8 ms·

Before Apple blessed us with it's ground breaking technology to restrict the software you are allowed to have on your own device we did just fine getting softwa

Before Apple blessed us with it's ground breaking technology to restrict the software you are allowed to have on your own device we did just fine getting software on our devices using a file system and the internet.

curiouser2 6y ago
Yeah what the hell is this person talking about? How do they think software was installed prior to Steam?
- n42 6y ago
  yeah! don’t they remember the glory days and freedom of choice to wait in a virtual line on GameSpy to download the bandwidth limited patch from version 1.4 to 1.5 only to realize they’re on 1.2 and there is no delta patch from 1.2 to 1.4 so they can either try again with the full upgrade for 1.x to 1.5 which is about 10x the download size or they can get each incremental patch from 1.2 to 1.3 to 1.4 to 1.5? come on. there’s a distinct value these app stores add and there is a distinct value in having one for the platform. the ONLY benefit to this future is Epic gets a larger slice. they will not “pass the benefit down” in some trickle down user freedom economy. they will shove more micro transactions and advertisements into every corner of their marketplace.
  - sheepdestroyer 6y ago
    Softwares can auto update and hide the process to the user without the need for a store.
  - spacebear 6y ago
    I would argue that removing the App Store as a single point of failure for free speech [1][2] would be a pretty big benefit. [1] https://torrentfreak.com/apple-bans-vpns-from-app-store-in-china-170729/ https://torrentfreak.com/apple-bans-vpns-from-app-store-in-c... [2] https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/pakistan-forced-down-ahmadiyya-apps https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/pakistan-forced...
    - lkschubert8 6y ago
      You have to realize that saying the app store is a single point of failure for free speech is hyperbolic.
    - xondono 6y ago
      How the hell do you get from "App Store" to "Freedom of Speech"?
- dubcanada 6y ago
  Going online to a download website and downloading what ever you want. There has always been "app stores" if it's tucows download or filehippo or gamespy or what not. Very few people google "simulation games" and scroll through the pages and pages of google results and go directly to a publishers website and download an exe that they run. There is and always has been a middleman.
dkonofalski 6y ago
You may have but the rest of the world did so with a lot of hand-wringing and a boatload of viruses, toolbars, malware, and everything else. As someone who has worked in IT and in tech support, I get and agree with what Apple has done.
- sheepdestroyer 6y ago
  App store are good, not argument. The inability of side loading beside the store is what is being critisized.
  - dkonofalski 6y ago
    That's literally a major reason why people buy Apple products, though. If you can't sideload things, there's literally no chance of your phone being compromised by those things.
    - ClumsyPilot 6y ago
      Thats like claiming Isaak newton was a great scientist because he stayed a virgin. People buy iPhones and tolerate lack of sideloading.
      - nxc18 6y ago
        If you’re going to make that claim, you’ll need to back it up with literally any evidence or even anecdote. I buy iPhone because it is basically the only reliable computer I own, and a single, reputable source of software is a big part of that. Not being extorted into installing Steam is a huge part of that. No, I didn’t _really_ have a choice to install Steam and I fucking hate it, thank you very much.
      - dkonofalski 6y ago
        What? That's a terrible analogy. I don't even understand what point you're trying to make. Those 2 things aren't related. A large percentage of iPhone users buy the device because there are less avenues for issues.
BrianGragg 6y ago
Do you remember the hardware that existed at the time, the GUI, the usability or non usability. There are two systems, IOS or Android. I really respect Apples rules and appreciate them. They stood their ground and prevented Cell Carriers from loading their phone with CRAP ware that is non-removable. Unlike android and any other flavor of phone OS that has existed. IOS when it came out was a true game changer. Its a very dominant player in the cell phone industry because of it.
- LegitShady 6y ago
  that has nothing to do with their abusive store policies, and abusive store policies aren't required for the above.
the_other 6y ago
My desktop is a device for making, exploring, working, tinkering, making mistakes, hoarding. My phone is a device that solves problems or unlocks doors (metaphorically) near-instantly. I’m tolerant to friction (some) on my “exploratory” device. I’m intolerant to friction on my pocket-tool. The latter must always just work or it is pointless. I’m happy to trade freedom for stability for that use case, and deeply frustrated to make that same trade for the other.
- kaba0 6y ago
  Few thing is not a tradeoff, but allowing sideloading is not one. (Or it is, to apple’s profits)
NationalPark 6y ago
Come on, we all remember what it was like going to Source Forge and trying to figure out which download button got you the malware you were actually trying to install. Don't pretend like that was a utopia.
- africanboy 6y ago
  honestly the worst moments of SF have nothing to do with app stores. with today's operating systems 99.99℅ of the malware of the past would be detected before being downloaded. truth is vulnerabilities are still being discovered and exploited, even with the app stores https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-fixes-another-three-ios-zero-days-exploited-in-the-wild/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-fixes-another-three-ios-...

