档案库 · 消费应用 · 战略决策 · 2008
BaseShield推出沙盒Windows应用商店,主打第三方软件
Secure by Design的BaseShield于2008年11月25日推出Windows下载商店:一键沙盒安装第三方应用,效仿iTunes模式。
BaseShield
做的是什么生意
BaseShield was a downloadable Windows app store: users installed the store client, then downloaded and launched third-party programs with one click from a sandboxed virtualization layer that limited what each app could access.
起因
Patrick Swieskowski and Sascha Kuzins, both described as serious open-source hackers, founded the Y Combinator startup Secure by Design in the Winter 2008 batch. When Microsoft opened an online software store in November 2008 that sold almost only Microsoft products, they read it as a sign that packaged software was dying — and built the store Microsoft left out.
经过
BaseShield App Store launched on November 25, 2008 with about two dozen free, open-source apps, including Inkscape, AbiWord, Neverball, Celestia and Frets On Fire. Each app ran on a virtualization layer above Windows, could be installed and removed with one click, and could still use full PC power including 3D graphics chips. Developers got their software into the store by filling out a form with a link to their software; BaseShield did the rest. TechCrunch described the product as close to a technology proof of concept, noting the business model was unsettled but would likely mirror the iTunes App Store's percentage cut.
还没有结局,它还在跑。
背景
Secure by Design是一家Y Combinator初创公司,成立于2008年冬季批次,由Patrick Swieskowski和Sascha Kuzins创建,两人都是资深开源黑客。2008年11月微软开设自己的在线软件商店,销售的多为Office、Vista、鼠标和键盘,二人由此断定盒装软件正在消亡——而替代它的商店不应局限于单一供应商的目录。
他们的答案BaseShield于2008年11月25日上线:一个Windows下载商店,用户可一键安装和启动第三方应用。每个应用都在操作系统之上的虚拟化层运行,从而降低恶意软件感染机器的机会;每个程序可一键删除,同时充分利用PC性能,包括3D图形。上线目录包含约二十款免费开源软件,如Inkscape、AbiWord、Neverball、Celestia和Frets On Fire。
BaseShield最初是一个技术概念验证,商业模式尚未确定;创始人预期像iTunes应用商店那样从付费应用销售中抽取分成,开发者可通过简单表单提交软件。TechCrunch当日报道了该发布,并在Hacker News上引发了活跃讨论,但报道未记录用户数量、付费目录或后续里程碑——事实停留在上线当天。
这件事要成立,得有什么
- iPhone应用商店使第三方应用商店成为2008年定义性的分发故事,而Windows对非微软软件缺乏类似渠道
- 微软11月的商店验证了从盒装软件的转移,但只卖自家产品,让整个第三方目录无人竞争
- 沙盒技术应对了那个时代下载Windows应用的核心顾虑——恶意软件,并通过一键安装卸载使安全性可见
- 免费的开源启动目录让两人初创公司在尚未收费或招募大型发行商前,得以验证概念
可借鉴之处
现有商店验证了这种格式,但未开放该领域:微软只销售自家产品,因此第三方目录与可见安全成为两人初创公司可以占有的切入点。
资料来源
- YCombinator Startup Creates A Better Download App Store For Windows (BaseShield)
- The Death of Packaged Software: Microsoft Store Opens On The Web For US Shoppers
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