Category: Modern problems

Sometimes even the best of systems gets hoisted by its own petard.

I was using my computer the other day and moved from one room to the other. I got distracted and my computer went to sleep. Situation normal, this chain of events happens all the time.

Except when I came back woke my computer and tried to fire up a program that I use off & on almost every day.

Then my computer said

“This program is damaged and can’t be opened. Delete the program and download it again from the App Store.”

I tried another program,

“Licensing Error. A license was found but it does not appear to be for this computer.”

And another program,

“This program was purchased on another computer. Please enter your ID to authorize this program for use with this computer.”

Whoa! Something is seriously wrong.

OK

Rebooting!

Same problem, and then I realize the issue is only with programs that I’ve  purchased from the Apple App Store. Okay, I re-enter my app store ID, then I’m told that’s not the right ID. I power down the machine and try again. It shouldn’t have mattered and it didn’t, but I wanted a pristine system to begin troubleshooting.

After a few more minutes, I get the App Store to accept my ID by specifically telling the App Store to log me out then logging back in. Progress!

I still can’t get any programs from the App Store to work. I pick one that doesn’t store a lot of data, for example a utility instead of my checkbook program, then delete it.

The App Store shows that the program is available for download / installation.

I download it and try to execute it.

“This program is damaged and can’t be opened. Delete the program and download it again from the App Store.”

OK WTF?

I call Apple.

After fighting through their “Helpful voice prompt with genuine people personality” I get hold of someone in iTunes support. Because guess what? There doesn’t seem to be a selection that Mr. Roboto understands as needing help with the Application Store.

You’d think that would be one of the options they offer at a top level menu… You’d be dead wrong!

Anyhow, I get transferred to a nice person who works in the app store help department and after walking through all the steps that I tried on my own he’s really confused too.

I pick another program and delete it while he’s on the line, then I re-download this one and whadaya know? It works.

I ask if there’s something going on in the App Store. He checks and says, “Nope, nothing amiss for the past 8 hours.”

Okay…

I delete and reinstall every program I’ve purchased from the App Store. ALL but one is working again. The one I’m having problems with is a problem with that piece of software and the company admits they’ve got a problem they’re working to resolve on their website.

I go on with my day and think, “That was damn strange.”

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This morning I see an article in Computerworld, Lapsed Apple certificate triggers massive Mac app fiasco. I read the article and think… “No Shit?”

There’s always been a slight tightness in the pit of my stomach about using cloud application stores.

I categorically refuse to use the Adobe cloud mostly because the cost is prohibitively high.

I do use the Microsoft Office cloud based suite because it’s cheap and efficient. Even if it can’t “phone home” for a while the programs still work and then degrade gracefully.

I never in my wildest dreams thought about programs not only refusing to launch, but also giving completely erroneous information about what the heck their problem was because of a lapsed security certificate.  

Apple could have, and should have given a message that specifically said the certificate was expired. Then when they fixed the certificate everything should have been updated and we’d have been inconvenienced, but at least the customers wouldn’t have been wasting time deleting and reinstalling software.

I like the opening paragraphs of the Computerworld article.

“A lapsed Apple digital certificate today triggered a massive app fiasco that prevented Mac users from running software they’d purchased from the Mac App Store.

“Whenever you download an app from the Mac App Store, the app provides a cryptographically-signed receipt,” explained Paul Haddad, a co-founder of Tapbots, the company behind the popular Tweetbot Twitter client, in an email reply to questions today. “These receipts are signed with various certificates with different expiration dates. One of those is the ‘Mac App Store Receipt Signing;’ that expires every two years. That certificate expired on ‘Nov 11 21:58:01 2015 GMT,’ which caused most existing App Store receipts to no longer be considered valid.”

Whoops.

The result: Bedlam.”

Understatement, but Bedlam is a great word that isn’t used much these days.

It does make me rethink using the App Store. Perhaps, I’d be better off going back to the old way of doing things.

On the one hand the App store means that I only have my credit card registered on one site, the old way I’d have my card spread around the internet like a $2 whore.

Maybe software vendors could start using Bitcoin, so we don’t have to expose our credit card info?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!  

Yeah, I’m not holding my breath…

I understand websites wanting to put you on mailing lists.

I get that it’s about the click count and revenue.

What I don’t get is a web site that won’t let me at least do a little “window shopping”

I’ve been to a few websites, the most recent was something called Wayfair. This site bills itself as a Home goods site in the clickthrough ad, BUT they want your email address before you even get to find out if they carry anything that you’d purchase.

