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FWIW, I completely got your point. The Android ecosystem is horrible for this kind of thing. There are roughly 200,000 varieties of calculator apps. Why? Th

FWIW, I completely got your point. The Android ecosystem is horrible for this kind of thing. There are roughly 200,000 varieties of calculator apps. Why? There should be some criteria to help consumers avoid poorly supported simplistic clones that are often just filled with adware.

jabbany 4y ago
Ratings were supposed to be the criteria but we all know how well that worked...
drekipus 4y ago
Is there? If 200,000 calculator apps all fulfill your need, what is the problem? Just use one, and if it doesn't, use another. Use the stock one if you want, or ask some friends what they use. I agree rating systems are not an effective measure, and can be gamed, however.
- randallsquared 4y ago
  There's something to be said for knowing you're using the best available app for something. Obviously, if that means keeping better apps out of the pool, that's a failure. However, one near-guarantee with 200,000 calculator apps is that whatever app you are using is suboptimal: you are definitely not using the one that would work best for your use cases, flow, comfort, or whatever. For some people, none of that matters. For others, the FOMO wears on them.
- hedora 4y ago
  Most of them probably don't fulfill my needs. They're likely stuffed with ads and spyware, have numberic precision issues, are missing functions I need, are subscription-based etc. These days, I just use F-Droid for this sort of thing.
  - 8note 4y ago
    For a calculator, using a ti emulator for with the ti-89 software is a great time
Marsymars 4y ago
Yeah… I’m a relatively sophisticated consumer, and the state of the Play Store means that if I’m looking for any app to “do a thing” (as opposed to an official app for a company), it’s effectively impossible for me to get that app only via my phone. I have to wait until I’m at a desktop with a big screen and mouse/keyboard where I can efficiently browse through reddit comments and GitHub repositories to figure out what’s worthwhile, what’s junk, and what’s spam.
- nine_k 4y ago
  But that's a problem with Play Store curation, which must not necessary involve rejecting apps. Much like with spam, marking can be enough.
evandale 4y ago
> There should be some criteria Aren't ratings and reviews good enough?
- david_allison 4y ago
  Ratings and reviews are localised. I see different ratings and reviews than you.
cycomanic 4y ago
So I just did a quick search on the web for calculator app on the apple store (I don't own an iPhone) and for thr first one I found (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calculator/id458535809 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calculator/id458535809) the same developer already has 3-4 other calculator apps and I see a couple of other calculator suggestions). So there might not be 200,000 calculator apps on the app store but maybe some 100s (?). After maybe 10 or 20 the number doesn't really make a difference any does it? You will not look at them all to see how good they are, it's a function of how well the review/star system works. And yes that is a mess on the play store (is it better on the app store?) A side note, a calculator that tracks my location, and other privat identifiers (see link above) and still charges $5?!

jabbany 4y ago

Ratings were supposed to be the criteria but we all know how well that worked...

drekipus 4y ago

Is there? If 200,000 calculator apps all fulfill your need, what is the problem? Just use one, and if it doesn't, use another. Use the stock one if you want, or ask some friends what they use. I agree rating systems are not an effective measure, and can be gamed, however.

randallsquared 4y ago
There's something to be said for knowing you're using the best available app for something. Obviously, if that means keeping better apps out of the pool, that's a failure. However, one near-guarantee with 200,000 calculator apps is that whatever app you are using is suboptimal: you are definitely not using the one that would work best for your use cases, flow, comfort, or whatever. For some people, none of that matters. For others, the FOMO wears on them.
hedora 4y ago
Most of them probably don't fulfill my needs. They're likely stuffed with ads and spyware, have numberic precision issues, are missing functions I need, are subscription-based etc. These days, I just use F-Droid for this sort of thing.
- 8note 4y ago
  For a calculator, using a ti emulator for with the ti-89 software is a great time

Marsymars 4y ago

Yeah… I’m a relatively sophisticated consumer, and the state of the Play Store means that if I’m looking for any app to “do a thing” (as opposed to an official app for a company), it’s effectively impossible for me to get that app only via my phone. I have to wait until I’m at a desktop with a big screen and mouse/keyboard where I can efficiently browse through reddit comments and GitHub repositories to figure out what’s worthwhile, what’s junk, and what’s spam.

nine_k 4y ago
But that's a problem with Play Store curation, which must not necessary involve rejecting apps. Much like with spam, marking can be enough.

evandale 4y ago

> There should be some criteria Aren't ratings and reviews good enough?

david_allison 4y ago
Ratings and reviews are localised. I see different ratings and reviews than you.

cycomanic 4y ago

So I just did a quick search on the web for calculator app on the apple store (I don't own an iPhone) and for thr first one I found (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calculator/id458535809 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/calculator/id458535809) the same developer already has 3-4 other calculator apps and I see a couple of other calculator suggestions). So there might not be 200,000 calculator apps on the app store but maybe some 100s (?). After maybe 10 or 20 the number doesn't really make a difference any does it? You will not look at them all to see how good they are, it's a function of how well the review/star system works. And yes that is a mess on the play store (is it better on the app store?) A side note, a calculator that tracks my location, and other privat identifiers (see link above) and still charges $5?!