On Windows, unsigned apps usually trigger a “Unknown Publisher” warning, which:
- Clearly labels the app as unsigned — not “damaged”
- Still allows the user to easily override the warning and open the app
- Doesn’t falsely imply the app is corrupted
On macOS, the message is:
“App is damaged and should be moved to the Trash”
This:
- Strongly implies the app is broken or dangerous
- Misleads non-technical users into deleting safe software
- Can trigger across all user files or multiple apps after updates, as seen in real cases
Cost to the Ecosystem
It’s not just about the $99/year:
- Small devs, educators, hobbyists, open-source projects often can’t justify the fee for a free tool
- Explaining this to every user takes hours of support time
- Thousands of safe apps are abandoned or ignored due to the scary warning
- Users lose trust in perfectly good software
We’ve estimated:
- Over 1 million users have abandoned apps due to this message
- Devs waste millions of dollars worth of time explaining workarounds
The Goal Here
We’re not asking Apple to remove security — just to make the message accurate.
Changing “damaged” to something like:
“App is not signed and may be from an unknown developer”
…would solve 90% of the confusion, with no loss in security.
This isn’t just about me — it’s about a misleading message that affects thousands of developers and users.
Even if I pay $99, the warning remains a problem for the entire open-source and indie dev ecosystem.
The Framework 13 11th-gen Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 (loaded up with 64 GB RAM and a fast 1 TB NVMe SSD) is by far the best value / battery life - that said, the latest MacBook Pro 14in M4 Pro devices are also great value.
I strongly disagree - if you cannot swim in the same technical waters as your direct reports, and get lost when they try to explain the issues they're facing (and possible resolutions), you are not well-suited to manage them.
I get where you’re coming from, but you’re conflating two different things: technical depth and conversational clarity.
Being able to “swim in the same technical waters” is important—but this post isn’t about a manager being out of their depth. It’s about being flooded with unstructured thinking.
Even the most technically competent managers can feel lost when updates come as raw brain dumps instead of synthesized insights. And ironically, the more context you do have, the more exhausting it is to parse through scattered information and reconstruct the puzzle yourself—especially across multiple reports and projects.
Clear communication isn’t a luxury. It’s a multiplier.
The manager’s job isn’t to absorb every detail—it’s to help their team focus on what matters, make decisions faster, and see patterns across noise. That’s not a sign of weakness. It’s leadership.
And - if you cannot afford a $99 / yr developer ID, how could you possibly afford a signing key for Windows or other platforms?