developer(s) have issues with MicroSoft's Windows Store

[zMeul]

source: http://www.irrlicht3d.org/pivot/entry.php?id=1485

via: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/01/21/windows_10_store_useless_says_developer/

 

a Windows developer, Nikolaus Gebhardt, wrote a blog post about his experience with MicroSoft and his issues with Windows Store

I wrote a couple of apps for the Windows Store (I also blogged why it sucked, but I did it anyway). Most people never heard about it, but yes, there is an app store for Windows. It is quite empty, and IMO, most apps are low quality. My apps are in there since Windows 8, I then upgraded them to Windows 8.1, and now also one of them to Windows 10's universal app platform.

 

The problem: Since Windows 10 arrived, the sales of all of my apps, which have been very low compared to other apps stores, have gone down significantly, nearly to zero (even the one I upgraded to Windows 10). And it is not surprising that this is the case: You cannot find my apps anywhere in the app store. Unless you know the exact name of my app, you won't find it. You can type any of the keywords my apps have in their title, description or even in the list of keywords submitted to the store, and it won't list my apps. Instead, the app store will simply list 2 or 3 other, useless apps. In total. Judging from the developer forums, there are many other developers with this problem. When contacting Microsoft about this, they apparently sent the other developers a prewritten text, saying basically that "they have no control over the search results shown in the store". So I contacted Microsoft myself, to see what this is about. Here is how the mail exchange went (drastically shortened):

 

Me: Hi, since Windows 10, my apps cannot be found in your App store anymore. Please help, and please don't send me that "we have no control over the search results" text you seem to just paste into the forum.

Microsoft: Hi, we don't have any control over the search results in the app store.

Me: [i didn't answer, because I got quite angry about this.]

Microsoft: Hello, it seems you didn't answer to our mail for a week now. Wasn't it helpful?

Me: No, it wasn't. It was just the same text you sent to all the other developers. Are you even aware of the problem?

Microsoft: Sorry that I couldn't help.

 

one week later

Microsoft: Hello, it seems you didn't answer to our mail for a week now. Wasn't it helpful?

 

 

 

another case: https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/Windowsapps/en-US/9b8bd372-43df-40c2-8443-56d0b94a142f/urgent-windows-phone-app-missing-from-the-store-not-searchable?forum=windowsstore

 

One of my app 'Bitbot', related to cryptocurrency market [bitcoin, Litecoin, altcoin] is missing too. I've tried searching for it on Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone 8.

 

Seriously, it've always been a losing business supporting that in fact more than $100 / month on 2 VPS, mobile service, & database. 

I'm only doing so out of interest and my love for the platform. Despite barely scraping 30 downloads per day, not even enough to recover 10% of the cost.

Does this even look like a crap app to you??

 

I've tried contacting support, and what I got was that 'they are improving the store' and failed to give me a good explanation on why it is completely missing.  Even MSDN is full of complains like that and they're totally ignoring it.

 

I'm giving up, can you imagine 10 of your apps missing just like this and downloads crashing to 0 from 4000 / day? I'm focusing on iOS development now..

 

 

---

 

Jeez H Crist, MicroSoft ...

if developers can't find their own bloody app in the Windows Store how the fucking hell would a user find it?!

and people wonder why Windows Phone doesn't have apps, it may have .. good luck finding them if you don't know the exact name

[Tagiau]

Well of course people will have issues with it. It never worked in the first place. 

[flibberdipper]

No matter how much you hate OS X, you people have to admit: At least their App Store isn't a pile of dog shit that was put into a bag and lit on fire on your front porch.

[Sauron]

Maybe they should fix their schiit before asking other developers to port from ios...

[Sauron]

No matter how much you hate OS X, you people have to admit: At least their App Store isn't a pile of dog shit that was put into a bag and lit on fire on your front porch.

 

Microsoft are pretty much the only ones who haven't figured it out yet. Linux repos are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better

[Trixanity]

Microsoft really needs to step up and dedicate some resources to focus solely on the Store and work with developers to make sure the Store gets to where it needs to be. They need to promote quality apps above all else, search results should be accurate and they definitely need curators on the Store.

[iamdarkyoshi]

Since when is it typed "MicroSoft" anywhere? Isnt the 'S' lowercase?

[Trixanity]

Since when is it typed "MicroSoft" anywhere? Isnt the 'S' lowercase?

It is. I believe it was with a uppercase sometime in the 80s but in the past 20 years, definitely lowercase.

Some people just like to make it stylized, particularly using '$' in place of 's'.

