this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2024
238 points (98.0% liked)

Technology

59123 readers
2973 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Because it isn't real. You aren't "sideloading". You're simply installing apps. You're not doing anything different, other than using a source that the big company does not like.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (3 children)

It needs a definition because it is a thing that happens though.

You need to differentiate between installing from the app store and installing from other sources, you might not like the choice of word, but we need a word to define it.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yes but sideloading makes it sound like something dangerous to people that don't know any better. This is by design.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

sideloading makes it sound like something dangerous

...according to whom? Who came up with this? If they called it "dangerloading" I'd be all on your side.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

For tech illiterate people, it sounds bad.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Again I ask, how? There's absolutely nothing in the name to suggest it is "dangerous" or "bad".

Tech illiterate people will not understand it at all.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Go ask your mom who had to deal with your limewire phase in high-school if you can "sideload" apps on her phone.

You want sources or something, what are you expecting dude?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I think any unknown phrase and method to install an app will be scary to a person who is that unknowledgeable about it. At that point there isn't any phrase that you could use that wouldn't sound sketchy to them, it isn't the phrase that is the problem, it's the fact that it's unknown and the process is scary.

The people you are describing would still be skeptical even if you explained it to them (and they should be, since they likely don't have the knowledge or resources to properly vet an application from an unknown source)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

My Mom is far too old to know anything about Limewire.

what are you expecting dude?

Literally any sort of explanation why you think "sideload" = "dangerous"? Other than just repeating that it is over and over.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Side loading makes it seems like it's not going through the proper channels. You are loading it from the side while the play store is the right way.

It implies the play store is the center.

Sideload Sideroad Sidekick Sidecar

Using side infront of something means it's lesser for the most part.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Since when are any of those examples considered dangerous lmao

Sideloading is exactly the same as a side road. It's a less polished and a less intended road for people to take.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

You guys are kind of missing my point and hyper focusing on the word here.

There is nothing inherently dangerous about the word sidealley but if you're at night with someone that is already fearful of the city and you tell them you are taking a sidealley, they might not be so willing.

Someone that doesn't know how to drive well will probably avoid the bumpy and confusing sideroads.

The word has negative connotation and it's use is benefiting Google. That's my main point, maybe I should of used less safe instead of dangerous.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

I think we more just disagree with your points rather than miss them. We have never seen this term be scary for the non technically involved people in our lives, nor has the examples you provided to prove your point been considered scary to people we know.

Many times, people in this chain have effectively asked for proof of what you claim, but you just keep reiterating your feeling/opinion.

Now, it's possible that everyone here just associates with people who aren't afraid of technology enough to run across it, but that's all we have to work with until provided evidence.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Because it's not downloading, which is the thing every one thinks is normal. It's different, and potentially dangerous, which your phone will remind you any time you try to do it.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Because it’s not downloading, which is the thing every one thinks is normal.

Not sure I get what you mean by this

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Okay so you're just sticking with repeating the same non-sense over and over.

[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Between hero and Sidekick, which do you think is better. Stop nitpicking and find someone else to fight with, you lout.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Before I knew what sideloading was I just assumed it was a different way of getting apps

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I guess we were all sideloading apps on Win 7 and other prev gens

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Now that there's a Microsoft/Windows app store, any app not sourced there is sideloaded.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

When Microsoft bans installation of legacy Win32 apps, it will be the death on Windows.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It has a definition already, which is the same it always has been. And no, you don't need to differentiate this. We've always installed applications from outside sources. Hell, until recently there weren't even official app stores and shit. Locked down operating systems where you only get what the tech giant wants you to get is a very recent development in order to take control away from the user.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

The reality is that there is a difference now, and it needs to be clarified. How would you, talking to another regular human being communicate to install an app that isn't in the official app store succinctly? If you just tell someone to 'install the app' then you are doing a bad job communicating. Economy of language means that new words are going to form to distill common concepts.

Package managers have existed for a long time, so the concept of app stores isn't new and is actually generally the accepted solution by the open source community. It's typically regarded as the safest way to install software as it comes with auditing and active management.

Side loading does a great job at communicating what is being done, and it helps consolidate the various ways you actually install applications into a nice generic term.

A store being locked down doesn't really have much to do with the concept of side loading anyway, since a locked down device doesn't support it in the first place.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

That didn't answer my question.

Sideloading just means you're installing apps from outside the first party app store. Im not sure where youre getting the shame and discrediting from.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

For Apple it is side loading though, they actively prevent non app store installation