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Novell Ponders "Open-Source Apps Store"

Posted by timothy on from the return-of-click-n-run dept.

Barence writes "Novell plans to bring the wealth of open-source software to everyday users through an 'open-source apps store.' 'I would compare what's happening on netbooks with what's happening to the smartphone,' Holger Dyroff, vice president of business development at Novell told PC Pro. 'There's a core experience, but then the ability to customise that experience. On the user end, all they'll see is an open-source applications store with one-click downloads of new software. Unlike the other stores though, they won't have to pay for any of those applications, which will be very attractive.'"

9 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. So, in other words by killmenow · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Kind of like a repository?

    1. Re:So, in other words by Hyppy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      yum install aptitude.

      Yeah, that's basically all I can see this being. Perhaps it will have a nice web portal with reviews, in-depth descriptions, and decent screenshots?

    2. Re:So, in other words by dov_0 · · Score: 4, Informative

      You'd think that someone would work their synaptic brain patterns and come up with that!

      Screenshots have been available in synaptic on ubuntu for a couple of releases now

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      sudo mount --milk --sugar /cup/tea /mouth /etc/init.d/relax start
  2. Apt by Hatta · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How does this differ from any of the GUI front ends available for Debian's apt?

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    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    1. Re:Apt by kj_kabaje · · Score: 5, Insightful

      making FOSS more consumer friendly is not a bad thing. giving people freedom of choice the can understand versus paying for limited choice seems to be pretty good. who cares if it's just a web-based on downloadable interface for apt?

    2. Re:Apt by IamTheRealMike · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well, there are a bunch of features mobile app stores have that repositories do not. For instance, the ability to post comments, or to rate programs.

      The biggest difference though is in philosophy. Even if you assume a completely authoritarian app store like the iPhones, the apps you download from it are basically what the developers created. You are getting it "as the creator intended". And if you are comparing against Android rather than the iPhone, then the app store is very open, you can upload almost whatever you want within some basic limitations, like, you can't upload an app that violates some other services terms-of-service. Also, an app store is always fresh, because the latency from developers finishing QA on their binary and it being available to download is seconds, at least for Android.

      In contrast, Linux distro repositories have a different philosophy:

      • They reserve the right not only to reject your software for any reason, but also to modify it via patches as well. The user is not informed that any patching has taken place. Sometimes this patching improves the software, but sometimes it totally breaks it. There are many examples of this (eg openssl).

        This silent tampering is extensive and distributors are loathe to give it up. When Mozilla decided they didn't want the Firefox brand tarnished by extensive Debian patches, Debian decided they'd rather rename the product "Iceweasel" than give up this control.

      • Distros are not fresh. Typically the software that was around at the time of release is frozen and updates from upstream are not made available, unless they are security updates. Even then some distros prefer to "backport" security fixes, rather than simply follow upstream versioning. This results in a steady stream of useless bug reports to upstream for problems that were long since fixed. Once again, the developers are not in control of their own software.

      If Novell are actually interested in the app store approach, they're going to have to convince the suse developers to give up that level of control and make automated import of upstream binaries the norm. No more "packagers" for applications - that role will have to be obsoleted. And then they'll have to convince upstream developers to actually submit those binaries.

      I am doubtful that this will happen. Some years ago I promoted a more normal approach to app distribution on Linux (not an app store, but true web-based distribution). I was flatly told by several distribution employees that they weren't interested in losing control of the total software experience like that, and there would be no change in policy whilst they were around. So I gave up. These days I focus on Android - it's actually got a sane design and software distribution mechanism. Many of the things I wanted to see in Linux are in Android. Novell should be looking at how they can get in on that ..... unless they still think Linux is a viable mass-market desktop?

    3. Re:Apt by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Wow. That hadn't occured to me. Novel makes an app store for Windwows (and Mac), exposing the users to one of the best features of Linux and BSD (with more apps available than Google Updater). Get all these users hooked on the convenience of having a single auto-update program instead of several, and then let them know that all of these apps they have adapted to are availiable on another, operating system that doesn't cost any money. They won't need to pay for Windows ME 3.0, when it comes out.

  3. It would be nice if... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They added a feature to donate money to open source projects. Or even allowed projects to sell their own open-source software in the store. Or sell for cost add-ons to the open source software. Yes, open source software could very well be downloaded elsewhere for free, but people might well pay for the convenience of getting it one place.

  4. Re:Great Idea, just follow through Solidly. by jshackles · · Score: 4, Informative

    I think they are mostly trying to capture the iphone / itunes / android / windows mobile / palm-pre marketplace mentality. Nobody is interested when it's called a "repository" but if you call it an "app store" people will download....