[Hedda]

Any plans on the team releasing Kodi/XBMC on Aptoide or F-Droid apps stores for free and open-source software?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptoide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-Droid

I mean it could even just be a good to distribute Alpha and Beta or experimental test builds for testers?

Could be an idea to have your own market to distribute experimental test builds, instead of using SPMC?


Aptoide and F-Droid are are large independent software repositories (or "app store") for Android that functions similarly to the Google Play store or Amazon Appstore.

Main difference is that they do not require users to register and both meant to make side-loading apps easier.

Unlike the default Google Play Store and Amazon Appstore, there is not a unique and centralized store and each developer can manage their own store.


If nothing else I think that it might at least be a good idea to just get a place-holders for Kodi and XBMC on those app stores.


Replicant, a fully free software Android operating system sponsored and supported by the Free Software Foundation, uses F-Droid as its default and recommended app store.


ApkTor is another independent app store that is an alternative to Aptoide and F-Droid but not with as large markets.

[Koying]

I speak for myself, but I'm surely not against it.

Now, the only reason we want to be in any store at all is to make it easier for users to install Kodi. We surely wouldn't want to impose installing a 3rd party store for this.
It has to be assessed whether managing an entry and releases in a 3rd party, relatively obscure, store is worth the hassle...

[FFWD]

I just wonder whether F-Droid is still considered a marginal app store in the free/open source section of the Android app community. Don't bother with Aptoide, though! It's a gray area.

[Gracus]

Apktor -> mostly cracked apps

Aptoide -> mostly cracked apps


Do not think that team kodi would decide to go on these...

[Martijn]

We're already on Aptoide.

I can't bother with f-droid cause their policy doesn't allow us.

[wrxtasy]

Yes confirmed, and the WeTek guys even include the Aptoide App store in their images so users can download the Android TV versions of Apps for their compatible Marshmallow (tablet) Firmware directly.

[FFWD]

I can't bother with f-droid cause their policy doesn't allow us.

If I understand from their policies correctly, they are the Richard Stallman of Android apps, and may have problem with your otherwise free and open source software, but proprietary drivers... something like that?

[Koying]

I actually looked into f-droid to make it easier to instal spmc for FireTV.
They want to compile the apk themselves, which is probably a good idea per se but there was no thrill on their side, and the prospect of pushing to build spmc/kodi (which probably one of the hardest droid app to build) seemed daunting to me.

If there was someone from f-droid *really* interested (as in motivated) to get kodi in, I'd surely support them.