I want to avoid signing a windows application

Issue

I am thinking about trying to develop a windows application. I will probably use Ionic and electron with angular. From what I am reading, it sounds like I have to purchase some kind of license to sign my application before I can distribute it. I am currently in college, so I can't really afford an expensive license. Is there a way to avoid this?

Solution

It depends on your audience, and if you want to do auto-updates.

If you don't sign your app:

• You'll get a warning screen when you install saying it's not signed, but it'll have a button to install it anyway.
• Auto-updates are still possible as long as you don't have any anti-virus software installed, most anti-virus software will block auto-updates from an unsigned app.

Scenario 1: You have a small hobby app that you only intend to share with friends.

• No signing is fine. Just tell your friends to ignore the warning.

Scenario 2: You have a simple standalone utillity app for anybody to use.

• It's still possible, though might be a bit of a headache to roll out new releases. You can theoretically provide auto-updates, but it'll only work for people without anti-virus software.

Scenario 2: You have a professional app for commercial use that uses auto-updates to get new releases.

• You'll need a code-signing certificate for auto-updates to work reliably, it's about 70USD/yr.

Answered By - Joshua