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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

#221

Post by petschge »

grishka wrote: post #193
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…

Desktop OSes can't be fully locked down for the simple reason that people use them for programming and thus need to run unsigned arbitrary code.

Now introducing Windows 12 Developer edition. Dark mode is enabled by default, Visual Studio comes preinstalled and it is $5000 a year. Cheap to a professional developer and keeps the masses from running their own code.

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

#222

Post by grishka »

petschge wrote: post #221
grishka wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Desktop OSes can't be fully locked down for the simple reason that people use them for programming and thus need to run unsigned arbitrary code.

Now introducing Windows 12 Developer edition. Dark mode is enabled by default, Visual Studio comes preinstalled and it is $5000 a year. Cheap to a professional developer and keeps the masses from running their own code.

Coming to a torrent tracker near you for free an hour after release.

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

#223

Post by totony »

grawprog wrote: post #214
jcranberry wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This may also be relevant to those wishing to switch. In the part of the FAQ concerning using your own account to login. >However, you may want to be careful as Google retains full rights to block any account under their Google Play Terms of Service §4 (opens new window), because using Aurora Store clearly violates their terms of services. Being banned means that the very Google account you used to sign in with will…

>attempt to, or assist, authorize or encourage others to circumvent, disable or defeat any of the security features or components that protect, obfuscate or otherwise restrict access to any Content or Google Play. Am I reading this correctly in that, this seems to me like just telling people about something like Aurora is against the terms of services and can get you banned whether you use it or not? As in, even the…

Used to be that all tos were "subjects to change." ToS are mostly just random words anyways

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

#224

Post by ineedasername »

WhyNotHugo wrote: post #186
leereeves wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes, I remember the debates about truly owning a game when you bought a physical copy vs buying it on Steam. I avoided Steam for that exact reason, but then the market for games that never had a physical distro exploded, and even many/most physical games moved to a physical disk but one-time activation codes.

Once I realized there was little benefit to physical purchases anymore and the hassle of reinstalling games when I got a new machine I made the switch. But with GOG around I at least still get to mostly own the games available through them.

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

#225

Post by ProtoAES256 »

kyrra wrote: post #218
nousermane wrote: post #111

Another example of arbitrary playstore rules killing a FOSS app - playstore version of termux is stuck on a 2-year-old release (0.101) and can't run on Android 10 at all. If you install from F-Droid - latest version is available (0.117) and works on Android 10, too. https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/1072 https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Termux_Google_Play

Googler opinions are my own. I know nothing about the space. At least skimming the termux issue here is that it was done for SELinux policy changes in trying to improve security of application running on Android. Is that correct? Then the app store is trying to enforce this newer policy via forced API upgrades. As you said, you can at least still side load if you would like?

Yes, but if only the system doesn't pop up the Play Protect button every few install, and words that discourage users instead of educating users about sideloading apps. Then I'll consider sideloading on par with installing from the Play store.

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

#226

Post by petschge »

grishka wrote: post #222
petschge wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now introducing Windows 12 Developer edition. Dark mode is enabled by default, Visual Studio comes preinstalled and it is $5000 a year. Cheap to a professional developer and keeps the masses from running their own code.

Coming to a torrent tracker near you for free an hour after release.

This is not to stop the people who can download from a torrent (without getting sued into oblivion for copyright violations) and know how to install an OS. It's to stop the other 99%. In some sense having an option for that 1% is a good idea, because it reduced their interest to break the "protections" in the Home edition that the majority uses.

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

#227

Post by stonogo »

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

An academic tour de force of little practical benefit, because of insufficient openness from the AF2 team. For nuance, see https://moalquraishi.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/alphafold2-cas...

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

#228

Post by crowbahr »

nousermane wrote: post #111

Another example of arbitrary playstore rules killing a FOSS app - playstore version of termux is stuck on a 2-year-old release (0.101) and can't run on Android 10 at all. If you install from F-Droid - latest version is available (0.117) and works on Android 10, too. https://github.com/termux/termux-app/issues/1072 https://wiki.termux.com/wiki/Termux_Google_Play

I'm running termux on Android 11. Ran it on 10. All installed from Google play.

I'm not saying there aren't issues. I'm just saying that you can install and run from gplay.

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

#229

Post by quixoticelixer- »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #173
scrollaway wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, google does awful shit every day but it's worth remembering that Maps, Search and YouTube are world-changing resources. All three have their problems (especially that third one) but they have done an incredible amount of Good in the world and they continue to do so every day.

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.

What side of the political spectrum did they silence?

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

#230

Post by jlund-molfese »

BelenusMordred wrote: post #24
squarefoot wrote: post #18

Tell Google how you feel about that by searching "google app store alternatives", then installing Aurora Store. https://auroraoss.com/ https://gitlab.com/AuroraOSS From the Aurora Store FAQ: What is the difference between Aurora Store and Google's Play store? Unlike Google's Play Store, Aurora Store doesn't track your downloads or the apps you use. We respect your privacy. Aurora Store is also unaffected by Google ma…

Always amuses me when using google to search for f-droid . Google will always insist you meant android and show you those results instead, which of course is the play store version if it exists.

I can reproduce this by searching for “Snapchat fdroid,” but not “Snapchat f-droid.”

“Snapchat hdroid” also suggests “Snapchat Android” though, so it doesn’t seem targeted against f-droid specifically

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