But anti-consumer? How is this anything but good for 99% of Mac users? It keeps totally un-savvy users safer, puts savvier users on high alert, and doesn’t affect power users at all (other than the minor inconvenience of right clicking the first time you open a non-notarized app).
This particular policy isn't anti-consumer, but other policies they have are anti-consumer - like breaking functionality that applications you bought are depending on in newer versions of the OS (which you need to update to because other applications and/or hardware will require it very soon).
>other policies they have are anti-consumer - like breaking functionality that applications you bought are depending on in newer versions of the OS
This is such a HN comment. On what planet is it Apple's responsibility to maintain their operating system in such a way that third-party apps from developers who don't give a shit about maintaining compatibility can continue running until the heat death of the universe? It's like being angry that Microsoft didn't stick with 8.3 character filenames forever.
> On what planet is it Apple's responsibility to maintain their operating system in such a way that third-party apps
On planet Earth.
> who don't give a shit about maintaining compatibility
Or the developer does not exist anymore or has "pivoted" to something else entirely or has discontinued the program or they have no funds to do the conversion or they rely on technologies by others that (do not exist anymore, have "pivoted" to something else entirely, have discontinued the technology, have no funds to do the conversion, rely on technologies by others that (do not exits anymore, ...)), or simply the newer version is undesirable for the user (due to worse UI/UX, lower performance, monetization-driven user-hostile changes, etc).
As a user all i care about my programs keep working.
> It's like being angry that Microsoft didn't stick with 8.3 character filenames forever.
When Microsoft introduced long file names it was implemented in a way that was backwards compatible with existing software in a way that would be possible to both use existing volumes with 8.3 format, add/rename files with long filenames and have those be visible in a 8.3 form for compatibility with older software.
And 8.3 character compatibility still exists on Windows 10. For example if you have any GOG games installed you can type DIR C:\GOGGAM~1 on command prompt to see the contents of C:\GOG Games. You can disable this via the registry, but it is enabled for backwards compatibility.
I can see anti-consumer and pro-consumer at the same time. Over the recent years I've perceived Apple as being more and more anti-consumer, for consumers that are developers or graphic artists, and pro-consumer if you are a non-developer/non-graphic artist. This is regrettable, especially since devs and graphic artists were among their original consumer base that helped get them where they are today.
I'm not sure how that dichotomy applies, especially when you are -say- a graphics artist who wants to stick with an older pre-subscription model version of -say- Photoshop that you bought in a box, instead of being forced to pay a rent for the latest version.
I have the chicken and egg problem.
I refuse to develop for Apple due to their anti-developer and anti-consumer policies.
So would I make Apps for Apple is they played nicely? Yes.