Thanks to all for your input. I'll keep grinding along and research the options and suggestions y'all gave. I just wish the Android eco-system (including GooglePlay and FDroid) would make things (publishing) easier for apps and games that don't require any permissions... Am I missing something?

I'm developing apps that require 0 permissions, collect no info, and can be run in Airplane mode yet everywhere I look it seems I have to jump thru hoops to get a simple, innocuous game or app published on any site that has a presence. I guess I'm naive.

Maybe you are naive but I'm glad you're trying.

I got rid of my Google account (for all the obvious reasons) and it is hell trying to perform what once were easy tasks, without App Store.

PS hey what about sourceforge