09-04-2015, 07:22 AM
Just to let everyone know what we're up to... we've finished most of the tickets for version 0.18, but now we're working on getting the apps properly code-signed.
Code signing is a necessary step to avoid those scary "Unknown publisher" dialogs that appear on both Mac and Windows. Depending on what version of the OS you're running, these might claim the file is damaged or can't be run. All untrue, of course. But on recent versions of Mac OS X, you can't even run such an app by just double-clicking; you have to right-click, select "Open" from the contextual menu, and then click the Open button in the "Danger! Danger!" dialog that appears.
Code signing satisfies these nervous operating systems by creating a chain of encrypted "certificates" that lead back to some trusted authority, who has verified that we're a real entity on the up-and-up. In the case of Mac OS X, that authority has to be Apple. We've had an Apple developer account (actually, several) for years, so this was no problem.
In the case of Windows, Microsoft doesn't actually code-sign or issue trust certificates. Instead they have a list of third-party certificate authorities that are known to the OS. Unfortunately, Apple isn't one of these. So, we're currently in the process of applying for a certificate from Codomo. Since we have just relocated from Colorado to Arizona, that might be a bit thorny... please keep your fingers crossed!
Code signing is a necessary step to avoid those scary "Unknown publisher" dialogs that appear on both Mac and Windows. Depending on what version of the OS you're running, these might claim the file is damaged or can't be run. All untrue, of course. But on recent versions of Mac OS X, you can't even run such an app by just double-clicking; you have to right-click, select "Open" from the contextual menu, and then click the Open button in the "Danger! Danger!" dialog that appears.
Code signing satisfies these nervous operating systems by creating a chain of encrypted "certificates" that lead back to some trusted authority, who has verified that we're a real entity on the up-and-up. In the case of Mac OS X, that authority has to be Apple. We've had an Apple developer account (actually, several) for years, so this was no problem.
In the case of Windows, Microsoft doesn't actually code-sign or issue trust certificates. Instead they have a list of third-party certificate authorities that are known to the OS. Unfortunately, Apple isn't one of these. So, we're currently in the process of applying for a certificate from Codomo. Since we have just relocated from Colorado to Arizona, that might be a bit thorny... please keep your fingers crossed!
Joe Strout
Lead Developer, High Frontier
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