I am an 84 year old academic, who has developed scientific software since 1961. In 2007 I developed a java-8 application that is running worldwide as a jar. To give the software a life-expectancy beyond my own, I have now updated the program as a Gradle build and placed it on Github [https://github.com/Papa-26/GS_LV). I can generate installers for Linux, Windows and Macs - but there is the rub! I can build, install and run the application on my own Mac, but as soon as it moves to another Mac, I get the ugly message: "GS_MV" is damaged, and can not be opened .... move to trash!. That even happens, when I upload the installer to Google Drive, and then download it again to my own machine. I have searched various fora to find a solution - for naught. Does it mean that I have to pay a ransom to Apple, in order that colleagues can run the free software on their Macs?
How distribute Open Source software for macOS?
To give the software a life-expectancy beyond my own, I have now updated the program as a Gradle build and placed it on Github
Hmm, what is github's policy when the account holder dies?
as soon as it moves to another Mac, I get the ugly message: "GS_MV" is damaged
I think the first thing you need to do is to check if the "damaged" copy actually does differ from your working original.
How did you copy it? Try scp or rsync.
Maybe copy it back again and then compare with cmp, or compute checksums, or something.
Does it mean that I have to pay a ransom to Apple
No.
So I checked out the accuracy of the installer movements:
- I created a brand new .dmg on my mini-Mac (macOS Catalina v-10.15.7)
- I did an md5: 9acd996a9705de6d4f9cf1290d350436
- I logged the mini-Mac into my github repository and placed the .dmg into release.
- I logged out of the repository.
- I enabled the Gatekeeper to accept files from anywhere.
- I logged back in and downloaded said .dmg into a different folder.
- md5 on the downloaded file gave again 9acd996a9705de6d4f9cf1290d350436, i.e. the file was identical.
- After removing the original, functioning version, I tried to reinstall from the downloaded version.
- -> "GS_MV is damaged, and can't be opened. You should move it to the trash!"
- I repeated the whole experiment with the .dmg file 'locked', no difference.
If you just create the .dmg, and then try to install from it, does it work as expected?
Yes, it works fine. In the mean time I also found a way around: If I download the installer on a non-Apple computer onto a usb-stick, and then plug the usb stick into thea Mac, it can be installed without problems. The Apple police only prevents direct download/installation. But many users will be much inconvenienced, if they have to go through this extra hurdle.