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by varkson 4299 days ago
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.
1 comments

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]".