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> and make it difficult / annoying to bypass the Mac App Store I'm trying to avoid cherry picking, but this isn't my experience at all. I use a Mac for work an

by onei 6y ago

> and make it difficult / annoying to bypass the Mac App Store I'm trying to avoid cherry picking, but this isn't my experience at all. I use a Mac for work and haven't really made any use of the app store. Nonetheless, I have all the apps I need and homebrew fills in the rest. Is there something I've unwittingly avoided?

chipotle_coyote 6y ago
No, there really isn't. There are apps that I've bought through the App Store, some of which I actually use at work, and I don't really see value in "avoiding" apps just because they're in the App Store. But most of what I use is outside it, and if an app is available both inside and outside -- as many are -- I usually get the direct sale one. (While I shouldn't speak for the OP, I'm a little suspicious that this is the "Big Brother Apple is going to lock down macOS just like iOS" narrative popping up again.)
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
insiinsi 6y ago
As a recent switcher to macOS I certainly have that leash-like feel. First, app versions often differ between the Mac App Store and developer's own website. "Independent" versions tend to be a bit less restrictive, packing more functionality or features that Apple forbids for any reason. For instance, the App Store version of Elmedia player does not have a video/stream saving feature. Other apps like Telegram (specifically, the App Store versions) restrict the user from viewing the channels/communities which have been marked as spreading "pornographic"/"pirate" content. Needless to say, the app variants obtained from elsewhere pack all the features. Second, I was surprised (well, not really) to learn about "notarization" in the latest versions of macOS, which essentially means signing the app by Apple. These days it's not just about scaring the user into thinking that unidentified apps are inherently evil (which the OS does a lot), it's also actively preventing the user from actually opening such apps. In Catalina the default dialog for opening an identified app features something like two buttons, offering to "Cancel" and "Move to Trash". So you have to either go to the Settings and override the security control or know that a control-click spawns the same window with an additional "Open" button being available. At this point one starts thinking, how long will it take before those overrides and control-clicks get taken away for good.

by onei 6y ago

chipotle_coyote 6y ago

No, there really isn't. There are apps that I've bought through the App Store, some of which I actually use at work, and I don't really see value in "avoiding" apps just because they're in the App Store. But most of what I use is outside it, and if an app is available both inside and outside -- as many are -- I usually get the direct sale one. (While I shouldn't speak for the OP, I'm a little suspicious that this is the "Big Brother Apple is going to lock down macOS just like iOS" narrative popping up again.)

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

insiinsi 6y ago

As a recent switcher to macOS I certainly have that leash-like feel. First, app versions often differ between the Mac App Store and developer's own website. "Independent" versions tend to be a bit less restrictive, packing more functionality or features that Apple forbids for any reason. For instance, the App Store version of Elmedia player does not have a video/stream saving feature. Other apps like Telegram (specifically, the App Store versions) restrict the user from viewing the channels/communities which have been marked as spreading "pornographic"/"pirate" content. Needless to say, the app variants obtained from elsewhere pack all the features. Second, I was surprised (well, not really) to learn about "notarization" in the latest versions of macOS, which essentially means signing the app by Apple. These days it's not just about scaring the user into thinking that unidentified apps are inherently evil (which the OS does a lot), it's also actively preventing the user from actually opening such apps. In Catalina the default dialog for opening an identified app features something like two buttons, offering to "Cancel" and "Move to Trash". So you have to either go to the Settings and override the security control or know that a control-click spawns the same window with an additional "Open" button being available. At this point one starts thinking, how long will it take before those overrides and control-clicks get taken away for good.