11
votes
What if app stores were federated?
I've been thinking a lot lately about the future of software and where native apps and the web will reconcile and I had the idea that what if "the next OS" had a OSS federated app store that people and organizations could host themselves, but the system still used the app store model that pull app/program listings from all the installations online? This could apply to mobile or desktop computing, or even any of the other platforms (see windows store system compatibility).
Android app system is kinda federated: Play Store, manufacturers' stores, most likely something local in China, and open source stores like F-Droid. They aren't merged in one list but at least there's quite a freedom of choice in the world of software controlled by big corporations. There's no incentive for each store to conform to some kind of listing standard but in real life a few stores can be on a device and they keep apps on device updated in the similar manner and these are actually in one list.
And this is why I'm using Androd - you can make any app and install any app without having to get an approval from a corporation.
I'm an Apple person, but that is a nice feature for more savvy users. You can side load apps to an iPhone if you have a Mac, but the certificate only lasts a few days and then the app won't launch until you reinstall. With Android its just a simple security setting to allow sideloaded apps (which is actually what MacOS does).
The converse side is that it's really easy to convince a novice person to flip that switch and get in trouble.
Google have recently made improvements in this field, it used to be just a 1/0 option - either you allow sources besides Google Play for installing apps, or you don't. Now it controls what exact apps you are allowed to install other apps from - it really helps against apps that are trying to mask their activity and gives you more control. So it's more than a simple switch flip now. Overall I would prefer a device that lets's you shoot yourself in a foot over a device that doesn't.
Samsung's Galaxy Apps store, too.
I believe most Linux package managers can do this (for example, with pacman on Arch Linux).
F-Droid also allows you to add third-party repositories.
Note: you could add a repository to act like a mirror, but it could also be added to provide new packages.
Err... isn't that basically how the repository system used by most Linux distributions already works?
Eh, not really. Usually repositories are created/managed by the distribution, and many people around the world host mirrors of that master. Ubuntu PPAs might be similar from what I've seen, not totally sure though.
There's nothing stopping you from adding unofficial repositories.
I'm pretty sure most Linux distributions and BSD variants already have this. They just call it "mirroring" instead of "federation". For example, Debian provides instructions for running your own mirror site. Likewise for my preferred OS, OpenBSD.
I'm not talking about mirroring. I mean like the registry server could be hosted elsewhere and each new site had their own app/program listings, not a backup of the main server.
That's pretty much how repositories already work though. You have the default set of distro maintained repos, then anyone can set up and host other repositories that you can add to your package manager.
OK. I understand now.
like others have said, isnt this basically how ubuntu PPA and other distros equivalents work?
by default you only get one or sometimes 2 or 3 repositories to download software from, but you can add additional ones to get updated or different software.
It's a nice idea, but I think people that care about OSS and federated systems are way in the minority.
as are the people that want to make operating systems