Developer Calls Amazon Appstore a 'Disaster' 241
An anonymous reader writes "The developer of the current #2 Top App on Android Market has written a very interesting article giving six reasons why they decided to pull their game from Amazon Appstore. From the article: 'If you are a small indie development team, or possibly even alone, don't bother with Amazon Appstore. Create a great app, publish it on Android Market, and provide great customer support. You will never succeed on Amazon Appstore without a big wallet, or at least an established reputation so that Amazon puts value behind their promises.'"
Appstore replies ? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:HTTP vs HTTPS (Score:5, Interesting)
I almost wanted to stop reading after the first point the developer made. Amazon rejected his application because it used an insecure communication channel over the internet. Cry me a river. I actually applaud Amazon for doing that.
You realize that slashdot uses an insecure communication channel over the internet? The developer used http to deliver game levels to the customer. No personal data, no need for security.
Re:HTTP vs HTTPS (Score:2, Interesting)
In this case it was because Amazon felt access to the community site around the game should have required HTTPS access. I think that's perhaps being a little anal.
In the general case, where games download their own levels and updates, if game levels and upgrades are code signed and validated then it's not an issue at all. If this was a multi-player game for example (I don't believe that it is), malicious players could supply their own hacked levels and upgrades using MITM methods potentially giving them an unfair advantage over other players that doing things properly. Those sorts of holes can really damage the community trust around a popular game.
Personally I don't think it's Amazon's place to be rejecting Android apps just because they are missing an S from a HTTPS URI. They could just inform the developers and recommend that they fix it in the next release of the apps. It's not like Amazon is in the same position as Apple, protecting their own little walled-garden iThingy community - Android apps can be downloaded from anywhere and it's not Amazon's job to be policing the security of the operating system.
Angry Birds 2 was a fail too. (Score:5, Interesting)
The originally Amazon "exclusive" Angry Birds 2, just made fans of the game world wide Angry. Do you know when you get an error message saying that only US customers are allowed to purchase from the Amazon app store (for some ludicrously stupid reason, given how I purchase other things from Amazon all the time). It's not when I log in. It's not when I enter my one-click details. It's not when after I click buy it directs me to download the Amazon App Store App, it's not when I install the App, It's not even when I login and search for an app again. It's only after I SPENT HALF A FUCKING HOUR getting to the stage where I could click to download Angry Birds that I got the error message.
Well a big fuck you to Amazon, and while I was heated I sent a nasty email to the developers too. Fortunately a week later things reverted and the game appeared (to the surprise of everyone) on the Market.
Using Amazon from a user perspective is also an incredible mission. I don't have any desire to ever go back there again, even if they would serve me.
Amazon also fiddles with search results (Score:5, Interesting)
I am a book author. I have three books published by traditional publishers, but my fourth book I published through my own company and sell it through Amazon. Yet, if one searches for the book by its exact name, the search results list fifteen other books of other names before listing mine. Clearly these results are being rigged. I don't care about "popularity" of these other titles: if someone enters the exact name of my book, my book should come up first.