curiouser2 6y ago

Yeah what the hell is this person talking about? How do they think software was installed prior to Steam?

n42 6y ago
yeah! don’t they remember the glory days and freedom of choice to wait in a virtual line on GameSpy to download the bandwidth limited patch from version 1.4 to 1.5 only to realize they’re on 1.2 and there is no delta patch from 1.2 to 1.4 so they can either try again with the full upgrade for 1.x to 1.5 which is about 10x the download size or they can get each incremental patch from 1.2 to 1.3 to 1.4 to 1.5? come on. there’s a distinct value these app stores add and there is a distinct value in having one for the platform. the ONLY benefit to this future is Epic gets a larger slice. they will not “pass the benefit down” in some trickle down user freedom economy. they will shove more micro transactions and advertisements into every corner of their marketplace.
- sheepdestroyer 6y ago
  Softwares can auto update and hide the process to the user without the need for a store.
- spacebear 6y ago
  I would argue that removing the App Store as a single point of failure for free speech [1][2] would be a pretty big benefit. [1] https://torrentfreak.com/apple-bans-vpns-from-app-store-in-china-170729/ https://torrentfreak.com/apple-bans-vpns-from-app-store-in-c... [2] https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/pakistan-forced-down-ahmadiyya-apps https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/meghara/pakistan-forced...
  - lkschubert8 6y ago
    You have to realize that saying the app store is a single point of failure for free speech is hyperbolic.
  - xondono 6y ago
    How the hell do you get from "App Store" to "Freedom of Speech"?
dubcanada 6y ago
Going online to a download website and downloading what ever you want. There has always been "app stores" if it's tucows download or filehippo or gamespy or what not. Very few people google "simulation games" and scroll through the pages and pages of google results and go directly to a publishers website and download an exe that they run. There is and always has been a middleman.

dkonofalski 6y ago

You may have but the rest of the world did so with a lot of hand-wringing and a boatload of viruses, toolbars, malware, and everything else. As someone who has worked in IT and in tech support, I get and agree with what Apple has done.

sheepdestroyer 6y ago
App store are good, not argument. The inability of side loading beside the store is what is being critisized.
- dkonofalski 6y ago
  That's literally a major reason why people buy Apple products, though. If you can't sideload things, there's literally no chance of your phone being compromised by those things.
  - ClumsyPilot 6y ago
    Thats like claiming Isaak newton was a great scientist because he stayed a virgin. People buy iPhones and tolerate lack of sideloading.
    - nxc18 6y ago
      If you’re going to make that claim, you’ll need to back it up with literally any evidence or even anecdote. I buy iPhone because it is basically the only reliable computer I own, and a single, reputable source of software is a big part of that. Not being extorted into installing Steam is a huge part of that. No, I didn’t _really_ have a choice to install Steam and I fucking hate it, thank you very much.
    - dkonofalski 6y ago
      What? That's a terrible analogy. I don't even understand what point you're trying to make. Those 2 things aren't related. A large percentage of iPhone users buy the device because there are less avenues for issues.

BrianGragg 6y ago

Do you remember the hardware that existed at the time, the GUI, the usability or non usability. There are two systems, IOS or Android. I really respect Apples rules and appreciate them. They stood their ground and prevented Cell Carriers from loading their phone with CRAP ware that is non-removable. Unlike android and any other flavor of phone OS that has existed. IOS when it came out was a true game changer. Its a very dominant player in the cell phone industry because of it.

LegitShady 6y ago
that has nothing to do with their abusive store policies, and abusive store policies aren't required for the above.

the_other 6y ago

My desktop is a device for making, exploring, working, tinkering, making mistakes, hoarding. My phone is a device that solves problems or unlocks doors (metaphorically) near-instantly. I’m tolerant to friction (some) on my “exploratory” device. I’m intolerant to friction on my pocket-tool. The latter must always just work or it is pointless. I’m happy to trade freedom for stability for that use case, and deeply frustrated to make that same trade for the other.

kaba0 6y ago
Few thing is not a tradeoff, but allowing sideloading is not one. (Or it is, to apple’s profits)

NationalPark 6y ago

Come on, we all remember what it was like going to Source Forge and trying to figure out which download button got you the malware you were actually trying to install. Don't pretend like that was a utopia.

africanboy 6y ago
honestly the worst moments of SF have nothing to do with app stores. with today's operating systems 99.99℅ of the malware of the past would be detected before being downloaded. truth is vulnerabilities are still being discovered and exploited, even with the app stores https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-fixes-another-three-ios-zero-days-exploited-in-the-wild/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-fixes-another-three-ios-...