Hi,
Apple recently sent me an email declaring that notarizing applications for distribution outside of the App Store will be mandatory in the future.
I don't want to start a flame war but I do have a problem with such a rigid policy as both a developer and an end-user. My problem isn't so much the idea of notarization itself. It's the fact that the end user won't have the freedom to enable or disable it.
When Gatekeeper was first introduced, you were given 3 choices: Run only App Store software, Run only signed software and Run any software. 10.13 restricted to just App Store software and signed software. Now, Apple will be restricting customer choice even further by not allowing any un-notarized software to run. Doesn't anybody see a problem with this?
If one can see the future from looking into the past, App Store will be the only choice left in some future version of macOS. Unfortunately, if that happens, I won't have any choice but to abandon my Mac computers.
Here are my main concerns:
1. I use some legacy software that will not be notarized in the future.
2. I use a LOT of open-source software that may not pass the notarization process.
3. What happens when the software I develop *isn't* malware but does not pass the notarization process?
4. What if any of the other software packages that I use aren't malware, but Apple deems them so? Mistakes happen - Anybody who distributes Windows software can attest to the frustration felt when your customer's antivirus throws a false-positive with your program.
What recourse do I have in any of these situations? Because if non-notarized software won't run and I can't turn this "feature" off, what does one do?
I hope that my concerns are not construed as argumentative. I'm just worried about Apple's policies potentially destroying what has, so far, been a great experience for me.
Thanks