4 ms·

Just in time to pave the way for App Store only installs on OS X.

• cookiecaper 16y ago
  It's kind of disappointing overall, because package management has always been the solution to this kind of problem. You tell users "never install anything you don't find in the repo", but now it seems somehow tainted. I guess maybe it's that nobody cares about it until Apple can make 30% of your software's retail price through it. I'm glad that systems are finally getting the same kind of package management that we have enjoyed on Linux for well over a decade, but it's a serious bummer that it has to come with such scammy-feeling commercialistic trappings before it can be brought to the masses. It's hard to put my finger on the feeling exactly.
  • endgame 16y ago
    Is it the feeling that it won't be easy (if it's possible at all) to get Free Software on these systems?
  • blantonl 16y ago
    You advocated and disparaged the App Store concept, and then you railed against capitalism. Regardless of how you perceive the App Store concept, you cannot deny that it works, and it works well. Frankly, what's wrong with a package management system that charges consumers and pays commissions to the host?
    • drivebyacct2 16y ago
      You're missing the point. The App Store is not a package management system. In Ubuntu, I never, ever install one-off DEBs. Every single piece of software is installed through a repo. I'm able to trust that software and I don't let other apps get root privileges unless I grant them and know what's going on. The Apple App Store is not a package management system. It's a store. Developers have to relinquish control and money to have their apps listed there. Thus, many apps must still be installed manually. It's not an open ecosystem and it's not really fair to compare them. Synaptic and trusted repositories saves me from malware because there is no reason not to use them. There are many reasons not to use Apple's.
  • Tichy 15y ago
    "but now it seems somehow tainted" Except for iOS, usually you can still optionally install software in another way, or even create your own repository (Linux packages, Android markets). So the "tainted" bit is the totalitarian aspect of it.
• lukifer 16y ago
  I don't think they'll ever do this (too many dev and education customers would be alienated), but if they do, I'll finally switch to Linux.
  • rbanffy 16y ago
    Keep in mind that if your browser tells you to install something, it's advisable to say "no". And, most of the time, Linux uses an app store. We just call it Synaptic.
    • pyre 15y ago
      I wasn't aware that installs on Ubuntu where restricted to Synaptic. It's not really the idea of an 'app store' that people don't like. It's the removal of freedoms.
      • rbanffy 15y ago
        They are not. It's just that Synaptic (and that other newer thing I keep forgetting the name) is so convenient it's been a while synce I last had to manually install something.
  • orangecat 16y ago
    Apple has never let backwards compatibility constrain them. 10.6 is Intel-only, Rosetta is gone in 10.7. I won't be surprised at all if 10.8 heavily deprecates non-app-store apps and 10.9/11.0/iOS Desktop prevents them altogether. As far as developers are concerned, they'll be welcome to purchase Mac Pros at their usual insane markup. if they do, I'll finally switch to Linux Ditto, and Apple won't care one bit about losing us.