6 ms·

Why is it called side-loading here? Isn't that just downloading?

orphea 13d ago
It's installing, not just downloading.
paxys 13d ago
Downloading and installing an app from a source other than the official store included with the OS. Because that is a mouthful people named it "sideloading".
- roosterIllusi0n 13d ago
  There is no such thing as an official store for anything. You can use any app store you want. But normal installing without an app store is called normal. The app store is the side show. If an OS locks you to their brand's app store and blocks normal installation, that is not legal since its a monopoly action.
  - Dylan16807 13d ago
    > There is no such thing as an official store for anything. This goes beyond advocacy into straight up... well I won't yet call it lying but it's intentionally using words in a way that will mislead people using words the normal way. That we should just call things installing, yeah I see where you're coming from. But in your other comment where you go so far as to conclude that "The side load is the app store"? That's just wrong.
    - roosterIllusi0n 12d ago
      US law should never have allowed it. That is without passing anything new. The OS controlling the software that can run on it is absolutely illegal. So you don't get to call something an "official app store" when the notion is illegal. Regulators may not regulate, but we don't change how we describe things factually. Just look at the poor security record of these "official" app stores. They are not official anything.
      - Dylan16807 12d ago
        > The OS controlling the software that can run on it is absolutely illegal. But that is a different thing from having an official app store. App stores and package managers are the same thing, and Linux distros with total freedom have official package managers and repositories.
- NewJazz 13d ago
  "Direct app installation"
- stuaxo 13d ago
  Eh, but you can just install apks now you don't need to say where it's from when you talk about it, or if I did I might say "install SillyOpenSourceApp" from Fdroid.
- mrheosuper 13d ago
  Just call it "installing". I don't "sideload" spotify on my windows machine, i installed it.
- justsomehnguy 12d ago
  Nobody says "I'm downloading and installing an app from the official store for the platform". It's "installed an app" at best. And yes, Android phones had "an official" stores besides Play Market.
opan 12d ago
There's an `adb sideload` command for installing an app on your phone from your PC, with the file on your PC, it's like a remote install. For some reason some people also use the term to refer to installing stuff via apks in general, but if you download an apk from your phone's browser and then open it and install it, that is not sideloading AFAIK.
- saurik 11d ago
  No that command is "adb install". The "adb sideload" command (which I did not even realize existed) is for installing custom firmware.
  - opan 8d ago
    Checking my shell history on my PC, I have used adb sideload both with apk files and zips of custom ROMs and such.

It's installing, not just downloading.

paxys 13d ago

Downloading and installing an app from a source other than the official store included with the OS. Because that is a mouthful people named it "sideloading".

roosterIllusi0n 13d ago
There is no such thing as an official store for anything. You can use any app store you want. But normal installing without an app store is called normal. The app store is the side show. If an OS locks you to their brand's app store and blocks normal installation, that is not legal since its a monopoly action.
- Dylan16807 13d ago
  > There is no such thing as an official store for anything. This goes beyond advocacy into straight up... well I won't yet call it lying but it's intentionally using words in a way that will mislead people using words the normal way. That we should just call things installing, yeah I see where you're coming from. But in your other comment where you go so far as to conclude that "The side load is the app store"? That's just wrong.
  - roosterIllusi0n 12d ago
    US law should never have allowed it. That is without passing anything new. The OS controlling the software that can run on it is absolutely illegal. So you don't get to call something an "official app store" when the notion is illegal. Regulators may not regulate, but we don't change how we describe things factually. Just look at the poor security record of these "official" app stores. They are not official anything.
    - Dylan16807 12d ago
      > The OS controlling the software that can run on it is absolutely illegal. But that is a different thing from having an official app store. App stores and package managers are the same thing, and Linux distros with total freedom have official package managers and repositories.
NewJazz 13d ago
"Direct app installation"
stuaxo 13d ago
Eh, but you can just install apks now you don't need to say where it's from when you talk about it, or if I did I might say "install SillyOpenSourceApp" from Fdroid.
mrheosuper 13d ago
Just call it "installing". I don't "sideload" spotify on my windows machine, i installed it.
justsomehnguy 12d ago
Nobody says "I'm downloading and installing an app from the official store for the platform". It's "installed an app" at best. And yes, Android phones had "an official" stores besides Play Market.

opan 12d ago

There's an `adb sideload` command for installing an app on your phone from your PC, with the file on your PC, it's like a remote install. For some reason some people also use the term to refer to installing stuff via apks in general, but if you download an apk from your phone's browser and then open it and install it, that is not sideloading AFAIK.

saurik 11d ago
No that command is "adb install". The "adb sideload" command (which I did not even realize existed) is for installing custom firmware.
- opan 8d ago
  Checking my shell history on my PC, I have used adb sideload both with apk files and zips of custom ROMs and such.