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Comment by ezoe | Hacker News Reader

The moral is, don't relies on Platform vendor's official distribution system as a sole way to distribute your software. If that platform doesn't allow you to distribute the software outside of it, don't bother to support such a platform. You have been lost already. Don't waste your time on dealing with such hideous non-free platform.

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I understand the sentiment but there's a reason developers still flock o develop for Apple and Google even under these conditions. Despite the restrictive nature of the app stores they're the only chance most small developers have of ever reaching a wide enough paying audience.

Many apps are pretty much just a feature bolted onto the OS and could easily be shipped by Apple or Google as an integral part of the OS thus taking the whole reason foe that app's existence. So for many devs the whole income stream depends on Apple or Google far more than just by using their app store.

I'm not sure why you included Google there, as you can install on Android without going through their store. You just have to confirm that you're really sure you want to.

I was pretty clear why I included Google. Because using their app store is the single best chance for a dev to monetize their app on Android, or at least to get it noticed. Sure, they can use another store like F-Droid but while the possibility is there, they'd severely limit the audience. And most people are discouraged (for good reasons) from installing APKs from random places on the internet.

Few Android apps are distributed exclusively outside of the Play Store and even fewer get any traction with users, not to speak of being a financial success for the dev.

I live in a country that has been know to conduct extrajudicial assassinations. Should I simply renounce my citizenship and go live on an offshore platform or work towards getting them to stop doing that?

It's the Voice v Exit dilemma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit,_Voice,_and_Loyalty

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