So in the last couple weeks I bought up altMarket.mobi, ordered another cloud image, and began working on my idea.
My idea: Create an alternative Marketplace for the Android environment with a better navigation and organization scheme, and more flexible application purchase/sales environment.
The idea came after stumbling across Aptoide and APKtor. Repository-styled application client software that permits you to connect to limitless number of repositories to download and install .apk files from. The concept is great, especially for those programmers out there that just want a cheap and easy way to allow their users to get the latest and greatest of their app directly from their own servers. Basically for smaller numbers of applications. I find the biggest limitation is the lack of a category system at the moment, which Aptoide promises to include in the next release or two.
To start with getting familiar with the concept and environment I’ve created what I call “Repo2″ which is meant as a public and free Aptoide server that anyone can upload apps to and it will be scanned and imported into Repo2. At the moment I’m rewriting the scanning scripts to include a test against a blacklist in the event that someone reports pirated software. But regardless, the server can remain. Once I have managed to get Repo2 to run in a nearly completely automated fashion. Repo becomes the new priority. Repo is going to be a complete Server-Client project using the Aptoide source as a reference/guide for XML parsing and display. While the Repo server-side is going to be a PHP program capable of reducing the amount of content to the end user’s phone aimed more at what the end user is looking for versus offering the kitchen sink.
In the first day that Repo2 has become known publicly(one reference on one foreign blog), there have been over 1,100 pings requesting the app list, and over 850 apps downloaded from the server. I’ve not parsed through the log data further as my focus has been in moving the content management forward, but it appears that the HTC Desire is the most common phone used to download from my server. And I’m not sure why/what, but there appears to be something reporting itself as “Java0″ coming in second.
altMarket.mobi – Blog, stats, and community site
repo.altMarket.mobi – Haven’t touched, testing sql/php/xml scripts here.
repo2.altMarket.mobi – Repository and repository browser. Needs redesign and maybe a couple more features. Apps can be reported here at this time.
upload.altMarket.mobi – Upload system. Still needs automation scripts completed and the ability to tap into the user DB to track uploads better.