[zMeul]

Since when is it typed "MicroSoft" anywhere? Isnt the 'S' lowercase?

<-1975

[TheGamingBarrel]

No matter how much you hate OS X, you people have to admit: At least their App Store isn't a pile of dog shit that was put into a bag and lit on fire on your front porch.

Now lets talk about the ubuntu software center :wub:

[iamdarkyoshi]

<-1975

Well EVERYTHING there is capital But I do see the point in capitalizing the first letter to each word, but it kinda looks weird with Microsoft.

[flibberdipper]

Now lets talk about the ubuntu software center :wub:

Even that is mediocre. No matter what system I try it on, it still throws hissy fits all the time.

[Kherm]

They haven't been known as MicroSoft since 1980

[Trik'Stari]

Microsoft really needs to step up and dedicate some resources to focus solely on the Store and work with developers to make sure the Store gets to where it needs to be. They need to promote quality apps above all else, search results should be accurate and they definitely need curators on the Store.

They're too busy trying to force everyone into a closed Eco system (similar to Apple's). The problem there is, and I can't believe these words are coming out of my fingers, but at least Apple has decent customer service.

 

M$'s idea of customer service is "This is how we're doing things, if you don't like it or it doesn't work for you....go fuck yourself"

[suicidalfranco]

Now lets talk about the ubuntu software center :wub:

so hyped for the overhaul update coming with 16.04

 

back on topic: MS be like: Only way to fix this is to throw MOAR telemetry at the problem! the more data we gather, the more clear the problem will be

[cesrai]

They're too busy trying to force everyone into a closed Eco system (similar to Apple's). The problem there is, and I can't believe these words are coming out of my fingers, but at least Apple has decent customer service.

 

M$'s idea of customer service is "This is how we're doing things, if you don't like it or it doesn't work for you....go fuck yourself"

"decent customer service" I think you're being stingy. And you said something good about Apple are you sick or something ?

[GoodBytes]

Yea I noticed. The search engines for Apps sucked in Windows 8, and continues to be the same in Windows 10 (same code probably).

I think the problem is that the search bar just does direct database queries. It doesn't have an actual search engine.

I am surprised that Microsoft didn't use Bing engine for this.

[zMeul]

I am surprised that Microsoft didn't use Bing engine for this.

most likely would return porn  :lol:

[Guest Kloaked]

Yea I noticed. The search engines for Apps sucked in Windows 8, and continues to be the same in Windows 10 (same code probably).

I think the problem is that the search bar just does direct database queries. It doesn't have an actual search engine.

I am surprised that Microsoft didn't use Bing engine for this.

Yeah you'd think the company responsible for Bing would have this down.

[deviant88]

How does miscrosoft survive with this crappy business ? or right theres only one OS still.

[Guest Kloaked]

How does miscrosoft survive with this crappy business ? or right theres only one OS still.

They're in other markets. There isn't just one person micromanaging everything, so stuff like this is bound to happen when you hire people who don't know the market.

[spartaman64]

They're too busy trying to force everyone into a closed Eco system (similar to Apple's). The problem there is, and I can't believe these words are coming out of my fingers, but at least Apple has decent customer service.

 

M$'s idea of customer service is "This is how we're doing things, if you don't like it or it doesn't work for you....go fuck yourself"

lol the power button got jammed on my imac and the genius bar guys literally used a wedge screw driver on it which didnt completely fix it as sure i can turn it on now but i need to press really hard and they charged me 70 dollars for that

[Trik'Stari]

"decent customer service" I think you're being stingy. And you said something good about Apple are you sick or something ?

It's possible.

[Misanthrope]

They're too busy trying to force everyone into a closed Eco system (similar to Apple's). The problem there is, and I can't believe these words are coming out of my fingers, but at least Apple has decent customer service.

M$'s idea of customer service is "This is how we're doing things, if you don't like it or it doesn't work for you....go fuck yourself"

That's the issue: if you finally force me into it why doesn't the fucking store works, that's like the entire fucking point for them and it doesn't works

[Trik'Stari]

lol the power button got jammed on my imac and the genius bar guys literally used a wedge screw driver on it which didnt completely fix it as sure i can turn it on now but i need to press really hard and they charged me 70 dollars for that

Wow. And I was just trying to give Apple some credit.

 

That's the issue: if you finally force me into it why doesn't the fucking store works, that's like the entire fucking point for them and it doesn't works

There's always Linux. Not perfect, but at least it forces you to learn.