Microsoft will never lock you to a store. There's just too much business software out there to even think of managing it.
Linux cucks are already utterly reliant on their repos, but since Linux only has like 3 working pieces of software, it's not like it matters.

>>51905368
Any company that wants to provide proprietary software on linux can host their own repos and have their users download the newest binaries from their package manager automatically.
Google does this for google-chrome.

>>51905299
I keep all the software I use on a regular basis on an external drive. I can reformat at any time and be up and running with no internet in an hour

You realize all of them did this already right? Windows Marketplace, App Store, and Chrome Web Store.

>>51905741

But they're not mandatory. The stores already exist, all MS or Apple have to do is flip a switch. Apps developed for the app stores are dependent on the app store software, and cannot run without it. The can't flip the switch right now because there is too much software outside the store. But once most of that has moved within the app stores, there would be nothing stopping them from disables "side-loading" of apps on a desktop OS like smartphone OSs.

>>51905772
The reason Windows Marketplace isn't mandatory is because it fucking failed miserably because of how much bad press Win 8 got. ChromeOS does have a "mandatory" app store, but people can write their own applications or install with by developer means, which is a requisite for all open desktop systems to even function.

The idea of a forced, locked down app store doesn't exist in any major operating system because of developers needing to test their applications and so on.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! !

This post has been awarded with the /g/s Retarded Post of the Day™ award.

>>51905812
>he idea of a forced, locked down app store doesn't exist in any major operating system

Yes it does. iOS, Android on AT&T phones, Windows Phone, are all examples.

>because of developers needing to test their applications and so on

No, the app store software is just required to load apps, in the case of iOS you can't load your own test apps without itunes and without first registering and paying apple.

>>51905902
Mmk, you got me there on Apple. Yeah, they've been extremely protective of their app store and not messing with any of the internals. That's Applel for you.

Windows Phone is another one, but I guess it isn't a major player these days.

any android can install APKs outside of Play, no?

It'll happen, but on the scale of 5-10 years. MS basically requires registration through signing certs for non-app store installers otherwise they get flagged as untrusted.

The ecosystem around iterative development and rollback through app stores is too early but its clear where things are headed. Locked down is way better for the OS and they have enough matketshare to force devs into their way of doing things.

iOS already won the war on this, its just a long downhill slide from here.

>>51905943
>any android can install APKs outside of Play, no?

Most can. Some manufacturers disabled for some reason. For a while AT&T disabled side-loading.

This is why Valve has been working on Steam OS; it is their backup plan if MS decides to go full Metro & fuck over Steam on Windows, much like MS fucked over the various minor app stores that sold Windows Mobile apps, by locking down Windows Phone 7, several years ago.

>>51906181
>For a while AT&T disabled side-loading.
When did they do that? My last phone was an AT&T HTC One X, and I never had issues loading APKs onto that.