![\"Mac](\"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/mac-app-store-100626106-primary.idge_.png\" "\\"mac-app-store-100626106-primary.idge.png\\"")
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Sometimes even the best of systems gets hoisted by its own petard.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Except when I came back woke my computer and tried to fire up a program that I use off & on almost every day.<\/p>\n
Then my computer said<\/p>\n
“This program is damaged and can’t be opened. Delete the program and download it again from the App Store.”<\/p>\n
I tried another program,<\/p>\n
“Licensing Error. A license was found but it does not appear to be for this computer.”<\/p>\n
And another program,<\/p>\n
“This program was purchased on another computer. Please enter your ID to authorize this program for use with this computer.”<\/p>\n
Whoa! Something is seriously wrong.<\/p>\n
OK<\/p>\n
![\"Logoist\"](\"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Logoist.png\" "\\"Logoist.png\\"")
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Rebooting!<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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!<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The App Store shows that the program is available for download \/ installation.<\/p>\n
I download it and try to execute it.<\/p>\n
“This program is damaged and can’t be opened. Delete the program and download it again from the App Store.”<\/p>\n
OK WTF?<\/p>\n
I call Apple.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
You’d think that would be one of the options they offer at a top level menu… You’d be dead wrong!<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
I pick another program and delete it while he’s on the line, then I re-download this one and whadaya know? It works.<\/p>\n
I ask if there’s something going on in the App Store. He checks and says, “Nope, nothing amiss for the past 8 hours.”<\/p>\n
Okay…<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
I go on with my day and think, “That was damn strange.”<\/p>\n
This morning I see an article in Computerworld, Lapsed Apple certificate triggers massive Mac app fiasco<\/a>. I read the article and think… “No Shit?”<\/p>\n There’s always been a slight tightness in the pit of my stomach about using cloud application stores.<\/p>\n I categorically refuse to use the Adobe cloud mostly because the cost is prohibitively high.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n I like the opening paragraphs of the Computerworld article.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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<\/a>, the company behind the popular Tweetbot Twitter<\/a> 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.”<\/p>\n Whoops.<\/p>\n The result: Bedlam.”<\/p>\n Understatement, but Bedlam<\/em> is a great word that isn’t used much these days.<\/p>\n It does make me rethink using the App Store. Perhaps, I’d be better off going back to the old way of doing things.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Maybe software vendors could start using Bitcoin, so we don’t have to expose our credit card info?<\/p>\n HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA! <\/p>\n Yeah, I’m not holding my breath…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 … <\/p>\n![\"Bedlam\"](\"https:\/\/bone-in-the-throat.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/bedlam.png\" "\\"bedlam.png\\"")
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