Now that the app has been positioned as the primary supported way of using the Zaparoo Core service, I think it’s only fair others get to have a go at contributing to it or using it as a base for their own work. This is part of my ongoing commitment to Zaparoo as an open standard.
The app was originally created by myself and Tim Wilsie. We’ve been stoked to see so many people enjoying the app and we hope this move will help it grow even further.
The paid feature in the app will remain, as it’s been a key part of supporting the project as a whole, but I’ve now drawn a clear line in the sand of where the paid parts start and end. Essentially, they will be restricted to features that make your mobile device act as a reader (as it works already) and some future optional cosmetic features. These features are only locked in the official distributions of the app as well, so it’s more like a convenience donation.
This won’t change much about how the app works for now from an end user perspective. But there are a couple of cool things that it enables in the near future:
- A standalone Android APK can now be generated from the repo, which will be useful for people who don’t want to use the Google Play Store.
- A slimmed down web version of the app could now be distributed with the Core service itself, which would be useful for people who don’t have a mobile device or don’t want to use the app.
See the new repository here:
The official Zaparoo app and primary interface for the core software