Comment by heavyset_go

1 year ago

> It's not just Python apps. It's anything by small-time developers without expensive certificates.

This is definitely the case and has been my experience, as well.

We live in some dark times when it comes to building and sharing anything as small developers, especially if the things you're building are free.

I stopped updating my open-source Mac apps because I can't justify the cost of jumping over artificial hurdles Apple puts in place that ensure users can't run the apps they want to use. I have other hobbies where spending money actually gives me tangible goods and benefits versus paying an arbitrary yearly tax for the privilege to build stuff that ultimately benefits Apple.

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heavyset_go

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exe34  1 year ago

> stopped updating my open-source Mac apps because I can't justify the cost of jumping over artificial hurdles Apple puts in place that ensure users can't run the apps they want to use.

hah, that's the exact reason I stopped using os x and went full Linux on my old Mac book air about 8 years ago.

OsrsNeedsf2P  1 year ago

This was the case for our open source app as well. The only reason we're on Apple is one of our users likes the app so much, they handle the certificates.

Which is deeply ironic, if you think about it.

  • Brian_K_White  1 year ago

    It is super interesting that someone who is not you can take care of proving to Apple that you are really you so that Apple can assert to all other users that they have verified that you are really you because they made you prove it.

    This world is just awesome. :)

_mlbt  1 year ago

I think Homebrew is the best solution for shipping open source Mac apps if you don't want to pay the developer fee or jump through any hurdles, assuming your users are technical enough to use it.

The alternative is not signing your binaries and explaining to users that they can run them by right clicking and selecting "Open" from the menu.

  • heavyset_go  1 year ago

    Unfortunately, getting users to install Homebrew is a hurdle that's hard to pass for what I'm dealing with. It's a non-starter if users have to open a terminal to install anything, even though Homebrew has a .pkg installer now. The users typically don't know what a terminal even is.

    > The alternative is not signing your binaries and explaining to users that they can run them by right clicking and selecting "Open" from the menu.

    That's what I'm doing now, and it's still an issue, unfortunately. Non-power users are not going to remember the right-click -> Open ritual when they just double-click on everything else.

    And the warnings Gatekeeper shows also caused users to think their apps, and even computers, were broken or hacked.