----- Original Message -----
From: katja katjavetter@gmail.com To: Jonathan Wilkes jancsika@yahoo.com Cc: Miller Puckette msp@ucsd.edu; "pd-dev@iem.at" pd-dev@iem.at Sent: Friday, May 10, 2013 5:20 PM Subject: Re: [PD-dev] Mac Os now requiring Apple signatures on all SW !?
About OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion I've read some time ago that it would run / install apps from certified Apple devs only, unless the user disables that level of security, and then it would run any app without such restriction (which is of course not recommended). At the time I read about that, I was considering upgrading from OSX 10.5, but the concept of 'Apple certified developer' made me think twice. Eventually, it made me turn towards Linux for good. Still I feel that Pd, externals and patches should be supported for as many platforms possible, as is tradition.
Pd-extended and Pd-l2ork have plenty of widely-used GPLv3 externals that come with them so it's a non-starter. If the security setting you describe is a binary choice then unfortunately for the Mac user that is the proper solution here. But keep in mind this isn't a choice between security and Pd, this is a choice between security and running any free software code whose devs refuse to support a non-transparent, arbitrarily revokable signing mechanism that has a central point of failure and terrible track record wrt to privacy/security.
-Jonathan
I can understand why Apple wants to raise their standard for trusted code. In Linux world too, there's screening before one gains write access to trusted repositories, which is obviously beneficial for quality and security. But in Apple's case, selection rationale and criteria will not be open to discussion, or even fully knowledgeable. Therefore, being 'Apple certified developer' is more like being a loyal employee than an independent software developer. Frankly, I feel no appeal at all. Hopefully there's a way around.
Katja
On 5/10/13, Jonathan Wilkes jancsika@yahoo.com wrote:
----- Original Message -----
From: Miller Puckette msp@ucsd.edu To: pd-dev@iem.at Cc: Sent: Friday, May 10, 2013 12:41 PM Subject: [PD-dev] Mac Os now requiring Apple signatures on all SW !?
T o Pd devs -
I heard from a student that the neweset Mac Os (10.8? not sure -
perhaps
we can just call it 'Cheshire Cat') won't run binaries of any
sort that
haven't been signed by Apple - and that to get Apple to sign your app you have
to
register as a developer ($100/year) and still risk getting denounced as non-Apple-approved. If this is really the case it puts all of us in a bind - for example to publish a piece of music that relies on a custom extern you'd have to pay out the $100 in perpetuity to keep the extern signed.
Maybe this is overblown but if it's true it puts Pd devs in a bind
- I
think we're obliged to try to suppport Pd on Apple (so as not to undercut current Pd users who are on Mac) but to play along with Apple would be to participate in what is ultimately a scheme to wrest control away from computer
users
everywhere.
I'd welcom others' views on this, especially if someome can
tell me this
is a false alarm :)
I haven't read a single article or new story on anything resembling
this.
Such a move would make the entire Apple ecosystem incompatible with ALL GPL v3 software. I suppose such a move isn't outside of the realm of possibility, but if Apple did go down that road you can bet it will effect more than just Pd-extended/Pd-l2ork. So either a) its FUD, or b) we would throw our weight behind whatever large-scale organizing effort manifests itself (probably coming from the FSF) to defeat such a move.
Either way it should not affect a single line of Pd code nor the development process.
-Jonathan
Miller
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