Isn't apt-get, pacman, emerge, etc. more or less equivalent to an app store ?
I don't think there's necessarily a need for projects to be funded or paid for - giving back to the mobile ecosystem the same way we give back to the desktop ecosystem seems like a pretty fair way to go.
In what way? I don't see any fundamental difference between discovering GNU/Linux packages and Android ones (in the "stores" I've used -- f-droid, /e/ apps, and Aurora).
Algorithms that match intended words and synonyms over verbatim pattern matching. Seriously, apt search sucks because if you are searching for something that does not include the word you use, it falls over completely. Just like every single time I try and brew install a package I sort of remember the name of, it will just not give me anything.
This could be an area of improvement. E.g. I don't think adding metadata to packages would be particularly complicated and that could help (e.g. using tags) with discovery.
It's interesting to read the definition of a linux distribution on wikipedia:
"A Linux distribution ... is an operating system made from a software collection that is based upon the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system."
When I read that, I realized just how fundamental the package manager is and it makes sense.
I don't think there's necessarily a need for projects to be funded or paid for - giving back to the mobile ecosystem the same way we give back to the desktop ecosystem seems like a pretty fair way to go.