FWIW, I'm on the "Let Ubuntu be what it is" side - at least for the
time being. It's still a nascent platform. It would be sad imo, if it
became just another re-spin of what already exists.
I'm not sure I understand the app-store-envy. Especially not when
coming from Linux users:
- people generally only use a couple of dozen apps (although the
unavailability of a particular one seems to be a deal-breaker for many),
- there's a substantial canon of apps for Linux, which can only grow,
- there's usually a substitute app in the Linux portfolio which is as
least as good.
When it boils down to it, it's usually the absence of the wretched
WhatsApp underlying this argument. Well, if people want to communicate
with a Ubuntu phone user <THAT> badly, they can blooming-well download
a free, OpenSource alternative. :/
It's somewhat alarming that a group of apps seem to collectively wield
such strength as to dictate whether an Operating System flies, or not.
I'm really hoping Ubuntu has a different, truly Linux, mindset that
stands above that.
And devs of apps? Don't they want as much exposure as possible? Why
wouldn't they want to be on Ubuntu too? Hopefully, its development is
not going to be so seismic - as windowsphone - such as to put them off.