Mac Developers Reminded to Have Their Apps Notarized as Apple Tightens Security

[Xenomorph]

Even though both Microsoft's and Apple's stores are a bit lacking, Microsoft at least lets me install stuff WITHOUT SIGNING IN.

This lets users install "safe" apps and try out stuff without having to have an account.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Get an iPad and be done with it. The rest of us have real work to get done.

Non productive replies are non productive and kinda dumb.

 

[Defthand]

God, using "app" for Mac applications is a really big pet peeve of mine. Idk why, the word itself just seems so dumb and too simplified. iOS like.

No offense, but this is a request to editors...please use the word "application" for all Mac programs/software. Leave "app" for use related with iOS.

Apple used to call all their Mac "apps" applications on their website and throughout the OS. References to the word "application(s)" is becoming more and more rare, instead "app(s)" is being used more and more often. Really annoying. It may sound weird to you, but it's a niggling pet peeve of mine.

I agree. Blame phone culture for diminishing the definition (and expectations) of the word. Phone apps typically have a subset of the utility that a comparable desktop application has. Therefore, it’s fitting that a word associated with complex software is truncated to reflect the truncated nature of phone software.

Apple wants to bring iOS apps to the desktop. We have a suitable word for limited taskers: widgets.

 

[opeter]

Please, do not ruin the Mac OS, it is the only good thing that is left in this world.

There are plenty of other good things in this world.

 

[StellarVixen]

There are plenty of other good things in this world.

I know in which context I said what I said.

 

[Jerry Fritschle]

There is a little hysteria going on in this thread. Notarization is not some slippery-slope way to a walled garden. It is simply an extra step after code signing. It seems some nefarious apps have gotten into the wild, that were signed with ostensibly valid certificates. Apple has revoked these certificates, upon discovery. With notarization, a developer's signed installer is sent to Apple; they audit the code for security, and "staple" the package with their virtual "notary stamp." This is what the developer then distributes.

I'm a developer, and I've already notarized my Mac products. It just takes me a few minutes. Notarization is only for applications distributed outside the MAS, as it's somewhat redundant otherwise. The user experience should be not too different from now. As far as I know (maybe someone else does "know"), the existing procedures whereby a user can choose to install an unsigned application are unaffected.

 

[jtara]

God, using "app" for Mac applications is a really big pet peeve of mine. Idk why, the word itself just seems so dumb and too simplified. iOS like.

FWIW, Cloud Foundry uses the term "app" for server application instances. Cloud Foundry has been around since 2009, though not sure they have been using the term "app" all that time.

Here's a page with a prominent use of the term from cloudfoundry.org themselves. Here they mix the terms "app" and "application", but "app" in the headline. They are uniformly referred to as "app"s in the IBM documentation. Dunno how AWS, Azure, etc. refer to it.

https://www.cloudfoundry.org/application-runtime/

The truth is, neither term makes sense. What the heck does the common English usage of "application" have to do with a computer program?

(I use Cloud Foundry on IBM Cloud, but is available on other cloud platforms. IBM bought

 

[shareef777]

The iPad is not a toy.

Never said it was. But a MBP is more customizable and can cover a larger workload variety.
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Non productive replies are non productive and kinda dumb.

How's it non-productive? Your suggestion of a walled garden on macOS doesn't make sense. Everything you're looking for exists on the iPad already. Why limit another product (macOS) when iOS is exactly what you described and want. Get it and be done with it. No need to suggest/request that macOS essentially be turned into iOS. THAT would be non-productive.

 

[robbyx]

If I recall correctly those security features can be turned off or bypassed. For example, with GateKeeper you can still choose to install applications made by an unidentified developer, you can also turn of System Integrity Protection.

My point is while Apple has added more security features that have made the OS less open all if not most of the those features can be disabled or bypassed by a user if they want to do so.

I believe once the Mac continues to be a development platform Apple won’t lock it down like iOS.

I get your point and ageee that, for now, the new security features are mostly optional. I just don’t think that will be the case long-term. Apple’s dream has always been for technology to be as easy and simple as an appliance. With iOS and their A-series hardware, they’ve taken a huge leap in that direction. I think the Mac is headed in that direction too.
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Every year there are more threats, more people wanting to steal your credit card details, more people wanting to read your emails and so on.

Agreed. Which is yet another reason I see Apple moving the Mac in a more locked-down direction.

 

[TechGod]

Yea I tell my kids the same.

Sick burn! What an amazing argument!

How are you so smart?

 

[alphaod]

God, using "app" for Mac applications is a really big pet peeve of mine. Idk why, the word itself just seems so dumb and too simplified. iOS like.

No offense, but this is a request to editors...please use the word "application" for all Mac programs/software. Leave "app" for use related with iOS.

Apple used to call all their Mac "apps" applications on their website and throughout the OS. References to the word "application(s)" is becoming more and more rare, instead "app(s)" is being used more and more often. Really annoying. It may sound weird to you, but it's a niggling pet peeve of mine.

I'm sorry it's a pet peeve of yours, but the word app has become a "real" word now.

Even people who use Windows and Android say app now.

 

[nvmls]

Sick burn! What an amazing argument!

How are you so smart?

I'm not obviously, otherwise I would reply from my iPad.

 

[hvfsl]

There is a little hysteria going on in this thread. Notarization is not some slippery-slope way to a walled garden. It is simply an extra step after code signing. It seems some nefarious apps have gotten into the wild, that were signed with ostensibly valid certificates. Apple has revoked these certificates, upon discovery. With notarization, a developer's signed installer is sent to Apple; they audit the code for security, and "staple" the package with their virtual "notary stamp." This is what the developer then distributes.

I'm a developer, and I've already notarized my Mac products. It just takes me a few minutes. Notarization is only for applications distributed outside the MAS, as it's somewhat redundant otherwise. The user experience should be not too different from now. As far as I know (maybe someone else does "know"), the existing procedures whereby a user can choose to install an unsigned application are unaffected.

Exactly. Plus Apple have already said they are not going to lock down Mac OS so you can only install Apps from the App Store.