Wholeheartedly agree. Thanks for naming this in. 
I have had mixed feelings about it since I have really gotten rolling over the last month making and sharing apps here on the forum. I experimented early on with not updating the Community Apps threads when I made updates to the apps themselves, hoping to just post once and then nudge people towards Obtanium; but then the checksum would fall out of line and I’d get notified saying as much. Since then I’ve just leaned into updating each time.
I feel hesitant to engage with the Community Apps setup as it is, especially when updating a lot of apps at once, because I know it’s going to flood the forum. I never want to drown out other creators in this community or make it difficult to find other offerings.
And… I have come to understand that many users don’t go to Github or use Obtanium, and so the forum threads getting updated is the way they currently receive their important 3rd-party app updates. Until there is another way of sorting or arranging the Community Apps forum, I will continue to stay compliant and update my apps as changes and improvements are made to them.
I also agree completely with the developer not having to rate their own apps (why would I do less than 5 stars? 
), and thread replies not needing to rate the app in order to post in the thread so that people could ask clarifying questions about the app before they have to dive in. Those are both awkward and unhelpful on my end of things too, FWIW.
I understand that inkApps is coming with 2.0 in November. I imagine that will address these issues entirely, recreating an F-Droid/CalmApps sort of experience regarding App updates and postings. And without a doubt, I may have been the extreme case that has challenged what would have otherwise been a fine system – sorry, not sorry? It’s the same way with my apps really: I make them out of personal curiosity and interest in supporting others, I think they are solid, and then they get into the hands of all of you, with your various use cases, and I get to receive feedback and improve them beyond my own vision for the benefit of all.
I trust Mudita is here for the same mission and that the Kompakt is offered in this same spirit: a heartfelt passion project shared with a community that will naturally expose it’s flaws (because every project has them) and get remedied for a richer result. Of course, they will stick to their aesthetic and functional vision of it in some regards, but Mudita has been really open from the start about sharing resources (MMD, @urszula 's constant presence here 
, user surveys) and being open to other’s contributions (this rather honest forum, inkApps, sideloading, selling phones, etc). I also know they are a small company, and unlike me, perhaps have lives 
, but I believe they are deeply interested in their project succeeding, and the community that co-dreams with them to support it.
Again, thank you for naming this. I didn’t quite have the will to, but I felt it also. I’m open to take any suggestions you have for how to proceed in the meantime, while honoring the need to share updates. I’m also open to any app feedback or ideas you have – I seem to have an abundance of free time 