For example, I know Williams-Sonoma and Bed Bath & Beyond carry name brand products from Cuisineart, and Keurig, and both sites will sell online.

I don’t know if Wayfair sells quality products unless I give up an email address and they have no way of knowing if the address I’ve given them is legit, or a “Burner”.

Perhaps if they’d let me browse for a bit, or they hid their prices until I gave them an email address, I’d be more likely to cooperate.

As it is, if the first thing I see when I’ve clicked on a retail site from an AD, is “Give use your email address” I’m 100% likely to close the browser window. They’ve wasted their advertising dollar and time. And I’m not going to waste any more of my time looking at their site.

I feel like I shouldn’t be asked to sign up for yet more JUNK mail, before I’ve even had a chance to decide if the retailer carries products I’m interested in.

I know an email address isn’t that big a deal, but I feel like email addresses are to some extent the currency of the internet and as such me being charged an entry fee to a website I know nothing about is kinda like prepaying to eat at a restaurant while standing in line with no menu and no idea what the place serves.

I use an ad blocker all the time. Recently, I’ve been seeing some websites scolding me about my use of an ad blocker and telling me I should open myself to the flood of ads that make trying to get real information from the internet so difficult. I disagree.

When I actually do notice an ad that is NOT popping up over what I want to read, and I do click on it I have some reasonable expectation that I’ll “window shop” and make a decision based on what I see.

I’m not likely to pay for food before I see it, I’m equally not likely to give up an email address just to gain entrance to a “me too” site.

I know I’m in the minority, but a guy has to have some standards!

Since I wrote this piece, Wayfair has apparently removed the email wall. Maybe I’m not the minority I thought I was.

Hmm.

The evil “Service Battery” is back all the time now. I’m going to have to get the machine in for a battery replacement. It’s not that big a deal, it’s just a matter of time and how long can I be without the computer.

I’ve decided that I want Apple to handle it rather than doing it myself, in part because Apple will warranty the battery and in part because all the online battery suppliers I’ve spoken with, want me to remove the battery to read them the model number.

Apple started building many of their laptops with non-removable batteries after 2009.

The fact that this machine is a 2012 MacBook Air, and the MacBook Air was never manufactured with a removable battery gives me great concern when chatting with a battery supplier who doesn’t know this.

This is especially true when I’m asking them about a battery from their website where I’ve copied their part number into the little chat dialog, and am asking a specific question like:

“Your site says this battery will work in all MacBook airs but then specifically says this product is for a 2014 MacBook Air. Is the product compatible with a 2012 MacBook Air?”

“Please remove the battery from your computer and read me the model number. If your machine in plugged in you can remove the battery and not have the computer turn off.”

“Uh you understand this is a MacBook AIR right?”

“Yes, simply remove the battery and we can get started.“

“Again, you understand this is a MacBook Air, correct?”

“Yes.”

“OK, we’re done!”

For those unfamiliar with the MacBook Air construction. Just to get the bottom panel off requires removal of 10 screws. These particular screws are something called Pentalobe. While I have a Torx screwdriver set, I haven’t had a need to purchase a Pentalobe set. The screwhead looks like the image to the right, obviously not the run of the mill “Computer Tool Kit” from The Dollar store.

How can I trust anything that the representative of a battery manufacturer tells me, if they don’t know the most basic of facts about the product that they’re selling me a replacement battery for? I am after all accessing their consumer website, not their commercial supply site.

The cost to have Apple replace the battery is about $120. Purchasing a replacement on my own is $99, and there’s no warranty.

The difference is insignificant by the time I pay shipping, taxes, buy the proper screwdriver, and then splay my machine across my kitchen counter.

When I get round to needing a Terabyte drive in my machine, everything changes. (I want a TB drive now, but I don’t need a TB drive.) On that day, I’ll buy the proper tools to get into my beloved MacBook and while I’m in there I’ll look at any other upgrades that I might be able to install.

Based on pictures of the main logic board, I doubt there’s much I can do other than upgrade the hard drive, but it’s always worth a look.

I tend to buy maxed out machines right from the get-go so there’s little to add. When I bought this machine, I got the max memory and biggest hard drive available. The only reason that a TB drive is an option now, is because technology has made TB solid state drives available and reasonably affordable.

As an aside, it looks like Apple may be able to replace the battery while I wait. That is IF they have any in stock, so I guess it’s in my best interest to schedule my visit to Apple in advance.

I wonder if I’ll be able to get in and out of an Apple store without making additional purchases?

Hmm, self control? Me?