• grue@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        The point is, there shouldn’t be a distinction. To make one is to support prejudice against installing software from elsewhere.

        If you use “installing” for stuff from the Google store but any other word for stuff from other sources, you are aiding and abetting Google’s anti-property-rights propaganda.

        • Ulrich@feddit.org
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          2 months ago

          there shouldn’t be a distinction.

          There has to be. When 99% of installs come from one location, there needs to be a way to describe that other than “Installing apps from outside the default app store”.

          To make one is to support prejudice against installing software from elsewhere.

          No? It isn’t.

          • Vespair@lemmy.zip
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            2 months ago

            The majority of PC game sales happen via steam but we don’t call games purchased from GOG “sideloaded.”

            There is no necessary reason to make the distinction

      • BootLoop@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        The same word that I use to when I get software that’s not on the Microsoft Store, the Mac App Store, or whatever distro’s Software GUI when I am using my desktop…

        • Ulrich@feddit.org
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          2 months ago

          If the MS Store and Mac App store made up 99% of installs, that might make sense.

          • ideonek@piefed.social
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            2 months ago

            Why? That’s a perfect example. There is no qualitative difrence between Microsoft Store and Play Store. Why quantitative difference in the market share would make any distinction in the terminology we use around the process?

      • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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        2 months ago

        When I install software from the Arch User Repository I still just call it installing, even though it isn’t through the standard path. Everywhere else, you don’t make the distinction. For some reason on phones we’ve come to call it sideloading, even though the software is just software —it doesn’t care where it came from.

          • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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            2 months ago

            Again, when I install something from the AUR (which is not where most software comes from —99+% are from official repositories) it isn’t given a special term. It’s the exact same situation as “sideloading” but we just call it installing. Can you explain what the difference is between them?

          • yardratianSoma@lemmy.ca
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            2 months ago

            even within android, if you attempt to install an apk directly, it doesn’t say “would you like to sideload this application?”, but instead says, “Do you want to install this app?”.

            Even Google’s own OS doesn’t use made up language.