I still can't get my head wrapped around the complaint that the developer program costs $100/yr, as though this were some great barrier to entry. To put it in perspective, I subscribe to <deep breath> Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Now, Apple One, Office365, PS+, and Xbox Live, and that's just off the top of my head. Most of them are for purely-optional entertainment, and all of them cost more money than the developer program. I suspect most people who frequent this board pay for several of these too. In comparison, the $100/yr for the developer program is not a lot of money. It's certainly comparable with other optional digital services. It's less than a single restaurant lunch per month.
You can complain that it's not right to charge for the program, but the developer program has a cover charge to keep out the riff raff. I don't think this is a bad thing. We all know how much junk is in the App Store as it is, and how long it takes to get a review. Imagine if they didn't charge for the opportunity to submit apps? How much soon-abandoned junk would suddenly appear, and how long would it take for proper apps to get approved?
A Chrome/Firefox user expending some effort to make their existing extension available to Safari users is doing those users a favour. Generally one doesn't have to additionally start donating money to someone's preferred charity when already doing them a favour.
You're going to have plenty time to Wrap Your Head Around this dynamic by simply observing how the Safari WebExtension ecosystem plays out.
I'm struggling to understand how I could have been misunderstood. $100/yr is $8.33/mo. Even a burger meal at a fast food joint is that much now. Ergo: less than a single lunch PER MONTH. Where did I lose you?
You can complain that it's not right to charge for the program, but the developer program has a cover charge to keep out the riff raff. I don't think this is a bad thing. We all know how much junk is in the App Store as it is, and how long it takes to get a review. Imagine if they didn't charge for the opportunity to submit apps? How much soon-abandoned junk would suddenly appear, and how long would it take for proper apps to get approved?