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Microsoft Windows

Trouble For Microsoft Developers With the Windows Store 232

An anonymous reader writes "This blog post from an un-happy Microsoft developer highlights many of the problems that developers are having with submitting to the new Windows store. His app, that won 2 App X challenges from Microsoft, has been rejected 6 times over 2 months with no clear indications as to the cause. This is even after going through a rigorous early-certification process. With Windows RT relying solely on apps from the store, and there being just over 7,000 apps total, Microsoft could have a big problem here."
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Trouble For Microsoft Developers With the Windows Store

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  • by Chas ( 5144 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @12:09AM (#41773947) Homepage Journal

    Uhm. The OS is released and there's major dumb-fuckery going on in their online store, the ONLY place you can buy apps from for certain versions of the new OS.

    That's not a "could have a big problem" thing.

    That's a "HAS a big problem" thing.

  • by socceroos ( 1374367 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @12:21AM (#41774007)
    I see this tablet/phone foray as one of Microsoft's last rolls of the dice. If this doesn't work then they'll be marginalized sooner rather than later. I know its been 'heralded' for too long, but we are actually seeing a shift in the primary use of computers. PCs, like it or not are fast heading towards niche status.

    I advise you to now swallow a few grains of salt.
  • Re:only 7000 apps? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by socceroos ( 1374367 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @12:23AM (#41774013)
    This isn't an Apple only problem. With any delivery system, as soon as you hit critical mass people get lost in the din. Look at music, movies, books, etc. It's all the same and Microsoft will have the same problems if they too can get their store off the ground.
  • by wvmarle ( 1070040 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @12:25AM (#41774021)

    In between those I strongly prefer Google's terms.

    First of all the Play Store has little virus issues. No idea on numbers, but it's not that I hear often about viruses in apps. Certainly the more popular apps are generally safe. And Apples app store is also not 100% clean, the vetting process is far from perfect.

    I don't use third-party stores, but I have installed software directly from an app vendor's site. And have installed my own apps directly on my phone, without any issues. Having these possibilities is great. Being limited to a single store, and not being able to easily install apps in any other way, that just sucks.

    Even if the Play Store started vetting their apps, then still not much lost as you're not limited to that store. There are alternatives. Unfortunately MS decides to go the Apple way - forgetting how the openness of Windows is part of what made the platform so ubiquitous.

  • by deblau ( 68023 ) <slashdot.25.flickboy@spamgourmet.com> on Friday October 26, 2012 @12:43AM (#41774111) Journal

    You aren't post-geek, you've just graduated past the larval stage. :P

  • by hessian ( 467078 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @12:50AM (#41774139) Homepage Journal

    Most computer users don't want a Wild West computer experience. They want a safe, functional one where the computer interface is as inobtrusive as possible. They want as little burden on their consciousness as possible, so they can focus on what they want to use the computer to do in the first place.

    When you have an audience like that, expect tradeoffs. Less flexibility, more stability. Fewer options, more consistency. And now, the days of downloading random bits of code are over.

    For 90% of the users out there, this will be a great experience. The rest will dual-boot...

  • Re:only 7000 apps? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Dahamma ( 304068 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @02:23AM (#41774571)

    Yes, there is nothing about OSX or iOS that is remotely interesting or useful, and it's all just pretty enclosures making them $40B a year in profit. You are so right and all of Apple's engineers are incompetent!

    Implementing the first iPhone was about 1% ID, 5% hardware, and the rest software by resources. And whatever you think of it personally, it absolutely redefined the mobile industry and has been so ridiculously successful it made Apple the most valuable company in the world. Fools, indeed.

  • Re:only 7000 apps? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by TheRaven64 ( 641858 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @04:48AM (#41775127) Journal
    I recently tried to use the Mac App store for the first time, and it's a complete UI disaster. Or it only has about 100 things in it, because those were the only ones that were easily discoverable by browsing. I could search and find specific applications if I knew I wanted them, but what do app developers get from Apple taking 30% of the purchase price if the potential customer has to be actively looking for their application? A credit card processor and a CDN cost a fraction of that. For small usage, PayPal or Google Checkout charge around 3% and you can host the data in Amazon's cloud and get a pretty scalable distribution system for a lot less than Apple charges (unless your app is free or no one ever buys it).
  • by Taco Cowboy ( 5327 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @05:26AM (#41775313) Journal

    Are you under the impression that everybody's going to throw away their PC and start using a tablet?

    Nope, but I ain't gonna buy any PC/Laptop/Tablet/Smartphone with Win8 either.

  • by LordNightwalker ( 256873 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @05:57AM (#41775477)

    Is post-geek a label? As in, one who used to pay attention to the excessive details of digging deep into how something works, but now has graduated into the realization that one can do whatever one needs to do with just about any tools or platform or system and no longer has a need to scrutinize so strongly because one's skills are good enough to weather any circumstances regardless of the technological changes?

    Indeed, if you're more obsessed with your tools than with your work, you might want to reconsider your priorities. Still, doesn't mean you have to be content with inferior tools. Just realize that in the end what matters is that they allow you to work more productively and deliver better quality; if your search for a productivity boosting tool results in not getting anything done, you're doing it wrong.

  • by Stalks ( 802193 ) * on Friday October 26, 2012 @06:53AM (#41775745)
    This is one guys story about a single app. I think I will reserve judgement.
  • Re:only 7000 apps? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Gilmoure ( 18428 ) on Friday October 26, 2012 @11:15AM (#41778505) Journal

    Don't forget marketing. The only thing apple is good at is making pretty boxes to hold their crappy electronics that run 1/4 a well as real computers but cost three times as much, that only appeal to handlebar mustache wearing hipsters (both men and women) who ride penny farthing bicycles around all day instead of working, swinging their apple bags and smacking people in the face while cackling like Dr. Horrible and picturing how cool their apple box (they never open them or take anything out except for the stickers) will look on their retro-reproduction Eames coffee table, while listening to hipster bachelor space pad music and drinking "coffee" drinks that don't actually contain anything that doesn't have sugar in it so that a single drop, spilled on the floor, causes their genetically mutant purse dog to flip out and go around biting the throats of everyone at night which is just the baby sitter and the kids because the hipsters are now in jail due to smacking an off duty cop in the face with their Apple bag and he got really mad so he kicked over their Pennyfarthing and they fell rough the Apple store window and now apples pressing charges and only allowing them to buy apple tuff with that stupid blue and white Dalmatian patterns so the hipsters glad their hiding in jail.

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