Yes, if... But it can't. That criticism of my statement didn't make sense.
> There is no proof of it there either. The most popular platforms [...]
I meant this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18583257
It applies directly. Anything that gives the user a choice can make the user experience worse for a user who makes the wrong one. But it also makes it better for a user who makes the right one in a way different from what the developer would have had to use as a default -- because sometimes something is right for 70% of the users, so it should be the default, but the other 30% are better off with something else. Taking away the choice makes the 30% worse off to benefit the 10% of the 70% that would have chosen incorrectly for themselves. That is not a relative advantage.
> I meant this: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18583257
I'll reply there, but note that you haven't addressed my point -- other platforms survive and indeed have the largest share without prohibiting users from installing software, even when competing directly against others that do.
That's why your logic is flawed. If a construct can be used to "prove" various known-false statements then it has no value in proving anything.
> If the problem in your point of view is that I didn't /prove/ how big of a problem sideloading was then yes, I didn't even attempt to do that. There's a separate subthread on that question.
There is no proof of it there either. The most popular platforms (Android on mobile and Windows on desktop) allow the user to load their own applications, showing not only that it can't be a major cause of failure in the market but that it seems to be a characteristic of the player with the most share.