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Maybe users could provide their own keys into the F-Droid app and the F-Droid installer swaps keys as part of the download and install. At the end of the day we

Maybe users could provide their own keys into the F-Droid app and the F-Droid installer swaps keys as part of the download and install. At the end of the day we're just talking about a signature.

notrealyme123 1y ago
No. You pay Google for the license and Google can kill your app, even on f droid. We don't need a work around. We need Google to stop killing our apps.
- fluidcruft 1y ago
  The new registration system is not the paid the full developer registration--that's only needed for Play Store distribution. The new thing everyone is complaining about is a different registration system that will be free (but likely requires identity verification). Google's announcement said that a solution was being developed but is not yet available to support individual and hobbyist use. They said it will be available before the system becomes mandatory (except for a few high-risk countries) Frankly, I don't see why anonymous app distribution is necessary. The "I own my own device goddammit" thing is hobbyist category. Why should it be friction-less to install crap that has no provenance? That specifically seems like a really dumb hill to die on.
  - g-b-r 1y ago
    Besides making compiling apps yourself very difficult (you'd have to register and change the app's name), it's extremely likely that they won't just accept anyone and any app; at least things like NewPipe and Aurora Store are likely to get banned.
    - fluidcruft 1y ago
      Compliling apps yourself would fall under and use the system for hobbyists Google said they are working on. At a basic level, apps you compile yourself would likely sideload over adb/USB and it's easy enough to exception adb as an install vector as distinct from app stores downloading and installing from the the network. adb doesn't help F-Droid, but that's clearly a very different thing (at least as I see it).

Maybe users could provide their own keys into the F-Droid app and the F-Droid installer swaps keys as part of the download and install. At the end of the day we're just talking about a signature.

notrealyme123 1y ago

No. You pay Google for the license and Google can kill your app, even on f droid. We don't need a work around. We need Google to stop killing our apps.

fluidcruft 1y ago
The new registration system is not the paid the full developer registration--that's only needed for Play Store distribution. The new thing everyone is complaining about is a different registration system that will be free (but likely requires identity verification). Google's announcement said that a solution was being developed but is not yet available to support individual and hobbyist use. They said it will be available before the system becomes mandatory (except for a few high-risk countries) Frankly, I don't see why anonymous app distribution is necessary. The "I own my own device goddammit" thing is hobbyist category. Why should it be friction-less to install crap that has no provenance? That specifically seems like a really dumb hill to die on.
- g-b-r 1y ago
  Besides making compiling apps yourself very difficult (you'd have to register and change the app's name), it's extremely likely that they won't just accept anyone and any app; at least things like NewPipe and Aurora Store are likely to get banned.
  - fluidcruft 1y ago
    Compliling apps yourself would fall under and use the system for hobbyists Google said they are working on. At a basic level, apps you compile yourself would likely sideload over adb/USB and it's easy enough to exception adb as an install vector as distinct from app stores downloading and installing from the the network. adb doesn't help F-Droid, but that's clearly a very different thing (at least as I see it).