[Gretl-devel] Re: macOS security
On Tue, 24 Dec 2019, Berend Hasselman wrote:
The current macOS (1.015, Catalina) has additional security checks.
The installer gives a warning for the current
gretl-2019d-quartz.pkg distribution. Apple warns that the program
cannot be run. There is however a button to open the file so it
can be opened (at your own risk).
But it is not safe to assume that this will continue to be the
case. See this page:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/security/welcome/1/web
As of February 2020 Apple will require that apps distributed
outside of the Mac store will have to be notarized.
See
https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/12/23/apple-will-enforce-app-notariz...
which most likely means that the current gretl package can't be
opened and that gretl cannot be run on macOS Catalina.
Well, yes, I've commented on this situation before. I purchased an
Apple developer certificate some time ago but it expired earlier
this year. And if I'm reading their instructions right, to renew it
according to their new procedures I'll have to authenticate myself
via a current Apple device, which I don't possess. (I have a half
share in a 2010 Macbook Air.) This is a substantial tax on free
software developers: we have to pay Apple for the privilege of
providing our software free to users.
It seems to me that gretl users who run Macs might wish to step up
and suggest a way forward.
Another remark: I do not know how the macOS package is created but
the contents cannot be inspected by Pacifist [...]
It's produced on Linux using free software. I haven't heard of
problems (other than the looming security issue) using it to install
gretl. No idea know why Pacifist doesn't like it.
Allin