[BB_Bmore]

According to this article from zdnet 6 Good apps for the BlackBerry Playbook | ZDNetRim has confirmed sideloading will be removed in 2.1 but whatever is already loaded will remain.

Can anyone confirm this?

[zzbsb]

Confirmed true.

[SlcCorrado]

Source please?

[Rwil85]

According to this article from zdnet 6 Good apps for the BlackBerry Playbook | ZDNetRim has confirmed sideloading will be removed in 2.1 but whatever is already loaded will remain.

Can anyone confirm this?

Do we think this will ultimately hurt the Playbook's app catalog?

Or, in effect, help it as developer's will then be forced to decide between developing/porting apps for the Playbook vs. Not having the PB user base see their apps at all?

[Yankee495]

I think they are wrong. I think they're talking about RIM, talking about security.

If that is right I hope someone opens it back up because some droid apps I like.

There are free fart apps. I don't need one, but if I wanted one I don't want to pay .99 for it. Come on man.

[ad19]

I thought Alec Saunders confirmed that sideloading would stay but they are implementing encryption so bar files from app world can only be loaded on one playbook. Android apps could still be sideloaded.

[grover5]

I prefer native apps.

[irsan]

OS 2.0.1.358, RIM has locked your backup files so you cannot use it with sideload. Sideload will not removed (for developer).

[BB_Bmore]

OS 2.0.1.358, RIM has locked your backup files so you cannot use it with sideload. Sideload will not removed (for developer).

This is not true. Apps are still being pirated.

I wish they would clear it up because I came across a conversation on linked in today were someone asked a dev if his app was still coming to playbook and his answer was no because he read that Rim is doing away with android sideloading.

So there is some confusion out there for sure.

[BB_Bmore]

I only have a few apps that I use sideloading kindle,Facebook because native sux. And tweetcaster because it's fast and performs beautifully. Again evernote, dropbox, a few games.

If they remove sideloading I won't be a happy camper.

[SlcCorrado]

I only have a few apps that I use sideloading kindle,Facebook because native sux. And tweetcaster because it's fast and performs beautifully. Again evernote, dropbox, a few games.

If they remove sideloading I won't be a happy camper.

Same here... I think we're still waiting on a definitive answer. I do recall Saunders saying it would stick around, but who knows right?

[peter9477]

This is not true. Apps are still being pirated.

Actually the post you responded to was precisely true. The problem is simply that there are several other mechanisms by which the contents of the .bar files can be retrieved, so there's still lots of ways to pirate. The backup archives as of 2.0.1 are not one of them.

[peter9477]

By the way, the article liked in the OP reads simply as being written by someone who isn't in the loop, since what he wrote would have been considered correct a few weeks ago. He's just spouting out of date info.... as far as I can tell.

[kozmonaut]

I have been exchanging emails with Alec Saunders of RIM, he is the man in-charge of the whole "Courting android developers" thing. He said that sideloading will not be disabled. The only thing that will change is apps downloaded from the RIM App World cannot be sideloaded. This is going to prevent people who buy Angry Birds Space HD and post it for everyone to download, and make the app not work.

[Harryl6134]

I have been exchanging emails with Alec Saunders of RIM, he is the man in-charge of the whole "Courting android developers" thing. He said that sideloading will not be disabled. The only thing that will change is apps downloaded from the RIM App World cannot be sideloaded. This is going to prevent people who buy Angry Birds Space HD and post it for everyone to download, and make the app not work.

I hope this is correct. I currently have 2 or 3 sideloaded apps, none of which is available on app world, and which are all free apps from the sponsor or vendor (like Kindle or Olive Tree reader). I would be horribly disappointed if I lost these!

[Majestic Lion]

It was a bad idea from the start.

[greatwiseone]

No. They ARE not removing sideloading. They are encrypting apps to prevent them from being pirated. The guy doesn't know what he is talking about. There are better PlayBook apps than just these 6...

[peter_betos]

This is not true. Apps are still being pirated.

Actually the post you responded to was precisely true. The problem is simply that there are several other mechanisms by which the contents of the .bar files can be retrieved, so there's still lots of ways to pirate. The backup archives as of 2.0.1 are not one of them.

The cause of the piracy still existing is that the minimum requirements indicated on the app catalog is still having a value of the allowed OS being 2.0.0 and sometimes 1.0.0 (wherein the app files are prone to repackaging as another BAR). Someone already complained this on the support forums and RIM have already provided an option of using 2.0.1 as the minimum OS requirement. It's up to the developers to update the minimum requirements value for their apps in their catalog. Hope that helps.

[peter9477]

peter_betos, actually there are about five other avenues for piracy still in existence, and we're still waiting for RIM to deal with those as well. The issue you describe is just one of many, but there are other techniques not related at all to the backup archives which are still open.

[Jamaicangirl81]

I have been exchanging emails with Alec Saunders of RIM, he is the man in-charge of the whole "Courting android developers" thing. He said that sideloading will not be disabled. The only thing that will change is apps downloaded from the RIM App World cannot be sideloaded. This is going to prevent people who buy Angry Birds Space HD and post it for everyone to download, and make the app not work.

i hope thats right...
i dont have many sideloaded apps, but i'd be sad if i miss the few i do have

[rkennedy01]

peter_betos, actually there are about five other avenues for piracy still in existence, and we're still waiting for RIM to deal with those as well. The issue you describe is just one of many, but there are other techniques not related at all to the backup archives which are still open.

Well, it looks like RIMs efforts have already thwarted at least one major pirate site (see related thread in this forum). So....

RCK

[twdawson]

I hope the apps do get encrypted so they cant be sideloaded by any kiddie trying to get games free.
As for sideloading in future os updates, that wont bother me at all because i dont use that feature, everything i have comes from appworld.

Stopping the sideloading and encryption should help in some way of preventing the piracy, but like any other platform it won't stop it all together.

[BackDaws]

i hope they get rid of sideloading and rim stand on their own 2 feet.

[peter9477]

Well, it looks like RIMs efforts have already thwarted at least one major pirate site (see related thread in this forum). So....

I wasn't talking about pirate sites though, but about mechanisms by which the files for an app can be obtained other than by legitimately purchasing/downloading from App World. And I don't mean just after someone else has already done this and distributed them.

The point is RIM had a leaking boat with multiple holes in it. At this point, they've plugged up one of the holes, but the ship is still sinking... presumably they'll have these things all resolved by BB10, but I hope the effort is finished with the 2.1 release instead.

[Michel Souris]

If it wasn't for sideloading, I still wouldn't have a full functioned email client - that will give me my imap folders, contacts, etc. I have to use Yahoo mail to get this as the native client won't do it. Pitiful. I use about 20 other Android programs as well, to make the PB functional. Without sideloading, the PB is just &^(*^!