← Back to context

Comment by StingyJelly

11 hours ago

We finally live in an age when I can tell a clanker that I want an app that does something that I need, connect the phone with adb and in half an hour have a working solution for my tiny problem while knowing little about android development. This is something google should embrace, not kneecap.

Then tell the courts to stop fining them and start fining all the closed platforms.

There is a clear legal asymmetry where allowing competitors on your platform makes you liable if they complain, but blocking out everyone except for yourself is a totally ok and legally rosy way to do business.

What's their interest in you building side-loaded apps instead of using their data hungry services?

  • Their interests shouldn't matter. If they matter that much to restrict, then they are abusing monopoly power and need broken up.

  • They do also sell the data-hungry side-loaded app builder.

    • Sure, but the real profits to be had there, if any, are package deals with other megacorps, not hobbyists.

Installing via adb is not affected.

  • That's great but I want to be able to share such app with my family members coleagues

    • Are they such new/fleeting friends that they can't wait 24 hours? Otherwise, it might be a good thing that people can't be persuaded to install an app because a "friend" told them to, and it's somehow so urgent that they can't wait 24 hours.