Multi How Do We Get Affinity Store (Windows) Updates

[Pindasmeer]

that is, if Windows 8 has that Desktop bridge too. if not, it woould be w10 only.

I don't think Windows 8 is compatible with the Desktop Bridge.

 

Here I go, getting off topic again. Haha. So the bottom line is that I guess Affinity sells their Windows products in their own store for more safer security reasons.

I'd say the main reason is the fact that the Store (with Desktop Bridge ability) is available to Windows 10 users only (with 'only' 26,8% market share*). I think the app could still be provided to the Store for those users though (alongside a download option via the Affinity site, like Evernote, Slack and Telegram Desktop), as this would give users the benefits of a simplified setup (without serial-key hassles), clean uninstall, much smaller chance of getting a virus/malware, auto-updates and access for the devs to new API's such as push notifications and live tiles. Here's a little app store comparison. I think an increasing amount of people are willing to pay for these benefits - and students who will be using Windows 10S wouldn't even be able to download any apps outside of the Store.

 

Like the discussion though, thanks for that  ^_^ 

 

* To compare: Mac OS X 10.12 has a market share of 3.2%

[R C-R]

Pindasmeer,

 

For me, the User Camp article reads like something from a fantasy world. To begin with, saying "The Windows Store has become the best vendor-owned store experience today, bar none" seems more than a little over the top when publications like Digital Trends are saying things like this. There are also articles like this one that, while nearly a year old, still seem relevant, particularly about Microsoft's reticence to reveal meaningful statistics about their store's actual sales volume.

 

But apart from that, there is still the issue of the amount of user data Microsoft collects & how Microsoft might use it. It is as if the author of the User Camp article can see this only from a developer's perspective, while ignoring the ever increasing concerns people have about their privacy.

 

Maybe things will change in the future but so far there does not seem to be much interest in getting the Affinity Windows apps through the Windows Store, at least if this forum is any indication.

[Pindasmeer]

Pindasmeer,

 

For me, the User Camp article reads like something from a fantasy world. To begin with, saying "The Windows Store has become the best vendor-owned store experience today, bar none" seems more than a little over the top when publications like Digital Trends are saying things like this. There are also articles like this one that, while nearly a year old, still seem relevant, particularly about Microsoft's reticence to reveal meaningful statistics about their store's actual sales volume.

 

But apart from that, there is still the issue of the amount of user data Microsoft collects & how Microsoft might use it. It is as if the author of the User Camp article can see this only from a developer's perspective, while ignoring the ever increasing concerns people have about their privacy.

 

Maybe things will change in the future but so far there does not seem to be much interest in getting the Affinity Windows apps through the Windows Store, at least if this forum is any indication.

I agree the User Camp article is overly positive. And I also believe that the Windows Store is struggling, as is suggested by the articles mentioned by you. Microsoft obviously did a very bad job at gaining trust from users and developers.

 

But I think that in its current state, the Windows Store and developer tools are very capable. I think that the main reason why the Store is struggling is the lack of qualitative apps such as Affinity Photo (creating a downwards spiral).

 

In my opinion there are little arguments against the Windows Store that do not apply to the App Store by Apple. Even when it comes to data collection and privacy concerns.

 

Maybe things will change in the future but so far there does not seem to be much interest in getting the Affinity Windows apps through the Windows Store, at least if this forum is any indication.

You might be right, I will still consider it a missed opportunity but I see no point in continuing this discussion :). Thanks for your input all.

 

Update: Seems like Apple will be adding iTunes to the Windows Store as well.

 

Update 2: Another article by The Verge on Microsoft's current strategy concerning the Store

 

Update 3: WhatsApp is also coming to the Store, it seems ;)

Edited May 15, 2017 by Pindasmeer

[Trubador]

Affinity Windows software will prompt you each time you start the application to (optionally) open a browser window to our updates page. 

