Technology

I fucking hate that word. It's not 'sideloading' to install on my own device what I want to install, to use the apps I want to use; to not use the apps I don't want to use. I am not 'sideloading' anything when I install programs on my PC. No different on my phone.

Fuck off with all these new bullshit terms that are only used to imply that what we're doing (with our own devices) is somehow outside the norm, to justify the constant enshittifcation and the growing stranglehold these corporations want on our lives. It's infuriating.

The company says it is now developing an “advanced flow that allows experienced users to accept the risks of installing software that isn’t verified.” This installation flow will include safeguards to protect people who are being coerced into installing a dangerous app, or tricked by a scammer, along with “clear warnings to ensure users fully understand the risks involved.”

IIRC we already had to enable a setting and confirm a warning popup. What are they gonna do? Add more popups? A captcha-"puzzle"? Less easy to accept dialogs?

Meanwhile the Play Store is full of scams. This isn't about safety, it making sure they get a cut from the scam apps.

remember when people were actually excited about new android releases because they were weird and consumer friendly?

Weird that they want to do all the verification themselves and not just allow certificate signing using verified CAs. Oh well it's not weird because we all know Google does this to fight back against third party stores and to get developers back to their shitty one and of course to better track them.

Perfect time for the Chinese to setup a shell company in Mexico that sells smartphones & devices with AOSP-android-based OS to the US. It'll sell like hot cakes.

"side" loading is just normal loading for me. I have one single app from the google app store. (It's cookie clicker 😂)

edit: this is an article from November, its not something new...

bullshit! if this is actually what the "new" rule is, the exact same thing was already part of their unacceptable original plans.

To accommodate educational and noncommercial development, Google will introduce a new limited developer account type aimed at students and hobbyists. These accounts will not undergo full identity verification but will instead allow app installations on a restricted number of registered devices.

no to any kind of accounts, to any kind of developer registration, and any kind of install limits! its none of google's business what apps people install outside their store, and so they shouldn't be able to enforce a global installation limit for any apps!

Billionaires doing what a billionaire does: feign a reason to kneecap a service, force complaints about its ineffectiveness, then use that as an excuse to dismantle it entirely. I am so tired of this.

Cool story, goog.

I'm just going to keep waiting for a linux/foss phone so that its features and capabilities are actually predictable year to year.

But maybe I'm just too picky about what features and capabilities I want. I admit I've gotten used to some pretty outlandish stuff like... lemme check my notes here... "the device does the things I tell it to do." Real galaxy-brain shit!

Boiling the frog

I use GrapheneOS (Lineage OS and CyanogenMod before that) and I'm perfectly happy witn alternative software installation sources.

Fuck all of this tech bros enshittification surveillance bullshit. I'm going to Radio Shack and buy a Heath Kit! /s

So this sucks obviously. Will this also affects apps from alternate appstores like F-Droid or only APK's? I mean F-Droid already signs the apps, right? I'm a little confused.

It's all about herding people by dictating the path of least resistance.