Leopard Market: Coming to Life!

So,

I was daydreaming one day and I said hell, why not make a App Store for Leopard? Apple doesn't make it, so I will! I like working on projects so I thought I would do it, cause, why not?

The idea is to provide pretty much a souped up version of the PowerPC Archive website but in a full app that I intend to work just like the App Store we see with Snow Leopard and above. Have ratings and reviews and stuff for each app. I feel that this will revive the Leopard users and can make the migration for people to PowerPC a bit easier. As much as I would like to get this done in the next week, I have so much work I need to do. I just got done with the bare interface and need to figure out how I'm going to make everything work. I think I will have it all done by Summer!

The image below is my concept of what it will look like, so please post feedback and ideas so I can make this the best possible! Thanks!

Update Feb. 15:
I am happy to see the interest, really makes me proud! I have decided on the name Leopard Market (thanks tampasteve!) as I feel it sounds good and we can all agree upon that. The interface I had made in the concept below is extremely challenging to build in Xcode so I will be going with a Mactracker-like approach, with categories of software on the side and a way to view them. Possibly in the future my concept will be what the Market looks like!

I have already been asked multiple times when a public beta will be out, and to be honest I have no clue. When I get it all working to a point where it is slightly usable, then I'll go ahead and release a beta with buttons to leave me feedback n stuff.

Update Feb. 16:
Ok, today I actually got to work on getting the layout working, and so far I have the about the app
window just about how I want it. Each thing in [brackets] will link back to code which will be different
for every program. With this, so will the App Icon and in the image box will be previews.

eyoungren said:

This is great and a wonderful idea. My only thought is copyright and licensing.

There are still many devs out there who still sell their apps through their own stores. What you are propsing would either have to just carry freeware/shareware or some sort of licensing agreement.

For example…Intech still sells the HiCap high capacity driver. You can ONLY get it if you buy it. They don't make it where you can simply enter a code. Once you pay then you get access to download it.

What about Adobe? Quark? Etcetera? Adobe has a draconion policy of obliterating past trial installers on the web. They are pretty good at finding and forcing removal from sites worldwide once a new version comes out. This is why it's so damn hard to find old installers. Yet, you can still download direct from Adobe if you've purchased. Apple is the same way and both companies would prefer that you forget there was ever a version of their apps before the current one.

I'm not in any way trying to discourage this. It's a great idea. I just see this App store as being limited to certain types of apps because legal takedown orders are nothing to mess around with.

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I think I will have to stick with freeware, but something I would like to do is show software owners that if this App Store truly works out, maybe they can allow me to sell their apps on the app store which may revive some software like Quicken as the only way to find copies of it now is trying your luck with TPB or buying boxed copies. Something that would be super cool is if Apple let me sell iMovie/iWork/FCP/Logic on the App Store but there's zero chance of that happening!

jrsx said:

I think it's a great idea! No more searching through websites for those PPC apps we all need... It would be really handy, especially if it synced with the ppcarchive.dyniform.net, if I understand you correctly. To be able to have something even close to the app store on PPC is a step further in reviving the greatest computer architecture ever!

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That's my plan! And yes, I do believe it would make life soooo much easier for all of us, and people new to mac that just picked up a G5 or a G4!

Hughmac said:

Excellent !! Make it happen

Cheers

Hugh

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On it, mate!

tampasteve said:

Great idea! Might want to stay away from calling it App Store though, don't want to poke that bear if you can stay away IMO. Maybe go with "Leopard Market" or "Leopard Superstore" or something similar.

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I might end up having to go with Leopard Market! Thanks for the name

harrymatic said:

This is a really great idea - I would love to see a place where you can find all of the old freeware/shareware apps.

It should be OK to distribute shareware demo versions of games - developers used to encourage people to spread them around.

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Looks like it's time to start hunting down some demos as well!

jrsx said:

Just let me know if I can help!

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Will do jrsx!

G4fanboy said:

It will be great! The store also can/could send to third parts to buy Apple products.
I mean " I want Final Cut Pro 3" It could give you http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR3.TRC1.A0.XFinal+Cut+Pro+3&_nkw=Final+Cut+Pro+3&_sacat=0&_from=R40
or http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Final%20Cut%20Pro%203 for example

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I do see this as a good alternate option! Really like the idea to have a "backup plan" to find old software as sometimes it's a must!

JaguarGod said:

This is a wonderful idea for PPC users. This is very exciting. Any thoughts on games and game demos? I could get the VGP3 demo up along with a version of the VGP2/VGPHD Demo. This would also create a bit more incentive for me to release a version of my game, AutoSport Driving, for the PPC platform instead of just intel Macs. No promises though

Hey, what about "Leopard PowerPC App Portal"...... Wait, way too long. Maybe "Leopard App Portal"? We could call it the "LAP" for short. Crap, I don't know. Maybe the word "App" shouldn't be used. You know, I have been a part of a couple of trademark and copyright lawsuits and a broker of ours is in the middle of a year and a half long patent dispute and they are horrendous!

Well, regardless of the name, it will be great for us PPC users. My G5 Quads feel left out and this will make them feel new again like the Mountain Leopard theme did.

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Leopard Portal Market or Leopard Market Portal? Two good options! That would be fantastic to see apps made by the community here have their software on the "Portal Market" as it would just be - well awesome! Don't want to have any sort of lawsuit if it's avoid able! Screw all the time and money involved in that!

Maybe from what I learn in making the Leopard Market can go into deeper customization to make Leopard look hardly alike from the new Macs, so walking into starbucks with a PBG4 people will think you have a first gen MBP

Intell said:

I like this idea. It'll be a nice way to aggregate all of the PowerPC software that is out there. Always nice to know that even in 2014, our G4s and G5s (maybe even G3s) are able to view the internet and use modern-ish software. Questions: Would it be open for PowerPC based command line tools? Where/who would be hosting it and all of its content?

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I'd hope so! The hosting I think I'll put my G4 MDD to good use as a server for stuff and maybe if I get enough money in donations I could step it up a level!

@eyoungren
Maybe a poll needs to be made with possible names and everyone can vote