Your security preferences allow installation of only apps from the Mac App Store and identified developers.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - I mentioned this in the Mountain Lion thread but want to create a different topic for it that's simple to find without wading through that whole thread. When installing apps on Mountain Lion OS X 10.8 you may see an error or message that says the following ->

 

Your security preferences allow installation of only apps from the Mac App Store and identified developers.

 

By default Apple has changed the security settings to only allow installation of apps from the Mac App Store and identified developers. To change this permanently or temporarily go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy. On the General Tab click the little lock in the lower left corner to unlock the general preference pane. Then select the Anywhere radio button beneath Allow applications downloaded from: Here are a couple screenshots.

 

 

 

 

 

[Talita]

Thanks dude - you rock like Table Mountain

[eatapc]

Personally I would not recommend setting the security preference to "Anywhere." For those new to OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks, it's very easy to deal with apps from unidentified developers on a case-by-case basis, so why make your Mac less safe? Just right-click on the installer and choose "Open" in the pop-up window. More info here:

 

Safely Install Non-Mac App Store Apps On Your Mac [OS X Tips] | Cult of Mac

 

I don't know if there has been a dangerous app released for the Mac recently, but I'd rather keep that extra step active. Macs are much safer than PCs, but a few years ago there was something called MacDefender that infected Macs and caused us to feel a little less smug or superior about security.

 

MacDefender Scareware Linked to Russian Payment Site | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

[wgscott]

As with TSA, and the NSA, it has very little to do with your safety, and very much to do with social control.

 

For even more fun, try to get Gui scripting to work.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Personally I would not recommend setting the security preference to "Anywhere." For those new to OS X Mountain Lion and Mavericks, it's very easy to deal with apps from unidentified developers on a case-by-case basis, so why make your Mac less safe? Just right-click on the installer and choose "Open" in the pop-up window. More info here:

 

Safely Install Non-Mac App Store Apps On Your Mac [OS X Tips] | Cult of Mac

 

I don't know if there has been a dangerous app released for the Mac recently, but I'd rather keep that extra step active. Macs are much safer than PCs, but a few years ago there was something called MacDefender that infected Macs and caused us to feel a little less smug or superior about security.

 

MacDefender Scareware Linked to Russian Payment Site | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

If you're going to right-click and select Open anyway, why not just enable the Anywhere setting? A username and password must be entered to install software as well. This setting really isn't protecting anyone. Maybe it's pushing people toward the App Store where Apple collects a percentage of sales?

[wgscott]

Maybe it's pushing people toward the App Store where Apple collects a percentage of sales?

 

Exactly.

 

It is a real kick in the teeth to Free and Open-Source software distributors, not only because it makes this stuff harder to install, but it creates a suspicion amongst the potential user community that open-source software is more dangerous (the opposite is typically true) and something you should distrust. (We see that a lot on CA anyway -- look at the paranoia about Audacity). Finally, Apple charges a $100/year ransom for so-called code-signing, that allows a distributor to go through the Apple-approved channels. If you are distributing something for free, you shouldn't have to pay out of your own pocket to do so. It will help to kill OS X as a viable unix computer platform if they persist in this direction.

 

I don't know if this is post Steve Jobs, but it seems Apple has lost sight of the horizon; they seem intent on making my iMac into a sessile iPad on a stick.

[eatapc]

I agree with your reasoning, Chris, but here's my alternate rationale: I want to know when an app is from an unidentified developer. When I'm forced to right-click on an app to open the installer, it makes me think twice. In the last two years I've declined to install only two apps after finding that a right-click was necessary, but I like to be alerted. In one case, I researched the app again and ultimately went ahead with the install; in the other case I decided I didn't want to do it.

 

I have never been pushed to the Apple store because of this security measure, and I've never been discouraged from buying the apps I need outside of Apple's "clutches." As a professional video editor with an audio hobby, I find there are many apps I can't live without that are not available on the App Store; the existence of the App Store in no way discourages those purchases.

 

I knew about the right-click thing before I even installed Mountain Lion because the developers of several apps I own sent e-mail notices to registered users. It was also much talked about in the build-up to Mountain Lion's release, and all the reviewers talked about "Gatekeeper" at the time of release. Most developers, including those who choose not to sell through the App Store (for good reasons), are generally OK with Apple's Gatekeeper. This was typical of the developer talk at the time of Mountain Lion:

 

What Developers Think About Mountain Lion's Gatekeeper

 

Of course, there's a legitimate debate about whether Apple is greedily trying to force developers to sell through the App Store or whether this is a legitimate security policy. To me it's pretty obvious: both!

[wgscott]

 

This isn't exactly a judgement-free neutral heads-up.

 

cf: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/05/apples-crystal-prison-and-future-open-platforms

[Axiom05]

The funniest thing of all is that when I tried to install Filemaker Pro I got the message that the program was from an unrecognized source. Apple owns Filemaker!

[eatapc]

That article contains an important qualifier: "reportedly." Turned out to be wrong, didn't it? It was written about 5 months before Mountain Lion was released; the warning was in an early developer version.

 

Apple makes it very pretty easy for developers to be included in the "identified developer" category. Adium, in fact, installs fine without a change to the Security default settings. I'm finding that fewer and fewer app installers require a right-click to open; if a right-click is required, it takes an extra two seconds. Not a big deal.

 

I think it was valuable for Chris to point out the issue and provide a solution for people new to OS X 10.8 or 10.9. I just wanted to add that there is an alternative method for installing apps from unidentified developers that doesn't involve disabling Apple's security preferences.

[eatapc]

The funniest thing of all is that when I tried to install Filemaker Pro I got the message that the program was from an unrecognized source. Apple owns Filemaker!

That's hilarious. Go figure. When Mountain Lion came out I read that versions 11 and 12 of Filemaker Pro produced the warning; Filemaker posted the workaround for its users who were reinstalling on 10.8. Is that still true with the current version?!!!

[Axiom05]

That's hilarious. Go figure. When Mountain Lion came out I read that versions 11 and 12 of Filemaker Pro produced the warning; Filemaker posted the workaround for its users who were reinstalling on 10.8. Is that still true with the current version?!!!

 

This happened with the latest version, Filemaker Pro 13, last December and using OSX 10.8.5.

[ljkolnick]

So I have done this before, but a program i just downloaded won't open. Even when ctrl-click opening the file only this pops up

 

My preference was already set to allow non-Mac approved apps. I tried also switching to open anything and back, nothing is working.

 

Advice?

 

P.S. when i posted this the image didn't show up for me, so in case there's nothing there, the image just showed the Mac security checker that says "Verifying "[whatever app]"... with a progress bar. The bar makes no progress... ever.