Alice wants to use a program made by Bob. Apple won’t allow Alice to do so unless Bob pays a fee to Apple. With third party app stores, they’re just allowing _different_ middlemen. What we actually want is to be rid of middlemen imposing arbitrary restrictions on how Alice can use her own device.
Isn’t it difficult to do this without rolling out a welcome mat for NSO et al?
This is a value statement. There is more public concern and support for security and freedom to use commercial software than there is for using it as a Stallmanesque general-purpose computer.
I'm not your grandma, though, and I'll thank you (and Apple) for not treating me as if I were.
Sideloading blows a hole in that security guarantee
I am afraid that making it too easy to install anything you want on modern smartphones is going to be a problem. Imagine how many are going to end up in botnets.
Android _already_ has this problem. It takes a few extra taps / coaching to get somebody to install an arbitrary and malicious APK but it's doable now. Moving towards a "if google didn't sign it and distribute it, you shall not run it" future won't really prevent the ignorant laity from installing malware regardless. The rest of us, however, are going to get screwed.
It does? Last I checked you just had to click install for a f2p mobile game on the Play store and voila, you're an exit node for various botnets
Either Bob or Alice could set up an app store if this is done right.