4 ms·

Yep. The thesis of this essay is that choice is unequivocally good for users, handset makers, everyone. Experience doesn't play that out. The experience of a cu

Yep. The thesis of this essay is that choice is unequivocally good for users, handset makers, everyone. Experience doesn't play that out. The experience of a curated, pruned garden vs. a wild west scammy bazaar isn't a good one for users. Here's what happens when you search facebook on Windows Store: http://imgur.com/QDHcpG0 http://imgur.com/QDHcpG0 Choice is great! You can "choose" to install a scam app or the official one. Incompetent OEMs can "choose" to override system behavior. After all, Dell, HP & friends were known for really improving the PC software experience.

Brakenshire 12y ago
> The experience of a curated, pruned garden vs. a wild west scammy bazaar isn't a good one for users. But that is a choice. For example, I would prefer to recommend to my parents a system with more granular control over permissions than stock Android, and a market which is more curated than Google Play. It's fairly absurd that they can send off all of their contacts to some random third party server because they installed a flashlight app. > Choice is great! You can "choose" to install a scam app or the official one. To avoid that, you want to choose not to have to make that choice, by going to a more curated platform. I think the key to creating that alternative is by making both Android and HTML5 apps genuinely cross platform. Blackberry, CyanogenMod and/or Sailfish should support the emerging W3C Web API standards and Cordova, and then create a clear target for Android developers to deploy Android apps that don't rely on Play Services. The real need isn't for a third OS, it's for a real cross-platform development ecosystem, then there will be genuine space for innovation.
userbinator 12y ago
That screenshot is more a product of bad UI design (no indication of the publisher?) than anything else. You can "choose" to install a scam app or the official one Those are not the only two categories of apps. This quote also comes to mind: "Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."
- throwawaymsft 12y ago
  Even if the publisher is listed, Microsoft reviewers should be vetting logo infringement. As a developer, sure, become root and install whatever you want. As grandma, just trying to install Facebook on her tablet, do not allow any mistakes. No junkware allowed.
bko 12y ago
I'm not sure when that screenshot was taken but its probably an exaggeration. Actual search results: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/search#q=facebook&s=Store http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/search#q=facebook... You do have a point about a free for all. There was this great blog post about a month ago about someone installing the top 10 free downloads from download.com and the mayhem that ensues. http://www.howtogeek.com/198622/heres-what-happens-when-you-install-the-top-10-download.com-apps/?PageSpeed=noscript http://www.howtogeek.com/198622/heres-what-happens-when-you-...
- throwawaymsft 12y ago
  The screenshot was real, but from about a year ago. Maybe things have changed. Here's a blog post showing the cesspool that was search results less than a year ago: http://www.fixedbyvonnie.com/2014/08/microsoft-windows-store-seriously-sucks/ http://www.fixedbyvonnie.com/2014/08/microsoft-windows-store...
asyncwords 12y ago
Your screenshot is out of date. Here's what actually happens when you search Facebook on Windows Store: http://i.imgur.com/crP7LDd.png http://i.imgur.com/crP7LDd.png

Brakenshire 12y ago

> The experience of a curated, pruned garden vs. a wild west scammy bazaar isn't a good one for users. But that is a choice. For example, I would prefer to recommend to my parents a system with more granular control over permissions than stock Android, and a market which is more curated than Google Play. It's fairly absurd that they can send off all of their contacts to some random third party server because they installed a flashlight app. > Choice is great! You can "choose" to install a scam app or the official one. To avoid that, you want to choose not to have to make that choice, by going to a more curated platform. I think the key to creating that alternative is by making both Android and HTML5 apps genuinely cross platform. Blackberry, CyanogenMod and/or Sailfish should support the emerging W3C Web API standards and Cordova, and then create a clear target for Android developers to deploy Android apps that don't rely on Play Services. The real need isn't for a third OS, it's for a real cross-platform development ecosystem, then there will be genuine space for innovation.

userbinator 12y ago

That screenshot is more a product of bad UI design (no indication of the publisher?) than anything else. You can "choose" to install a scam app or the official one Those are not the only two categories of apps. This quote also comes to mind: "Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes."

throwawaymsft 12y ago
Even if the publisher is listed, Microsoft reviewers should be vetting logo infringement. As a developer, sure, become root and install whatever you want. As grandma, just trying to install Facebook on her tablet, do not allow any mistakes. No junkware allowed.

bko 12y ago

I'm not sure when that screenshot was taken but its probably an exaggeration. Actual search results: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/search#q=facebook&s=Store http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/search#q=facebook... You do have a point about a free for all. There was this great blog post about a month ago about someone installing the top 10 free downloads from download.com and the mayhem that ensues. http://www.howtogeek.com/198622/heres-what-happens-when-you-install-the-top-10-download.com-apps/?PageSpeed=noscript http://www.howtogeek.com/198622/heres-what-happens-when-you-...

throwawaymsft 12y ago
The screenshot was real, but from about a year ago. Maybe things have changed. Here's a blog post showing the cesspool that was search results less than a year ago: http://www.fixedbyvonnie.com/2014/08/microsoft-windows-store-seriously-sucks/ http://www.fixedbyvonnie.com/2014/08/microsoft-windows-store...

asyncwords 12y ago

Your screenshot is out of date. Here's what actually happens when you search Facebook on Windows Store: http://i.imgur.com/crP7LDd.png http://i.imgur.com/crP7LDd.png