The real reason why MS wants open-source applications on their app store is pretty obvious. Windows users are already almost all open-source users, and one maj

The real reason why MS wants open-source applications on their app store is pretty obvious. Windows users are already almost all open-source users, and one major reason for the app-store to exist is so that Windows users can get their software from a trusted source. If you're on a Windows machine, do a quick count of the open-source applications you have installed. Open-source is a juggernaut on the Windows platform. MS knows this very well. They have problems getting users to use their free software (e.g. Internet Explorer) that comes installed on every copy of Windows instead of something that's open source! Of course, while free software does greatly enhance the value users can get out of Windows, it is also a big security problem. For every awesome open source application there is a shady malware reflection, and users sometimes have problems telling the difference. Malware is a big reason why Windows gets flak for not being secure. Enter the MS App store. The only way to sell users on the idea of getting all their software from the app store is for the free software they use to be there waiting for them. That means even the competition must be there. Yes, you can expect Chrome and Firefox to be on the MS App store. Security isn't the only benefit of locking users into an app store though. The platform "unification" MS seems to be striving towards could also benefit from features the app store could have. e.g. Centrally managed install-bases for all your computers. Install VLC on your office computer and it winds up on your mobile and home computer too. Get a new computer? One click (or less) and everything you installed from the app store on your old machine could be waiting for you on the new machine. Of course, Apple has shown that managing an App store is not without its difficulties. Slow review processes irk developers, and malicious software can still slip through. Can MS do better? Only time will tell.