> So, to answer your question, Microsoft got blamed for viruses and made fun of but there wasn't a better way in the mainstream. There is one now.
I don't think App Store is a better way.
From my point of view, people keep mistaking the actual progress - generalised sandboxing and reduced API surface - with the major regression - controlled distribution. At the beginning of the App Store, when the sandboxing and APIs were poor, they were frequent security issues.
Apple marketing magic is somehow convincing people that it's their questionable veting which made things secure and not the very real security innovations.
I'm with you and personally I boycott Apple because of the walled garden, for what it's worth. However it is a better way (a more convenient way?) for companies to make money and it gave an idea to legislators and regulators. Now they expect that the owner of the OS can decide what runs and what does not run on their OS and be made accountable for it.
I don't think App Store is a better way.
From my point of view, people keep mistaking the actual progress - generalised sandboxing and reduced API surface - with the major regression - controlled distribution. At the beginning of the App Store, when the sandboxing and APIs were poor, they were frequent security issues.
Apple marketing magic is somehow convincing people that it's their questionable veting which made things secure and not the very real security innovations.