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> Leave the darn store on. If you don't trust Microsoft, then don't use Windows

Having legacy apps doesn't mean you trust MS.

But having the store doesn't prevent legacy apps from installing, and the store provides a number of developer-friendly tools that will improve your ability to support legacy apps.

But people can and will use their computers how they wish to

It is a sad day discovering corporate IT blocks the use of any package manager and has custom, limited, store content.

There is no need for the store at all, and the dev-friendly programs you mention can all be installed without it.

That is just not true in the case of WinGet, WSL, or the Windows Terminal. They are open source, and in theory could be compiled, but they only provide APPX-packaged binaries. WSL itself is avaiable in the Features area, alongside the store. But all WSL distributions that I know of are packaged only for the store.

I did say that the equivalent Add-AppxPackage command could install these without the store, if you really wanted to.

It absolutely is true, at least for WSL and Windows Terminal. I installed both without having the store. Their github pages either tell you how or tell you where you can find a standalone installer. It's not hard at all. Google is your friend.

If you ran the command from this blog post, the msixbundle files that are provided on the github page for Windows Terminal absolutely will not simply install. You may be able to run powershell commands to install it.

The program called App Installer that allows easy installation of bundles is itself primarily available via... the store.

The point of this blog post was to remove everything from Windows that is not simply using the base Win32 API. Windows Terminal uses XAML and is a modern application that is using the new WinUI, and staying current with the most up to date versions of it will be difficult without... the store. Or WinGet. WinGet will be using the store as the source.

If you manually installed msixbundle files from github, then you are still downloading something from a Microsoft-owned server, but just inconveniently.

If you don't trust what I'm saying then post the link to this non-msixbundle standalone installer, and prove to others that you are correct.

The claim was not that you could install the apps after running the command in the blogpost, but that you could install the apps without microsoft store.

you said: "Indeed, most of those can only be installed through the store"

I said: "There is no need for the store at all, and the dev-friendly programs you mention can all be installed without it."

My claim remains true and correct. You're shifting the goalposts by saying the apps would not install if the command in the post was run, when originally the claim was only that they can only be installed via the store.

Yes, its true. I never use store, I install store apps if I need them (I don't, just My Asus shit) via winget. Otherwise, I use chocolatey for everything.

You don't need store, and it is not your friend. Its terrible.

"If you don't trust Microsoft, then don't use Windows."

I'd like to, but cannot because I need Adobe for work. Linux is unfortunatelly not an option.

Wow telling people what to do ..must work well for you I suppose.