It would be really good if it was converted to a Windows Store (I understand MS allow this to be done easily these days with a special conversion program ?) so updates were handled through the store, it's a little annoying when I go to settle down to do some work and the first thing I have to do is an update... (minor annoyance ... but still) and yes I can postpone it but I am likely to forget when I finish and be confronted again next time :) The Store handles updates in the background

 

EDIT: should have read further in the thread ! DOH !

[My1]

well winstore is w10 only which is a problem but affinity could also handle this in background, if it would (upon confirmation) Download the update and when close or restart it will replace itself with the downloaded update

[Pindasmeer]

well winstore is w10 only which is a problem

...for users of old operating systems. As suggested before, the installer could still be provided on the website.

 

Microsoft is working hard on creating a safe store with many benefits to end users and some for developers. Spotify, WhatsApp, Slack, Evernote, Telegram and even Apple are now bringing their current win32 apps to the Store (apparently the earlier mentioned privacy concerns aren't that big if even Apple is now adding iTunes to the Store).

 

[R C-R]

well winstore is w10 only which is a problem but affinity could also handle this in background, if it would (upon confirmation) Download the update and when close or restart it will replace itself with the downloaded update

I think that is more than a little convoluted, potentially prone to errors, & (more to the point) would require a lot of development & testing that would be better spent on eliminating bugs & improving existing or adding new features to the apps.

[R C-R]

... (apparently the earlier mentioned privacy concerns aren't that big if even Apple is now adding iTunes to the Store).

It remains to be seen how Apple will deal with any security or privacy concerns that occur when iTunes for Windows is in the Windows Store, but there is still some reason to be concerned about the amount & kind of user specific data Microsoft is collecting when Windows Store apps are being used after they are installed.

[My1]

I know that itunes is coming but a problem of the win store (as of most other stores) is that you need an account of the store and that the store is relatively unflexible in the usage conditions. I dunno how many device the win store lets you use with stuff you purchase there but affinity has a quite dynamic usage license, where you can use it on as many computers as you own, for example and it also allows shared usage on certain conditions, I dunno how the win store will do anything related to that. Are Windows apps limited to only the installing user or can it also be installed for everyone?

 

and @R-C-R this replace yourself thing is kinda what I saw from chrome and opera and thought it was intresting because you dont have to do the update actively and wait but essentially the update occurs in background and on the next start, the update is in.

[R C-R]

and @R-C-R this replace yourself thing is kinda what I saw from chrome and opera and thought it was intresting because you dont have to do the update actively and wait but essentially the update occurs in background and on the next start, the update is in.

This still would require considerable development work to implement that feature in the Windows versions, & unless those versions completely replace the current Affinity Store ones, in effect there would be two different Windows versions of each app to maintain.

 

It also does not resolve the Windows 7 usability issue or the one you just mentioned about different licensing restrictions.

 

Just as an aside, the Mac App Store does not require creating a separate store account. Users need just one one personal account tied to their Apple ID for access to all of Apple services through any suitable Apple device running one of the three Apple OS's (macOS/OS X, iOS, & tvOS). It remains to be seen how this will work with the Windows iTunes app running on PC's, but I would be very surprised if Apple would agree to allow Microsoft to collect any user data relating to a user's Apple ID.

[My1]

the self-replace update doesnt have anything to do with the windows store or anything, and both chrome and opera run on Windows 7. it is just a better way of updating the thing without having to rely on pretty much any store or other stuff.

[Pindasmeer]

Just as an aside, the Mac App Store does not require creating a separate store account. Users need just one one personal account tied to their Apple ID for access to all of Apple services through any suitable Apple device running one of the three Apple OS's (macOS/OS X, iOS, & tvOS).

Same is true for Windows 10. Users create a Microsoft Account, which you can use for all its services including the Store.

 

It remains to be seen how this will work with the Windows iTunes app running on PC's, but I would be very surprised if Apple would agree to allow Microsoft to collect any user data relating to a user's Apple ID.

You will probably be surprised then  :lol: ​.

