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macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

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Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#961

Post by pwdisswordfish2 »

teddyh wrote: post #838

I see a lot of comments here wondering why Apple seems to not care about software quality anymore. I don’t know if that’s true, but there’s a perfectly obvious answer: They don’t have to. Software quality in macOS was important back when they were trying to get people to switch from Windows-based PCs to Macs. Nowadays, most people who were going to switch have already switched, so Apple has no incentive to keep up th…

Under your theory, given a comparison between "not modern" and "modern", software and hardware that is not modern may be higher quality.

Should users always choose "modern" over "mot modern"?

Or does this choice require actually knowing all the changes from one version to the next?

Do macOS users diff the Darwin source trees against each other to follow changes?

Would that have revealed a "bug" like this one?

Would having macOS fully open source enable users to spot "bugs" like this one?

Should users that care about things like UNIX "security" switch to a fully open source UNIX-like OS instead of a corporate-controlled one?

Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#964

Post by heedlessly2 »

minusSeven wrote: post #269
2trill2spill wrote: post #126

Apple has a serious software quality problem. Last night I was helping a friend with their computer. Safari couldn't even render apples website correctly. Nor could Safari connect to any site with HTTPS. Installed FireFox and HTTPS sites worked and apples's site renders. But the submit button on their developer site is broken[1]. Mail on my Mom's fully updated laptop crashes every time it's opened. Once I reported a…

Its not just Apple though. Microsoft had the similar problems in the past. Edge did not support silverlight causing people to move to other browser. It was strange to see Microsoft's own software not supported by Microsoft.

newsflash: every big tech company is plagued with software issues

Google's Playstore is plagued with malware and other scam apps. iTunes occasionally has scam apps too but PlayStore is much worse.

Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#965

Post by baldfat »

DCKing wrote: post #939
baldfat wrote: post #895

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a mental lock in now a days. Most people don't realize but the vast majority of Video Editing was Windows based till about 2010 when Final Cut was considered best in class (I can't stand Final Cut myself but to each their own...) The vast majority of video editing is now Premier due to Apple's handling of Final Cut Pro and the lack of support for the Mac Pro (They usually sit in back rooms as expensive file serv…

I'm not sure I agree with this. Or at least it goes too far to say that it's a mental lock in. Yeah Apple is making some very bad mistakes in their software quality, but there are two things that are very essential to the Mac experience that still make it the most straightforward choice. One key advantage Macs have over Windows is that they run Unix. You can open a terminal and be involved with most of the Linux/Unix…

> One key advantage Macs have over Windows is that they run Unix. You can open a terminal and be involved with most of the Linux/Unix monoculture that exists and have access to much the same tools. No VMs and all the hassle they bring to take into account, mostly at least.

Thankfully we are getting there with "Windows Subsystem for Linux." I am using the OpenSUSE subsystem which you can install in the Windows 10 store. It isn't perfect but it sure is getting closer.

Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#966

Post by _ea1k »

teddyh wrote: post #838

I see a lot of comments here wondering why Apple seems to not care about software quality anymore. I don’t know if that’s true, but there’s a perfectly obvious answer: They don’t have to. Software quality in macOS was important back when they were trying to get people to switch from Windows-based PCs to Macs. Nowadays, most people who were going to switch have already switched, so Apple has no incentive to keep up th…

Saying that you only care about existing users via lockin and don't expect switchers is a sure path to doom in the long run. Surely that cannot really be it.

Incompetence seems to be a more likely fit here than that.

Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#967

Post by mattl »

baldfat wrote: post #895
angrygoat wrote: post #880

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These days, where is the lock-in? The core applications that I use (Firefox, Docker, VSCode, vim, ...) all work just as well on Linux, MacOS and Windows. I have a Mac, because it's (at least previously) been pretty secure by default, doesn't require me to invest a lot of time sysadmining my own box, and lets me dip into a healthy ecosystem of commercial software useful to my hobbies (like photography.) The software h…

It's a mental lock in now a days. Most people don't realize but the vast majority of Video Editing was Windows based till about 2010 when Final Cut was considered best in class (I can't stand Final Cut myself but to each their own...) The vast majority of video editing is now Premier due to Apple's handling of Final Cut Pro and the lack of support for the Mac Pro (They usually sit in back rooms as expensive file serv…

> Also most people mentally think that somehow Apple is better for design but the software runs just as well on Windows.

Back in the PowerPC days, a large part of every keynote was getting Phil on to press the spacebar so we could all see how much slower Photoshop was at making the poster for Inspector Gadget. Can't help but feel like this was where a lot of people cut their teeth on this opinion. While Mac OS 9 and its users (niners) are a tiny minority now, I suspect a lot of those shops moved to Mac OS X.

Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#968

Post by recursive »

frik wrote: post #916
teddyh wrote: post #838

I see a lot of comments here wondering why Apple seems to not care about software quality anymore. I don’t know if that’s true, but there’s a perfectly obvious answer: They don’t have to. Software quality in macOS was important back when they were trying to get people to switch from Windows-based PCs to Macs. Nowadays, most people who were going to switch have already switched, so Apple has no incentive to keep up th…

It reminds me of the Windows 95/98 login. At the logon screen, just pressing ESC got you to the desktop. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAH2j9mRgUM

It's kind of similar, but that was intentional. There was even a "Cancel" button in the GUI that did the same thing.

Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#969

Post by criddell »

mcgarnagle wrote: post #946
angrygoat wrote: post #880

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These days, where is the lock-in? The core applications that I use (Firefox, Docker, VSCode, vim, ...) all work just as well on Linux, MacOS and Windows. I have a Mac, because it's (at least previously) been pretty secure by default, doesn't require me to invest a lot of time sysadmining my own box, and lets me dip into a healthy ecosystem of commercial software useful to my hobbies (like photography.) The software h…

Mac is also easier to use for non technical users. I bought my mom a Mac and she can plays with the "system preferences." Good luck showing her Control Panel on windows.

The Apple Store is a huge deal for non-technical users as well.

Apple's sales per square foot in their stores is really high. Having some place to take your computer to when you need help is extremely valuable for a lot of people. Why don't Samsung, Dell, Lenovo, and HP all have their own stores in every neighborhood that has an Apple store? Is the Apple store only successful because of the iPhone?

Re: macOS High Sierra: Anyone can login as “root” with empty password

#970

Post by hellofunk »

yoz-y wrote: post #958
hellofunk wrote: post #954

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> this particular bug happened precisely because Apple has changed _something_ in macOS I don't know much about this bug but I have seen several reports that the bug has actually existed quite some time and is not new, only the publicity surrounding it is now shining a bright light on it.

I thought it was confirmed that it is new to High Sierra, it was indeed lingering on forums as a "administrator hint" though.

I think you are right, but it's still been in the wild for several months, despite that Apple just realized a comment claiming they discovered the problem yesterday.
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