So Flowx is back on Google Play now. There was no notification that the changes were accepted or the appeal was accepted of that the app was live again. Nothing.
During the 1-2 days the app was removed from the Google Play store, Flowx missed out on new subscriptions and it seems the recurring subscriptions were cancelled.
I find it crazy Google can do this to people with no recourse.
This is why we need multiple app stores on each platform.
As a solo developer, it has been hard to support multiple app stores but now I will make an effort, encourage other developers to list on other stores and encourage users to install from the smaller stores.
I know it's hopeful, but I hope get get a better app ecosystem.
I remember when Apple and Google worked hard to woo developers and users, now they own the market, they can act without concern.
The store blurb lists the data models available in the app, for example, NOAA HRRR and DWD D2, which only cover certain regions in the world. This is important for the user to know before installing the app.
Also, all other weather apps, including Windy and Ventusky, lists the weather models that are available in their app.
This violation notice just doesn't make sense, this is why I wonder if it was an AI process that removed it.
I'm the developer of Flowx[0], an Android and iOS weather app, and I've just added the solar eclipse path and shadow which can be superimposed over the weather forecast - in particular the low, mid and high cloud forecasts.
I've also created an OpenZone which make all weather data (including HRRR) freely available over North America for the period leading up to the eclipse day.
This is available in the latest Apple App Store release. Unfortunately, I could not get this out to production Android in time but have an alpha test version. Contact me if you are interested in the alpha test version.
Apple did not build the ecosystem alone. The ecosystem is made up of the platform, the developers and the users. Lose one of these and you don't have an ecosystem. If all the developers leave, users will leave. If all users leave, developers will leave.
I would argue developers put in just as much, if not more effort.
Apple did not build the ecosystem alone, nor does it own the ecosystem. It is merely acting as a uncool gatekeeper.
I read RNZ news and came across this article. I don't know this couple and I don't know if they did anything wrong, but what really bugs me is that major tech companies can do this without due process or penalties when they negligently get it wrong.
In New Zealand and many places around the world, governments cannot shut a business down without following due process. It seems tech companies make their own rules. How can tech giants do so in a way that affects people's livelihoods in a major way? For Facebook/Meta is it's a drop in the ocean - for this couple, it is their livelihood.
I've actually already looked into the DEBUG=True issue just now. Setting it to false causes an "Internal Server Issue".
So do I spend hours looking for a fix, look into replacing it with a static pages site (I'm thinking Hugo) or just go back to porting Flowx to Apple :-)
Setting DEBUG = False doesn't cause in Internal Server Issue. The issue is caused by something else, having DEBUG = True just means Django will return a detailed error page, instead of a generic 500 error page.
IIRC, DEBUG = True also used to leak memory, which doesn't matter so much for local development, where it's intended to be used.
I changed DEBUG = False and I get an "Internal Server Error" - you can check it now while I have a quick go at finding the cause.
I want to try static page generators (Hugo) instead since they are easier to maintain. So it's a prioritization question - do I spend time fixing this bug or spend the time on migrating.
I'm not a fan of website - they have become complex. I'm currently looking into static pages as a replacement.
That said, Flowx has many moving parts: app development, data servers, data processing, support, forum, website, and others. My main focus is app development and probably the least focus is the website.
BTW, I'm in the process of porting Flowx to Apple. It's not as complete as the Android version but it's in beta testing if you'd like to join. Just message me and I can send an invite.
I'm in the process of porting Flowx, an Android weather app, to iOS. It is currently released for beta testing. I've added most global and European data and am planning to add NOAA's NAM and HRRR data in the next week or two. I still have to add waves, radar and wind streamlines.
If you're interested in testing, email me or contact me via the flowx forum.
Readers should note that this is a fantastic app, a tour-de-force in useful visualization of quantitative data — live weather models in great detail — and one of the apps that would keeps me firmly in the Android world (although evidently now being ported to Apple).
No relationship other than satisfied (and impressed ) customer for many years. You've gotta try this!
During the 1-2 days the app was removed from the Google Play store, Flowx missed out on new subscriptions and it seems the recurring subscriptions were cancelled.
I find it crazy Google can do this to people with no recourse.
This is why we need multiple app stores on each platform.
As a solo developer, it has been hard to support multiple app stores but now I will make an effort, encourage other developers to list on other stores and encourage users to install from the smaller stores.
I know it's hopeful, but I hope get get a better app ecosystem.
I remember when Apple and Google worked hard to woo developers and users, now they own the market, they can act without concern.