Raspberry Pi Now Has an App Store

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Now there's a place where Raspberry Pi users can download apps for their cool gadget.

The group behind the popular Raspberry Pi platform introduced the Pi Store on Monday, a place where users can download and install apps on their credit card-sized PC. The new storefront was launched to make it easier for developers of all ages to share their games, applications, tools and tutorials with the rest of the community.

"The Pi Store will, we hope, become a one-stop shop for all your Raspberry Pi needs; it’s also an easier way into the Raspberry Pi experience for total beginners, who will find everything they need to get going in one place, for free," said Eben Upton.

According to Upton, the store runs as an X application under Raspbian, and allows users to download content, and to upload their own content for moderation and release. So far the Pi Store features 23 free titles and one paid app, the latter called Storm on a Teacup by Cobra Mobile. Free offerings include LibreOffice, Asterisk, Freeciv, OpenTTD, the Raspberry Pi exclusive Indium Rising and more.

"You can choose whether to make your content free or paid: the store has a tip jar mechanism, so even if you’re not charging (and not charging will get you far more downloads), you still have the opportunity to make some money from your development work if people really like it," he said.

Raspberry Pi developers are encouraged to submit binaries, raw Python code, images, audio or video, and soon Scratch content. Raspberry Pi-related media of all different formats will be made available as well including the MagPi magazine, he said.

"As ever with things Pi, the community is going to be key to making the Pi Store great. As well as submitting your own projects (and there are tools in there to help you get started, like free sprite packages for budding games developers), you can help us out by reviewing and rating the stuff you download," Upton said. "The Pi Store has a recommendation engine which is tailored to you and your preferences, so the more you review, the better the recommendations we’ll be able to offer you (and other users) will be."

To read the full blog post, head here. To gain access to the Pi Store, an updated Raspbian image which includes the new store is available on the Raspberry Pi downloads page here. Or, Raspbian users can add the Pi Store application to their existing install by typing:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install pistore

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Kevin Parrish
5 Comments Comment from the forums
  • annymmo
    "You can choose whether to make your content free or paid: the store has a tip jar mechanism, so even if you’re not charging (and not charging will get you far more downloads), you still have the opportunity to make some money from your development work if people really like it," he said.

    So it's a donation system. Just call it donations.

    I hope you can also work without the app store and the app store will have filters that allow for only quality controlled stuff. This way people can be protected without the downsides of a traditional walled garden approach.
    Reply
  • jerm1027
    annymmoSo it's a donation system. Just call it donations.I hope you can also work without the app store and the app store will have filters that allow for only quality controlled stuff. This way people can be protected without the downsides of a traditional walled garden approach.I think a tip jar sounds better. Tips are usually what you give for quality service. Donations are typically to continue funding a service/project. When you get a quality app, sometimes you have all the features you could want and just want to say thanks. That's where tip jar seems more appropriate.
    Reply
  • Achoo22
    annymmoSo it's a donation system. Just call it donations.jerm1027I think a tip jar sounds better. Tips are usually what you give for quality service. Donations are typically to continue funding a service/project.
    If we're going to argue about what to call it, I vote for "a total rip-off!" Software is easy enough to locate - do we really want to give yet another party a chance to set themselves up as a middle-man? What users get, in exchange for paying extra to offset costs? Extra DRM, that's what. What do devs get in exchange for high merchant/transaction fees and 25% of their gross? Customers that require extra support thanks to a flaky platform and SDK. Seriously, if you "donate" $2 USD for a game, the developer is going to net less than $0.75, and they're forced to use Paypal (which itself has terms of use unacceptable for most business activity) to receive it.

    Better to give these guys the finger, along with Valve/Steam, EA/Origin, and anyone else who thinks we're stupid enough to accept their meager offerings as value enough to allow them to insert themselves as middle-men like a tick drinking our blood.
    Reply
  • chewy1963
    Tip or Donation.... App Store or Web Site for Downloads.... It's just semantics !
    Reply
  • jerm1027
    Achoo22If we're going to argue about what to call it, I vote for "a total rip-off!" Software is easy enough to locate - do we really want to give yet another party a chance to set themselves up as a middle-man? What users get, in exchange for paying extra to offset costs? Extra DRM, that's what. What do devs get in exchange for high merchant/transaction fees and 25% of their gross? Customers that require extra support thanks to a flaky platform and SDK. Seriously, if you "donate" $2 USD for a game, the developer is going to net less than $0.75, and they're forced to use Paypal (which itself has terms of use unacceptable for most business activity) to receive it.Better to give these guys the finger, along with Valve/Steam, EA/Origin, and anyone else who thinks we're stupid enough to accept their meager offerings as value enough to allow them to insert themselves as middle-men like a tick drinking our blood.Did you even read the article?
    "The Pi Store will, we hope, become a one-stop shop for all your Raspberry Pi needs; it’s also an easier way into the Raspberry Pi experience for total beginners, who will find everything they need to get going in one place, for free,"...
    ... "You can choose whether to make your content free or paid: the store has a tip jar mechanism, so even if you’re not charging (and not charging will get you far more downloads), you still have the opportunity to make some money from your development work if people really like it,"
    Most of the software will likely be free, and the store is meant to help unify the community, not profits. A tip is a payment provided freely, without obligation, as a token of appreciation to someone who provides a service.
    Reply