Completely agree. I don't mind if they lock-down the apps to be from the store only by default, like Android has done it from day one, or the new Mac OS versions have started doing, as long as you're still going to allow users to side-load any apps they want. I'll never choose a platform that doesn't at the very least give the option to install from other sources than the ones approved by the OS maker.

This is why the whole new Windows 8 direction scares me, too. For now at least, they are allowing desktop apps on Windows 8, but on Windows RT, Microsoft is just as bad as Apple with iOS. They won't allow you to sideload any apps. So if you want to use an app that wasn't approved by Microsoft, you'll have to jailbreak the Windows RT device. Sames goes for WP7/WP8.