this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2025
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142
Unofficial TikTok downloads surge in the US (www.bbc.com)
submitted 1 day ago by schizoidman@lemm.ee to c/technology@lemmy.world
19 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/109565

top 19 comments
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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 149 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (5 children)

"Sideloading" isn't an actual thing. It's a word the industry made up to make installing your own software sound dangerous.

All traditional Windows applications were "sideloaded" and back then it was just fucking called installing an application.

Prior to the bullshit ass Microsoft Store, sideloading was literally the only way to get shit on Windows.

Linux also always allowed you to install applications directly. Everyone just uses package management software at this point because it's all well managed and easier to keep things updated, but you can still install things manually with make.

If this leads more people to understand that "sideloading" is some contrived boogeyman bullshit for just being allowed to install what you want on the device you fucking own that's a good thing.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As a traditional Mac user I also “side loaded” applications

[–] IMALlama@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As a recent modern Mac user, this experience is so bizarre and is always a little different.

I grew up on macs (thanks mom) and built a PC as soon as I had my first real job in highschool. I recently bought a MacBook for the promise of battery life and cool running. If only it was easier to get my arm windows laptop to boot Linux...

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Back in the 80s and 90s it was a lot like installing software on Windows except you’d drag the application to where you wanted it instead of doing a:\setup.exe

[–] T156@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Linux also always allowed you to install applications directly. Everyone just uses package management software at this point because it's all well managed and easier to keep things updated, but you can still install things manually with make.

You only need make if you're compiling. Installating precompiled software is somewhat easier, since it's basically just copying to /bin. If you know where that is, then it's simple.

[–] privatizetwiddle@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 day ago

make install typically also handles copying things like libraries, shared assets, and docs as needed, but yeah precompiled software is usually a tar... or loading a downloaded package file into the package manager.

[–] PoolloverNathan@programming.dev 2 points 1 day ago

There's even .deb, .rpm, flakes, whatever pacman uses, … that are just package files that copy to /bin/ for you, like .apk/.ipas.

[–] cm0002@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sideloading doesn't sound dangerous, if anything it sounds cool lol

[–] errer@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It sounds cool because it sounds dangerous

[–] funkajunk@lemm.ee 1 points 23 hours ago

I guess you've convinced me to sideload and smoke cigarettes.

I'm going to be so fucking cool.

[–] Tiefa@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Hell yeah. Lemme put on my hacker glasses and sideload some shit.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

It's a word the industry made up to make installing your own software sound dangerous.

[citation needed]

Prior to the bullshit ass Microsoft Store, sideloading was literally the only way to get shit on Windows.

Yeah, I mean that made sense when it was the only way. There was no need to differentiate. That's not the case anymore.

[–] jasep@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The term "sideloading" has been around since the 90s. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideloading

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 4 points 1 day ago

The term "sideload" was coined in the late 1990s by online storage service i-drive as an alternative means of transferring and storing computer files virtually instead of physically.

Sounds like it was something very different back then...

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

ulrich!

now you are lars ulrich. How many ulrichs can you be?

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 3 points 1 day ago

Oh merde! You caught me!

[–] RamblingPanda@lemmynsfw.com 9 points 1 day ago

Oh, so now they realized how sideloading works after they bought phones with the app pre-installed.

[–] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

I think I figured out why America is so dumb. Because they can't go a day without scrolling through mindless garbage on Tiktok.