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Comment by manachar | Hacker News Reader

What an odd rumor that I hope is just that.

Notch has a history of bashing Microsoft and MS's efforts to lock down Windows and Microsoft has a pretty bad track record when it comes to acquisitions. They seem to kinda squash anything interesting out of them to try to force that acquisition into helping the MS/Xbox brand.

If anyone buys Mojang I really hope it's either Valve or a company much like it. They seem much more analogous in outlook, business model and process.

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I always felt it was odd that Notch bashed Windows 8 so publicly for the store, yet happily sells on iOS, XBox, PS3, etc.

Very few people in the history of humanity have put their money where their mouth is.

You don't think there is a material difference between Microsoft changing Windows to a closed platform and Apple creating a closed platform from scratch?

In the case of the latter it is well known and can be planned around. In the case of the former you have fully invested and then suddenly the game changes.

It won't happen though. The minute that Apple closed off the Mac, with the Mac App Store being the only software source, the minute that idea might have a little credence.

The Mac App Store is not (yet) the only software source, though that restriction is available as an opt-in setting in System Preferences.

Applications from outside the App Store run just fine, as long as they're signed with a developer certificate. The certificate presumably costs $99/year, but you don't need Apple to approve your application.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5290

The certificate is free, but does require you to register an account at Apple.

Furthermore, you don't technically need the certificate. The deafest are protective but the system will happily launch unsigned apps if you right click them.

True, but that's a much higher barrier than "This application is from an unidentified developer. [OK]".

WSJ does have a very good track record on rumors (disclaimer: MS employee but with no knowledge at all on whether this is true or not, and no opinion about it).

It seems way overpriced for something Valve would be interested in.

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