I know some Linux zealots think that if there's literally ANYTHING preventing a random binary downloaded from DefinitelyNotMalware.com from running, then it's "

I know some Linux zealots think that if there's literally ANYTHING preventing a random binary downloaded from DefinitelyNotMalware.com from running, then it's "locked down," but that doesn't make it true. These same people seem to love to describe the Mac environment as a restrictive, nannyware-controlled hellscape, but this, too, is untrue. The Mac is open, but ships with sensible defaults because MOST PEOPLE HAVE NO BUSINESS RUNNING APPS THAT AREN'T VERIFIED. Macs ship with an option set in the Privacy & Security pane that limits apps to those from the App store -- but it's a radio button, and the other option is easy to choose ("App store and identified developers"). Yes, this still requires the code be signed, which is a 100% reasonable position in today's world. And yet: that's not even the end of it. If you do download something from an unsigned source -- either because it's built from source, or because it's from someone who is ideologically opposed to joining the dev program at Apple, or whatever -- all you have to do is right-click the icon and choose to open it. That will save it as an exception, and allow it to be run normally after that point. See: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/open-a-mac-app-from-an-unidentified-developer-mh40616/mac https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/open-a-mac-app-from... At no point do you need to resort to "arcane shell commands" or "extended file system attributes." In fact, literally ALL of this is absolutely easy.