To counter you, I would look at Chattanooga, TN.

Just because your project was infected with anti-government types wanting to sabotage it doesn't mean all of them will be.

From what it looks like, that project started out great, but then was infected with a bunch of anti-government types who insist on the private sector at all costs, even when it's clear to everyone that the private sector has no interest in doing what needs to be done and is just going to take money to sit on their asses.

Apple isn't forbidding anything; you're perfectly free to not use their platform. What you're bitching about is that you want to use their platform AND have things your way.

Besides, if all those costs are so low, then why don't you start your own store on Android, and charge just 10%? I mean, if the costs are so cheap, then you should be raking in the dough.

Google and Amazon require that, if you sell through their stores, you use their IAP solution, which does take 30%.

However, the issue here is that Microsoft wants preferential treatment. They are not arguing for Apple to drop that requirement for all developers.

You have completely confused the issue.

If you sell through Google Play, you do NOT get to use a 3rd party for your In App Purchases. If you go through a 3rd party store, you can do whatever that 3rd party store allows, but likely it is not as popular as the Google Play one.

This is only the case if developers get more total revenue out of Microsoft's stuff. Per unit costs might be lower, but if you barely ship any, it doesn't really matter.

Google isn't paying for all of that with that fee. They're paying for most of it with advertising. The $25 fee is a little bit of a barrier to entry, designed to slow down spammers and such.

Google is NOT covering their Play Store costs with that one time $25 fee. Not even close.

Just like EVERYTHING else they do, it is subsidized by the money they make on advertising.

Because, as you have been told many times, that is not the case. The benefit is that one is much more likely to make money with a paid app on iOS than on Android. If you're not selling an app, then that's not a benefit you care about. But for many, many, many people out there, it is a benefit.

Just because YOU don't benefit from something doesn't mean others don't either. Thinking like that makes you an asshole.

And both numbers are a rounding error compared to the amount of money that Microsoft would be dealing with if they put Office in either of those stores.

By comparison.

Again, nobody really cares. If you sell stuff on the App store, then the $99 is a pittance. If you're not selling stuff, then it doesn't matter to you, as you've already chosen your platform according to your needs.

Good for you; I hope you're successful.

However, #1, you can buy a used Mac Mini for a couple hundred dollars, so it's not that much. #2, the guidelines for what is allowed in the store are very well known, and there is a 95% passage rate. That's not much of a risk. #3, the Apple App Store is still more popular, so if you're selling your apps, you're probably going to make more money there than on Android.

The one where you apparently are not happy with it, and constantly bitch about the other stuff that's out there, that you have already decided not to use.

Salary is different; you're not including the costs of benefits like insurance and 401k.

A good contractor, who works hourly, can easily command $100/hour to $250/hour, or more.

But they're not a douchebag. They're just charging a price that you're not willing to pay.

Is Ferrari a douchebag for not selling me one of their cars for the same price I could buy a Civic for?

He doesn't want a whole bunch of shitty "for fun" apps that aren't any good becoming noise in the App Store?

If you're going to write it once and forget about it, then I don't want you releasing it on any store, as that's just polluting it with noise and crap. If you're going to write something to release on the store, put effort into it, and actually fix it when it needs fixing.