As far as I know, Microsoft will only acquire general usage statistics (such as how often a user opens an app, for how long, and data about crashes), just as Apple does in its own app store. I still see no difference between the App Store on Mac and the Windows Store as far as user data is concerned.

[My1]

well tying the user account to an online account is a feature that I despised on my windows 8. and I was glad that you can run the store by just using the MS account for the store without tying any accounts to my User account directly.

[R C-R]

As far as I know, Microsoft will only acquire general usage statistics (such as how often a user opens an app, for how long, and data about crashes), just as Apple does in its own app store. I still see no difference between the App Store on Mac and the Windows Store as far as user data is concerned.

No, Apple does not collect the same amount of user data. For example, Apple does not collect data about how often the app is opened or used, or anything other than the pre-purchase metrics that help developers judge how effective their marketing is (like store product page views).

 

The exception to this is sending diagnostic data about three specific kinds of events (app crashes, force quitting apps, & system errors that require a restart) to Apple, but this is far different from & more limited than the routine runtime usage statistics Microsoft collects. Users may opt out of sending any of this to Apple, & separately to elect to send some of this data to developers. They are given an opportunity to do that when setting up their Apple ID, when setting up a new device, or at any later time through system preferences, plus an opportunity to view the analytic info locally before sending it to Apple or even if they have opted out of doing that.

 

The data is sent anonymously, but Apple points out that location & hardware data is included so users concerned about that can make an informed decision about opting out. If the device is not connected to the internet at the time of the event, it will be sent the next time it is, but after a month it will be deleted from the device, whether sent or not.

 

I am not sure how this compares to Microsoft's data collection practices but on the Apple side It is about as transparent a process as one could reasonably hope for.

[Pindasmeer]

For example, Apple does not collect data about how often the app is opened or used, or anything other than the pre-purchase metrics that help developers judge how effective their marketing is (like store product page views).

​Citing the Apple Developer site:

 

User Engagement

App Analytics provides user engagement metrics, including number of sessions, active devices, and retention. With these metrics, you can evaluate the impact of product changes — such as modifying the initial onboarding experience — to see which changes improve engagement with your app.

 

The exception to this is sending diagnostic data about three specific kinds of events (app crashes, force quitting apps, & system errors that require a restart) to Apple, but this is far different from & more limited than the routine runtime usage statistics Microsoft collects.

​Microsoft does indeed collect usage data on OS level by default. But with regard app downloaded via the Store, I haven't seen any evidence of Microsoft collecting 'routine runtime usage statistics'.

 

Developers on the other hand have the ability to gather analytics on self defined 'custom events'. But that's up to the developer to decide. And besides, there are other ways for developers to gather usage statistics as well.

 

Users may opt out of sending any of this to Apple, & separately to elect to send some of this data to developers. They are given an opportunity to do that when setting up their Apple ID, when setting up a new device, or at any later time through system preferences, plus an opportunity to view the analytic info locally before sending it to Apple or even if they have opted out of doing that.

​On Windows 10, users can opt-out of sharing detailed usage data with Microsoft too (that is, any data not needed for the OS to work properly). 

 

 

I am not sure how this compares to Microsoft's data collection practices but on the Apple side It is about as transparent a process as one could reasonably hope for.

 

I agree, and that's what you pay for after all. On the Microsoft side, more data is shared on OS level, but one can opt-out for most of this. However, with regard to the Store, I see little difference between Apple's and Microsoft variants. Microsoft simply needs developers too badly to make any more mistakes in this department :).

 

If privacy concerns are the only thing holding back from publishing through the Store, I'd suggest asking advice from Microsoft. However, it seems like optimizing the distribution and update process doesn't get any priority (which is fine, we all have to prioritize after all). Just wanted to know!

[R C-R]

@Pindasmeer

 

Regarding the "user engagement metrics, including number of sessions, active devices, and retention" provided by Apple's Analytics, note that this is confined to store visit, "click through" purchase, & related data. It has nothing to do with how the app is used after purchase like how many times it is opened, or for how long it is used per user session. It is strictly for evaluating marketing effectiveness.

