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Just voted your comment up because that is what I would like very much: to have some kind of app store of repository for Windows users, and an option to allow 3rd party software installations. Indeed, it would allow power users to have fun, and normal users would be better protected. Maybe even multiple app stores / app sources / repos would be possible, e.g. sourceforge as a repo.

You mean like 99% of the Linux distributions out there?

What's your point? We know Linux has repos for software distribution, but really, why pointing it out here is useful, I'll never know.

The problem is, I see several challenges here that are huge:

1) App quality control. Part of the appeal of getting apps from a trusted repository (at least on Linux and the App Store) is that you're quite sure anything you install in that manner won't be malware. Linux distros have big distributed teams and the source code at their disposal. Apple has a dedicated team for this. But the Windows app base is one or two orders of magnitude over Linux. Will Microsoft manage to review all that is submitted to the Store?

2) What files are placed where (a major benefit of centralized package management). First, you need a well-thought out file layout (Linux has FHS, Apple has its specific file organization); but traditionally no Windows version has been enforcing this very well. Second, you need to make sure each app observes your file layout. Because if they don't, or you simply run their installer and let them do whatever they want... I don't see much point in the whole thing.

3) Changes to the system. We're talking things like libs, registry modifications, registering for startup etc. It's a can of worms ready to burst. It will need severe policies.

4) Common update mechanism (another major benefit of centralized package management). You want to be able to click a button and have ALL the apps check for updates. Unassisted if needed (at least for security updates). Granted, once issues 1-3 are solved this will be a comparatively minor detail.

5) Migrating existing apps. The App Store and Android started before there were apps for it, their design predates the apps. The Linux repos have access to the source, which helps a lot. But Microsoft will be trying to take this humongous mass of binary apps currently "in the wild" and massage them into a centralized distribution system.

Well, this is assuming that MS isn't going to have OEMs running their own repositories. But if there were only one (as there should be) ...

I doubt that MS will have the time to look over each and every app submitted, but I'm assuming they'd have something set up where anything being uploaded gets auto scanned for viruses/malware, and that users could flag suspect applications. Granted, this is certainly not fool-proof, but it's a hell of a lot better than what we have now.

I don't think the way apps are installed would be much different than the way they are now. You just go to the app store, search for an app you're looking for (pretty much the way that the Android/Apple stores work now), and once you find the app you're looking for, you select 'install' and the app runs through its normal setup routine. IMHO, the point of the app store is not so you can install 900 different apps with a single command, but rather to try and keep the worst of the malware out there off of users' machines.

I would imagine there'd be a common set of APIs built into the OS that apps could use to update themselves.