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Branding does matter, but friction would be extremely rough. Windows is ironically an extremely open system. All users are very used to doing what other platfo
by georgyo 6y ago
Branding does matter, but friction would be extremely rough.
Windows is ironically an extremely open system. All users are very used to doing what other platforms would call side loading. And all apps on windows have developed their own methods for receiving updates.
The Microsoft store for windows is pretty sad. Not because the interface sucks, at least not more so than google or apple ones, but because there isn't a real incentive for developers or users to use it.
Searching for a ssh client on the windows store shows ZERO free options, and all of them look worse than PuTTY. They are in the windows store strictly for visibility; which is a good use of an app store. But without the major players who don't need the limited visibility of that store, they users won't think to look there for their needs as well.
If Microsoft rebranded their app store the Github app store, Or made some easy pipeline for github actions to publish to their store; there would be a fair amount of people yelling "Embrace, Extend, Extinguish" as well as fearing that microsoft is using the good will of GitHub to get to a similar world of the closed gardens of the others.
Lastly, Microsoft has not done so well in the mobile phone markets. Creating an android store similar to F-Droid would be a hard sell and limited appeal. Google very likely won't let you install the windows app store from the google app store. Apple will never allow a competitor on their platform _at all_ unless legally required.
I don't see how a GitHub app store could succeed.
- benibela 6y agoI have plans to put my Windows apps in the Microsoft store, because I have heard it is cheaper than getting a code signing certificate which would be renewed yearly But I switched to Linux, so I could not use any of the Microsoft tooling. Unless the store deployment can run on WINE?
- Kwpolska 6y agoYou should set up a Windows VM. Not only for the store tooling, but also to have a way to test your software on the platform you’re offering it on.
- pier25 6y ago> but because there isn't a real incentive for developers or users to use it Not true. It solves app distribution, install, and updates. We used it for an education app a couple of years ago and it was great. Before that we used Electron with Squirrel and it was horrible for our users. For some reason the app wasn't installed in the start menu and if they deleted the desktop shortcut it was impossible for them to find it again.
- ocdtrekkie 6y agoSidebar: It's incredible that Microsoft itself now uses Electron with Squirrel for apps like GitHub Desktop and Microsoft Teams: It violates every notion of how Windows apps are supposed to be installed, wrecks havoc with enterprise application security policies, and is just the sort of aggressively irritating silent updating garbage that makes Microsoft's primary users, businesses, irritated as heck.
- rk06 6y agoGithub desktop and microsoft teams are meant to be cross platform, not windows only. Teams is a competitor of Slack, so going windows only would be stupid. And among all other options, right now using electron is the most popular for cross platform apps. moreover, it also allows teams to have a single version for web and desktop
- ocdtrekkie 6y agoSure, but the way the installer works has a lot in common with how malware works on Windows machines: Most IT protections are going to block it, so making Teams work in the workplace requires poking a lot of security holes.
- pier25 6y agoThey could have simply used a different shell for Windows. Heck, they could have simply used Electron without Squirrel and distribute it through the Windows store.