There are basically three ways to implement a ‘products for money’ system:
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Anarcho-capitalist: No interference, or control of any kind by authoritative entities. Let the marketplace be the sole decider of which products sell, and which do not - which vendors succeed, and which fail. While the internet offers us a revolutionary new tool (online reviews) for vetting items pre-purchase, it also gives us bots that skew reviews in the direction those with the most money desire. Anarcho-capitalism works when the market has the time to shake itself out. The problem is, greed drives the pursuit of the elusive dollar, and the less moral often make a killing while the marketplace figures out the scams they fell prey to. Remember “Dr. Feelgood’s Magic Elixer?”
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Next there is the model of total control. What Apple so famously once accused Microsoft of (the 1984 commercial) is how Apple does business. You want to release an app? It has to be placed in the Apple Store after going through an exhaustive vetting process. The DRM Act is forcing Apple to release their stranglehold on 3rd party apps and the stores that can sell them. But you can bet that they are working hard to limit their customer’s rights when it comes to installing those apps.
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A balanced approach. Definitely the most difficult, since the authoritative vetting/control/commissioning of apps will be met with praise by some, and cries of “Facism!” by others.
Microsoft is trying to fit into the 3rd model. It’s tough to balance a free-market model with the control needed to ensure a smooth experience when integrating unregulated 3rd party apps into their software. Microsoft has been doing this for decades with other products by offering SDK’s to basically whoever wanted to use them, then disclaiming responsibility when the apps failed.
I’ve seen a lot of both sides of the argument for all three models I listed above. Indeed there are pros and cons to each. The question is: “Where on the spectrum from anarchy to fascism do we as consumers feel most comfortable?” Anarchy gets us a flood of app developers, some looking for market share, some looking to snag a quick buck before the market figures out their product is garbage. Fascism gets us apps that meet strict guidelines for quality and performance before the app hits the market. That takes time. And as we all know (and can see from many of the complaints in this thread) “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
There is no easy answer, and no quick fix.