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> Well, looks like we got a working uninstaller with a good user experience for free.

Yes, but the downside is that you're now relying on an unstable interface (as I understand it, this behaviour is not documented as a contract anywhere). Apple would be free to break you at any time.

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True, but the worst that could reasonably happen is that the "X" button would go away and it would be just like every other non-MAS app.

The 2nd worst thing would be for apple to decide they don't like apps pretending to come from the app store and just block them from installing at all

The article doesn’t explain how to install an application that can be uninstalled using the "X" button in the Mac Apple Store (MAS). Instead, it explains how to activate the button in apps that are already installed. So, your theory that Apple might eventually prevent the installation of an app is not relevant here, as the article isn’t discussing that at all. However, it’s possible that Apple could update the verification process for the MAS app to check for an empty "receipt" file and then prevent the application from starting until the user deletes that file. This seems like a reasonable expectation to me.

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