work, even though it's a company's walled garden and isn't the commons at all! How could they let this happen?!

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