"Sideloading" is the rentseeker word for "being able to run software of your choosing on a computing device you purchased". There is no reasonable case for an operating system developer having a say over what programs you run on your hardware.

#Android #Google

@Gargron
I agree in spirit, but man... Its only 50% rentseeking... My elderly parents and computer illiterate siblings and coworkers would get in trouble fast if they weren't constrained by 3 software platforms: mint software manager, android play, and MS whatchamacallit. I have pounded it into their heads: never download software candy from strangers. (I live in an anti-apple pocket of the world)

But then, i guess all three of those do let you do your own thing to varying degrees.

@TrimTab @Gargron Agreed. Before I switched her to a Mac, my mother’s Windows PC was crawling with malware because of all of the shite she downloaded.

@davidbcohen @Gargron
Proof that microsoft is bad at software. Several generations of computers users have been brain damaged with deplorable op-sec habits.

Srsly what kind of software company would ever think auto running code on USB thumb drives was ever smart? Only the dumbest developers who failed their comp sci classes...