Well there actually is a problem this can help solve. Malware. There are other concerns that are bigger motivators for Google, but the ability to lock shit down can help control security issues.

Most people can’t get the software they run on their devices. The idea of “you can trust me, bro” is fucking dumb, even in the open-source world. This helps nerf this for the stupid people who buy this shit. It’s a priority because there are more stupid people willing to buy a product and put up with its bullshit than there are smart people willing to put in the effort themselves.

But also money.

Anyone that makes this argumrnt needs to work in a public IT support role for at least a year.

Then you will understsnd why your average user should not be given unrestricted freedom on their device.

These guys forget that they are an incredibly stark minority of users. Most users cannot be trusted to have free reign over their own system. We all know this to be true. You've troubleshot your grandma's Jitterbug phone that somehow had Internet Explorer toolbars installed onto it, you know this to be true.

Maybe there is no reasonable case for a developer to have any say over what you - specifically you, the guy who knows what "*nix" means - do with your hardware. But there are plenty of reasonable cases for the other 99.99% of users.

Posts like this are like a mechanic saying "There is no reason for a manufacturer to force drivers into having a catalytic converter in their own engine". Like... okay, maybe your car is special because you're a literal expert, but the rest of the world need that thing because they can't be trusted to manage their emissions on their own.

what are link relation types like "preload", "prefetch", "prerender", "next", "stylesheet", "intervalbefore", "memento", etc.?

That's a moron take. Plenty of people have no business downloading random apps. It takes all of 15 seconds with a Google search to side load. It's a fucking idiot test.

But yeah I'm sure if this check weren't there people would flock to fdroid 🙄