 

Apple does not allow Mac App Store developers to collect any kind of detailed usage data like Microsoft allows them to collect, including with so-called "custom events." The closest MAS developers can get to that is if an app were to crash repeatedly in a short enough period of time that each crash report's time stamp could be used to infer approximately how often it was opened & how long before it crashed, but unless the app is crashing there is nothing that will generate a report, whether or not users have opted into sending crash reports to the developers.

 

Also note that even Microsoft's "Basic" data collection level includes info about all the apps installed on the device, not just Windows Store ones, & may collect other info like file names or other data many would consider too personal or personally identifiable to share with any company or other outside source. The "Full" level is much more intrusive, collecting not just app use statistics (for all apps) but also browser history & search terms!

 

At least to me, this suggests that Microsoft is interested in collecting a lot more than just the diagnostic information needed to improve its products and services.

[FriendDesign]

Hi guys! Forgive me the offtop, did not want to create a topic on a small issue, but did not find it in the search.

 

Q: If I buy an Affinity Design, can I put one copy it on my laptop and PC? Or one version per device?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Alfred]

Q: If I buy an Affinity Design, can I put one copy it on my laptop and PC? Or one version per device?

 

From the Affinity License Agreement:

 

... you are permitted:

 

1. if you are a private individual, to download, install, use and run for personal use, one (1) copy of the Serif Software directly on each computer running Microsoft Windows (“Windows Computer”) that you personally own or control. Commercial use is permitted but only use by you and not by any other users of any Windows Computers that you own or control. For example, other members of your household that use your Windows Computers may make personal use of the Serif Software whereas, if anyone other than yourself needs to make commercial use of the Serif Software, the other user will need to make a separate purchase.

 

[My1]

it's also written here by the way: https://affinity.store/en-gb/help/

[FriendDesign]

 

From the Affinity License Agreement:

 

 

 

 

it's also written here by the way: https://affinity.store/en-gb/help/

 

THANK YOU!!!  :wub: I did not read carefully about the license agreement :rolleyes:! Thank you :) !!!

[My1]

well that's no surprise these things are often seriously long and complicated and it gets worse if they are not written in your language and we have gotten quite used to just clicking okay. there really should be in general everywhere a short and easy to understand outline that explains everything important without all the complex legal wording and stuff

[dkibui]

I don't know too much about the Windows App Store, but isn't it just for more basic programs? Any time I took a look at it when I had Windows 10, I thought all UIs looked the same and minimalistic. Another reason might be for safer installations?

 

These days they also support full versions of the normal software we use everyday! The other day I saw they have the full version of Inkscape, the opensource vector software. I don't know how good an idea it is to port the full versions of AD or AP to the Windows store because there are many users still using other versions of Windows.

[Bri-Toon]

These days they also support full versions of the normal software we use everyday! The other day I saw they have the full version of Inkscape, the opensource vector software.

 

Even though I don't use Windows any more, that is certainly good to know for the knowledge.

 

It is a shame that there are programs like Inkscape which are not in the Mac App Store. There is InkDraw which looks the same, but it has a $10 price whereas the original is free, and it has horrible reviews. But hey, I use Designer, so I can't complain. I just wish that a lot of Windows exclusive programs could run on Mac as well.

[My1]

It is a shame that there are programs like Inkscape which are not in the Mac App Store. There is InkDraw which looks the same, but it has a $10 price whereas the original is free, and it has horrible reviews. But hey, I use Designer, so I can't complain. I just wish that a lot of Windows exclusive programs could run on Mac as well.

why care, as far as I remember mac doesnt force the appstore, just ios, watch and tvos do.

[Bri-Toon]

why care, as far as I remember mac doesnt force the appstore, just ios, watch and tvos do.

 

But what I'm saying is that after I switched from Windows to Mac, there are programs I had to give up on since they only run on Windows (video editors, Kingsoft, and others), but I guess that isn't really relevant here.