Closed App Store or open Android Market? Both, please.

Apple and Google are at war over whose system of accepting apps is better. Here's why they should offer both.

There is little doubt that one of the biggest changes in technology over the last ten years is the adoption of the smartphone. And well as changing the habits of mobile phone users, it's meant a lot of changes to computers in general. Not all have been good - it has propagated some ridiculous patent lawsuits, and it's encourages the rise of some highly dubious "freemium" games - but one of the best things it's brought, in my opinion, in my opinion, is the concept of the app store.

In the Linux world, the idea of the app store is old hat. For decades, most Linux distros have been orgnaised into packages. Some are integral to the system, such as the kernel and desktop, some are standard packages such as Libreoffice, and some are extra packages that users add to their system. To add an extra packages, you simply go to the Add/Remove programme, click on what you want, and Linux downloads and installs it for you. There are a lot of advantages to this method: it automatically installs any other software you need to run this program, everything is automatically updated, and if you ever want to install the program, Linux does it for you rather than relying on a dubious uninstallation package that came with the program. Although most software installed this way is free, it has been used for paid apps too.

So, in theory, it is welcome that this practice has been adopted on smartphones. In practice, however, things are more complicated. There are two big changes between Linux and smartphones. Firstly, it's opened this approach up from a mainly tech-savy small group to the masses of smartphone owners. Secondly, this method of installing software has suddenly become a lucrative way of earning money. As a result, there are now thousands of app writers all jostling for status in a highly competitive market. And this is where Apple and Google have heavily differed in their answer to this challenge.

Cross-platform is the way to go

AMD will shortly be enabling Windows 8 users to run Android apps. I would advise Microsoft to welcome and support this.

Mr Ballmer, surely you won't deprive
your loyal customers of this?

Last year I wrote a blog article on “The Ghost of Vistas Past”, outlining how high important it was to Microsoft that Windows 8 is a success (along with the mistakes from Windows Vista that overshadows the reputation of all future releases). Well, we’re now approaching the release date and I’ve been looking at the pre-release version. Have to say, there have been a lot of Windows 8-bashing comments, but it’s hard to tell whether this is just the new tablet-optimised interface they’re getting used to or something more. At the moment, this could still be anything from a revolutionary ground-breaker to a Vista Mark II. But I’m going to make Microsoft a helpful suggestion regarding their controversial app store.

Firstly, an app store is a good idea. Linux distros were doing this years before there was the iPhone, when it was called “package management”. It’s good because instead of a mish-mash of programs from installation CDs or the internet, there’s a central database which takes care of all installation and updating. And as your computer keeps track of which packages installed which files, if you want to uninstall anything, you can do it properly, instead relying on unreliable uninstallation files that came with the program you don’t want. So far, so good.

The great patent fight

Software patents are a menace to IT development. Instead of protecting innovation, they are being used to stifle it.

Names: Joseph-Michael and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier

Invention: First manned hot air balloon

Patent infringed: Taking a wig to an altitude over 2,000 ft

Okay, I have relented: in spite of my disdain for updating your Facebook status every five minutes, I’m going to get a smartphone. I’ve therefore been looking for a suitable handset and my current preference is for a Samsung. I don’t have any strong preferences between brands – to me, a handset is a handset – but I do want to show my support for Samsung in their patent battle with Apple.

Since most of you won’t know what I’m talking about, it works as follows: Samsung has been banned from selling its Android tablet in Germany following legal action from Apple over patents it holds. Similar action in Holland has stopped the sales of three Samsung Android phones. However, in turn Apple is being sued by HTC for infringing patents that the latter company brought from Google. Meanwhile, Microsoft claims that Android phone violate its patents and consequently HTC pays royalties to Microsoft, whilst non-compliant Motorola is being sued in the US courts. But Microsoft have been successfully sued by Canadian firm i4i who claimed Word violates their patents. I could go on, but you get the idea.