[realusername]

> Anyway, with all these Gatekeeper changes, it's almost as if Apple doesn't want non-app-store apps at all.

Of course that's their idea, The Mac Store has been a moderate failure, so now they are pushing people into it slowly more and more every release.

As Apple and Microsoft (with their Windows Store) have learned, if there's a real choice between an app store and a standard install, nobody will pick the app store. They cannot promote it naturally, they have to push it through by force.

[grishka]

Well, then people have the choice of not updating because why would I if the only change that's noticeable brings more restrictions. I'm on Mojave and I don't really feel like I'm missing on anything. Both Mac OS and Windows are more or less feature-complete at this point.

[Frondo]

Heh, I actually prefer the app store version wherever I can download it, because I like not having to think about updates; I let the software updater do it. Is this an uncommon attitude?

[realusername]

Developers care a lot about updates, your average user does not. For them, an update means there's a chance the app isn't going to work like it used to be.

People went as far as disabling all windows updates manually.

Also as a second point, you can totally have a software updater without an app store.

[ulisesrmzroche]

This isn’t true. And it has nothing to do with OSX.

[tonyedgecombe]

I used to but then I had one app where the developer switched to a rental model but didn't let existing customers continue with the old model.

I don't have any particular problems with the rental model but in this case I had bought it on the basis of it not being that.