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Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

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Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#52

It's not just Apple that pulls shenanigans like this. Try building a Python app with PyInstaller while you have Windows Defender live scanning on, which is the default setting. You won't even be able to compile a binary without Defender preventing you from doing so. Similarly, try running the binary produced by PyInstaller with Windows Defender on. Defender will say it's malicious and won't run it. It's a bit dystopi…

It's not just Python apps. It's anything by small-time developers without expensive certificates. I once used MSVC to compile a C program that was little more than a "Hello, World", and Defender called it the Win32/Wacatac Trojan.

This is not my experience but maybe I'm doing something different. I ship an electron app. I build it into an installer with electron-builder. I'm not sure I set any configuration settings. It's set to install in the user's folders, not at the system level. My understanding is that's allowed and just works.

Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#54
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Homebrew is the best solution for shipping open source Mac apps if you don't want to pay the developer fee or jump through any hurdles, assuming your users are technical enough to use it. The alternative is not signing your binaries and explaining to users that they can run them by right clicking and selecting "Open" from the menu.

Unfortunately, getting users to install Homebrew is a hurdle that's hard to pass for what I'm dealing with. It's a non-starter if users have to open a terminal to install anything, even though Homebrew has a .pkg installer now. The users typically don't know what a terminal even is. > The alternative is not signing your binaries and explaining to users that they can run them by right clicking and selecting "Open" fro…

Why aren't you just ... paying the 100$ a year to sign your app?

Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#55

It's not just Apple that pulls shenanigans like this. Try building a Python app with PyInstaller while you have Windows Defender live scanning on, which is the default setting. You won't even be able to compile a binary without Defender preventing you from doing so. Similarly, try running the binary produced by PyInstaller with Windows Defender on. Defender will say it's malicious and won't run it. It's a bit dystopi…

It's not just Python apps. It's anything by small-time developers without expensive certificates. I once used MSVC to compile a C program that was little more than a "Hello, World", and Defender called it the Win32/Wacatac Trojan.

The code signing certificates that MS requires are ridiculously expensive. It's a cartel of certificate isseuers. It's a downright robbery. We need something similar to Let's Encrypt for code signing.

Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#56
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are opaquely rejecting apps for just literally containing the string "itms-services" in the binary and you still give them credit for a more sophisticated analysis? Lol.

You’re assuming that’s all they are doing, and that it’s all they will ever do, but neither assumption is supported by any evidence. Apple is saying what test broke, not that other tests aren’t running.

No. See the above article for more information, specifically the discussion linked [1].

> Some light obfuscation of the magic string appears to avoid the issue.

It is a simple string match causing the failure.

[1] https://discuss.python.org/t/handling-incompatibilities-with...

Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#57
post #29

Can we have Separation of Powers on our digital platforms? It is pretty shitty that the one who sells phones also determines what goes on them.

I choose Apple to be the custodian of apps that go on my phone. There is a platform where the user is the one that determines what goes on their phone, it's called Android.

Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unfortunately, getting users to install Homebrew is a hurdle that's hard to pass for what I'm dealing with. It's a non-starter if users have to open a terminal to install anything, even though Homebrew has a .pkg installer now. The users typically don't know what a terminal even is. > The alternative is not signing your binaries and explaining to users that they can run them by right clicking and selecting "Open" fro…

Why aren't you just ... paying the 100$ a year to sign your app?

> I stopped updating my open-source Mac apps because I can't justify the cost of jumping over artificial hurdles Apple puts in place that ensure users can't run the apps they want to use. I have other hobbies where spending money actually gives me tangible goods and benefits versus paying an arbitrary yearly tax for the privilege to build stuff that ultimately benefits Apple.

Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#59
post #29

Can we have Separation of Powers on our digital platforms? It is pretty shitty that the one who sells phones also determines what goes on them.

I choose Apple to be the custodian of apps that go on my phone. There is a platform where the user is the one that determines what goes on their phone, it's called Android.

While I am glad that you have the choice to be a digital serf - paying your lord for using land (devices), I would much rather prefer the choice to not be one.

That way, you can opt into digital serfdom and people like me can opt out.

-

Serf here isn’t pejorative, but descriptive. Apple is behaving like a feudal lord. Down to the claims of protecting the land and arbitrating disputes.

Re: Python grapples with Apple App Store rejections

#60

It's not just Apple that pulls shenanigans like this. Try building a Python app with PyInstaller while you have Windows Defender live scanning on, which is the default setting. You won't even be able to compile a binary without Defender preventing you from doing so. Similarly, try running the binary produced by PyInstaller with Windows Defender on. Defender will say it's malicious and won't run it. It's a bit dystopi…

To be fair to Windows Defender, a PyInstaller binary does look like malware. If it didn’t do this out of the box, it would become a standard way for malware to be distributed very quickly. Unfortunately for every person trying compile or run a valid python program from the net on a Windows PC, there’s a 1000 malware/Trojan instances trying to infect one.

Ideally code signing / validation would be cheaper

https://www.reddit.com/r/learnpython/comments/e99bhe/comment...

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