Today, I wanted to use inkscape on a Windows 10 Pro 2004 machine for a quick logo sketch. For some reason, it just would not start.

So standard procedure:

repair app → no effect
reset app data → no effect
uninstall & re-install → no effect

The weird thing was, there was always a process running in task manager but no application window visible.

Update: I opened an Inkscape issue

Windows Store Updates

I checked the Windows Store and there was no pending update. During the re-install I noticed a login dialog for the microsoft store.

The store did install inkscape but it was hanging again.

Windows Store forces Login for app usage

Then it hit me: The inkscape window will be hidden until one completes the login into the microsoft store.

For one, it feels a bit like extortion: You get to use your free apps after you login to microsoft.

Also, a normal user has no chance to realise this.

Since the app is started in the background it consumes resources.
After the succsessful login the app just pops open, if the app is started more than once all the instances of all the suppressed windows pop up at the same time

Personally, this behaviour is very annoying and discourages me from using the windows store.

Why use a repo (the store) at all?

Because it makes updating a machine much simpler. Linux and Unix distributions have been working like this for over 30 years now.

On a modern Linux system you search the standard software with apt, dnf (former yum), pacman or whatever your disto uses. Even commercial software one has to buy is mostly shipped with these packet managers for the same reasons.

Today with the need for more isolation, containers with flatpak for desktop applications and docker for daemons (services) are very common. These systems call the repo registry, but it works very similarly.