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Cham2000

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 11, 2022
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I'll be moving a lot of files from a very old Mac (under Snow Leopard 10.6.8) to a new Mac mini with Ventura. But then I'm worrying alot about the quarantine and codesign "features" of the recent Mac OS. What should I expect with data files, like text files, PDF files, pictures (jpg and png), music (mp3, m4a) and movies (mp4, mkv)? Many of these files are located inside folders, zip files and on several good'old dmg files. Should I expect problems while opening, unziping or playing these files?
 
Those data files are nothing to worry about. macOS cares nothing about them. The challenge you are facing is getting current apps that you will find to your liking. Everyone has their own favorites... if you need some recommendations, I can list some and I'm sure others will also. As a rule of thumb... avoid the Mac App Store if you can. The MAS versions of apps tend to be crippled to some degree due to Apple's restrictions vs what the developer offers directly, if they do offer a direct alternative. Sticking with signed software is recommended, but you CAN run unsigned software also. It's rare to run into any these days though.
 
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avoid the Mac App Store if you can. The MAS versions of apps tend to be crippled to some degree due to Apple's restrictions vs what the developer offers directly, if they do offer a direct alternative. Sticking with signed software is recommended, but you CAN run unsigned software also. It's rare to run into any these days though.

Oh, I agree with that! But what happens when you download an app from the internet (not from the scrApp Store)? AFAIK, the installer file (typically a zip or dmg) is in "quarantine", and can't be opened (or can it?). What should we do after an app download?
 
Oh, I agree with that! But what happens when you download an app from the internet (not from the scrApp Store)? AFAIK, the installer file (typically a zip or dmg) is in "quarantine", and can't be opened (or can it?). What should we do after an app download?

If it's signed, no problem as long as your preferences are set to allow MAS and signed apps. For unsigned apps, you have to right-click on the app; then click Open. You will get a prompt asking if you are sure you want to do this. If you do, it will open and that will be the one and only time you have to do this. Going forward, open the app as you would any other.

EDIT: archive files like zip and DMG are themselves not quarantined. At least I never experience it. I think this may have been a thing some years ago but not now. What may have happened is Apple switched to focusing more on security of apps, which of course would include those that open these kinds of files and the contents of these files if apps are in them.
 
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If it's signed, no problem as long as your preferences are set to allow MAS and signed apps. For unsigned apps, you have to right-click on the app; then click Open. You will get a prompt asking if you are sure you want to do this. If you do, it will open and that will be the one and only time you have to do this. Going forward, open the app as you would any other.

EDIT: archive files like zip and DMG are themselves not quarantined. At least I never experience it. I think this may have been a thing some years ago but not now. What may have happened is Apple switched to focusing more on security of apps, which of course would include those that open these kinds of files and the contents of these files if apps are in them.
Great! This appears to be very clear. Now this is good news!

I must admit that I'm a bit nervous about upgrading from a so old computer (12 years old MBP with Snow Leopard) directly up to a Silicon Mac with Ventura. I heard so much horrible things about the subsequent OS (Catalina, Big Sur, Maverick, ... and all the bugs in Ventura), so I was afraid that upgrading would be complicated and painful to do. I don't like much the path that Apple has taken since the last 10 years or so, after the death of Steve Jobs.
 
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Great! This appears to be very clear. Now this is good news!

I must admit that I'm a bit nervous about upgrading from a so old computer (12 years old MBP with Snow Leopard) directly up to a Silicon Mac with Ventura. I heard so much horrible things about the subsequent OS (Catalina, Big Sur, Maverick, ... and all the bugs in Ventura), so I was afraid that upgrading would be complicated and painful to do. I don't like much the path that Apple has taken since the last 10 years or so, after the death of Steve Jobs.

Yeah, Catalina was a mess. I had a few issues that I think took a clean reinstall to clear them up. Big Sur and Monterey were fine. Ventura has a couple issues, nothing major. I wouldn't sweat jumping into Ventura, especially with a clean install.
 
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Don't worry about quarantine, etc. Your main issue will be that all (nearly all?) the third party apps you use now will need upgrades to work with Ventura. Are you prepared for that?
 
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Don't worry about quarantine, etc. Your main issue will be that all (nearly all?) the third party apps you use now will need upgrades to work with Ventura. Are you prepared for that?
Yes, I'm prepared for that, except that two important apps are ... dead and can't be upgraded :eek:: Intaglio (the perfect vectorial drawing app for my needs) and Latexian (the perfect LaTeX interface!). These two apps aren't developped anymore and I'm in mourning because of that! Latexian may be used in emulation mode with Rosetta 2 (but I didn't tested it with LaTeX yet), while Intaglio is all messed up under Rosetta and doesn't seem to be viable. I'll have to try several other drawing apps that could open Intaglio files, but I have very little hopes that the app may have an interface as simple and as good looking as Intaglio. It's really a shame that these two perfect apps died! :(
 
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