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Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

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Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#41

Post by the_af »

coldcode wrote: post #23
raxxorrax wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't know why you are downvoted since you are completely correct. It is unfair to the developer but we wouldn't even have this discussion if people rejected app stores. I like that more developers just reject software certification processes. There is zero benefit aside from lock in.

Other than open season on the users with malware out the wazoo. But who cares about security. Do you buy healthcare from the back of a pickup truck?

I don't think it follows that malware is the only possible alternative to walled gardens.

You could still have trust mechanisms while downloading from sites where the author, not the walled garden, has the control.

Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#43

Post by ballenf »

tclancy wrote: post #13
jtbayly wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there something wrong with downloading videos to my computer?

No, it's more that it's easy to guess the likely cause here: * a lawyer sends a DMCA request to Youtube * a Youtube bot looks at the offending request and finds a user agent * Kicks off automated warning to Apple bot * Apple bot shuts down developer account All that's really needed here is a bot to post these things to Twitter and HackerNews and then an API for the service bots to read the complaints and undo the act…

The requests the app makes would not be coming from "Apple". The rest of the scenario is plausible, but it wouldn't be bots it would be humans connecting the dots and sending a manual claim to Apple.

Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#44

Post by OskarS »

the_af wrote: post #35
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is there something wrong with downloading videos to my computer? Nope. Creating a tool perceived by those with enough lawyers to be a “copy protection circumvention device” however does run afoul of the DMCA.

So a re-hash of the old "audio tapes will kill the music industry" or "video tapes will kill cinema"?

Nobody here thinks that the law is a good idea or will do anything to protect any content industries. The fact is that despite being enormously stupid, it is still the law.

Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#45

Post by matwood »

raxxorrax wrote: post #15
pearjuice wrote: post #8

Sadly, this is what a walled garden results in. Please don't be surprised, shocked or even remotely discontent because by signing the ToS you have waived away any and all of your rights regarding the use and publishing of software in this walled garden. The only reason an issue like this will get "fixed" is when this (post/tweet) goes viral and the PR department will work extra hard to correct this.

Don't know why you are downvoted since you are completely correct. It is unfair to the developer but we wouldn't even have this discussion if people rejected app stores. I like that more developers just reject software certification processes. There is zero benefit aside from lock in.

Someone said there are security benefits to the user. Obviously nothing is 100%, but there is a benefit. There’s also discovery benefits to both sides and trust benefits. I am find apps more easily on app stores, and am much more quick to buy an app through the store then some random website.

Maybe those benefits don’t outweigh the downsides, but to say there is no user or developer benefit is objectively false in both cases IMO.

Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#46

Post by hunter2_ »

sjs382 wrote: post #30
gruez wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, so what are the situations where it can be false? * apple actually did communicate to them, but it was via carrier pigeon or something and it got lost * apple is under gag order * the developer is actually a long time repeat offender and is trying to evade via sockpuppet accounts None of them seem plausible to me. Also, unlike with the apple 30% refund fiasco, we know for sure this is happening, because other u…

It doesn't take much imagination to come up with other scenarios. No idea if any of these are true. * apple actually did communicate to them, but it went to the developer's spam box. * apple actually did communicate to them, but sent it to an old email address that the developer never updated. * apple actually did communicate to them, but it was via a developer dashboard that the developer rarely checks. * apple didn…

You make all good points except for the dashboard. I don't believe that posting a message on your own property can be construed as sending a communication (and for something like this situation, we're talking about sending when we say communicating). It would be like having to go to a lender's headquarters for financial statements and tax documents.

Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#48

Post by ballenf »

hunter2_ wrote: post #28
jabroni_salad wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally I would say no but it does kind of depend. Tools like this do allow you to save copies of videos that weren't meant to be savable. The dev's website includes a screenshot of it downloading a bunch of Disney material. That is not a wasp nest I want to shake.

Broadcast and cable TV wasn't meant to be savable, and then VCRs came out and courts decided that saving (time shifting) is absolutely fine. It doesn't in and of itself facilitate sharing. If it breaks actual encryption (a la DeCSS) then yes, it oversteps. But TV content stakeholders don't have much pull with convincing VCR manufacturers/distributors to stop supplying VCRs. Apple does clearly have the ability to affe…

> If it breaks actual encryption (a la DeCSS) then yes, it oversteps.

I'd counter that if the audio and video get to your eyes and ears, then the content provider has already provided you a decrypted copy of the media and/or the instructions for how to decrypt.

If you had an arms' length valid agreement with the company where you agree not to retain the media, then that's different issue.

Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#49

Post by auganov »

Original tweet:

> "Hello everyone, today I woke up to my developer account being suspended without a single letter why which is why the apps are crashing. Please bear with me while I try to get this fixed with Apple. Thank you for understanding."

Not being a Mac developer, the wording about revoking the certificate makes it sound a little more unusual than just their account being banned. Although not nice, I assume that's something that happens a lot.

Re: Apple revoked longtime Mac developer's code signing certificate with no warning

#50

Post by AnthonyMouse »

bzb3 wrote: post #33
DethNinja wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another option would be changing the legislation. I wouldn’t hold my breath in the case of USA but rest of the world should certainly limit the monopoly of walled gardens as it limits the competition.

Apple is not a monopoly. Additionally this is a Mac app and you can sideload apps on Macs

They pretty clearly have a monopoly on iOS app stores.

Now we can skip the part where somebody says that you can't have a monopoly on your own product and then I point out that monopolies always look like that because their product is the only one in the market, and the reason that android app stores and iOS app stores are different markets is that you can't install Android apps on iOS devices or vice versa.

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