lapcatsoftware

lapcatsoftware, 8 months ago to random

Passkeys are a lie and a contradiction.

1Password: "we never, under any circumstance, want to allow them to be persisted unencrypted.”

Yet the very next sentence: “We don't want vendor lock in”.

The only way to avoid vendor lock in is to allow passkeys to be persisted unencrypted. All of the passkey vendors have been lying to us. And note that they all shipped passkey support without any export support.

It’s lock-in by design.

https://old.reddit.com/r/1Password/comments/16to6x7/hey_reddit_were_the_team_behind_passkeys_in/k3g1kz5/

lapcatsoftware, 1 month ago to random

"But the worst aspect is the paternalism."

Ironically, @gruber is NOT talking about Apple here.

"But Jobs was right too: people are smart, and they can — and should be allowed to — make their own decisions."

Yes, they should. For example, about installing software on their own devices.

It’s paternalistic — infantilizing even — to believe that corporate bureaucrats should take these decisions out of the hands of computer owners. https://mastodon.social/@daringfireball/112300834339778490

lapcatsoftware, 30 days ago to random

Good news, everyone!

I just received a phone call from an Apple representative. They confirmed that there was indeed a software bug in the bundle pricing calculation, which was fixed yesterday. They also said that affected developers, such as myself, would be compensated for our lost revenue.

That’s all I know for now. I was told that I would also be receiving a follow-up email later.

The conversation was pleasant, and the Apple representative was very nice about it.

lapcatsoftware, 4 months ago to random

The only difference between Apple locking down iPhones and John Deere locking down tractors is that farmers don’t look for ways to convince themselves that the lockdown is for their own good.

lapcatsoftware, 5 months ago to random

I found this article very interesting.

https://www.inverse.com/tech/mac-gaming-apple-silicon-interview

lapcatsoftware, 7 months ago to random

@MonaApp When I use the open in browser post action, Mona always adds the query ?kjy=spring to the end. I assume that this is some kind of leftover from Spring for Twitter. Is there any way to stop it? I don’t see the purpose.

lapcatsoftware, 4 months ago to random

“To me, the answer is obvious: Because the iPhone holds so much more sensitive data about a user than a Mac ever will."

This is such a FUCKING BULLSHIT claim.

My Mac has everything. Credit card statements, tax forms, legal documents, emails, ad infinitum.

lapcatsoftware, 1 month ago to random

Have you ever seen someone link to a Bluesky post?

Bluesky may have more users than Mastodon, but it seems a lot less relevant. I’ve personally found nothing interesting on there.

lapcatsoftware, 1 month ago to random

I really dislike how Mastodon handles direct messages, as if there were just any other post with replies.

Twitter does this much better. Direct messages are grouped by person, as they should be. On Mastodon, though, it’s difficult to see your message history with a person, and it’s always unclear whether you should reply to an old, possibly unrelated direct message or start a new “thread”, which is more difficult than it should be.

lapcatsoftware, 2 months ago to random

The crazy thing about my DSA compliance situation is that it was only after uploading my documentation to Apple (for a third time) while the senior advisor was still on the phone with me that I could get some semblance of a reason for why they rejected it. They otherwise refused to give me a reason, but they wanted me to try again to upload it, which would have caused repeated rejections, because it was the exact same documentation that they already found unacceptable.

lapcatsoftware, 2 months ago to random

StopTheMadness Pro 5.1 managed to introduce three different bugs.

It may be the worst minor release since… well, macOS 14.4.

lapcatsoftware, 4 months ago to random

As far as I can tell, there’s no independent app distribution on iOS, like there is on the Mac. There are only “alternative marketplaces” that have to be approved by Apple.

That sucks. Fuck that shit. We don’t need gatekeepers at all, whether Apple or some alternative. Anything less than the capability for direct distribution from developer to consumer is unacceptable.

lapcatsoftware, 1 month ago to random

An original book by an unfamiliar author is a “risky” purchase, since entertainment is a matter of personal taste. And it’s not like a music album where you hear a song or two on the radio or streaming first.

I like to discover “obscure” novels. I check out a bunch from the library, start reading, and stop if I don’t like it, which is actually the majority of the time. But that’s how I find diamonds in the rough. Unfortunately, buying them all would get very expensive. https://mastodon.social/@davemark/112320449967994109

lapcatsoftware, 5 months ago to random

Apple Music metadata is so fucked up.

You add an album to your playlist, but then Apple scrambles the tracks, pulling some from a complication or greatest hits instead of the album you added.

And it always seems to prefer remastered or bonus tracks editions (with a bunch of outtakes and crap you don’t want) rather than the original.

lapcatsoftware, 1 month ago to random

Apple hasn’t created a new lucrative third-party software platform since the iPhone.

Apple TV and Watch may be fine products by themselves, but they’re total duds for third-party developers. Even iPad is somewhat of a dud for third-party developers, many of whom treat iPad as an afterthought and a “checkbox” accessory to their iPhone apps. The crApp Store and other iOS restrictions are definitely holding back iPad software.

lapcatsoftware, 2 months ago to random

By charging paid apps but not charging advertising supported apps, Apple is telling developers that it wants more advertising.

lapcatsoftware, 4 months ago to random

I just accidentally discovered a Mac app sandbox bypass.

I’m not sure I want to disclose it to anyone, however, because I kind of need it.

I’m sure as hell not going to participate in the fucking Apple Security Bounty program again.

lapcatsoftware, 15 days ago to random

Apple silicon MacBook Pro batteries can't be replaced under warranty by third parties

Apple requires customers to mail in the Mac to Apple for repair!

https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/2024/5/7.html

lapcatsoftware, 18 days ago to random

Bugs always happen in major .0 releases. That’s perfectly understandable.

But here’s what bothers me about Apple nowadays:

1. Apple keeps pushing out major .0 releases every single year, a nonstop schedule of new bugs.

2. Software quality doesn’t improve 8-12 months after .0 versions, because Apple is always working on the next major version and also inexplicably pushing out new features year round in the current version, thus introducing even more bugs.

lapcatsoftware, 4 months ago to random

Why does everyone ignore the distinction between commission/consignment and retail/markup? They aren’t the same.

A retailer purchases products, either from wholesalers or direct from manufacturers, then owns the products, adds whatever markup they want to the products they now own, and sells them (hopefully) for a profit to consumers.

A consignee handles sales and takes commission from a consignor, but the consignor sets the price and still owns the products until sales to the consumer.

lapcatsoftware, 4 months ago to random

One thing that Apple doesn’t seem to recognize about developers is that we’re swamped!

Apple keeps adding new platforms, plus they release major OS updates for every old platform every damn year. We can barely keep up.

Now Apple has a whole new computing paradigm. That might be cool, but… I ain’t got time for that shit.

lapcatsoftware, 2 months ago to random

I’ve personally never used Uber, Lyft, or other so-called “ridesharing” services, and I never would. IMO they’re just glorified hitchhiking.

Likewise, I’ve never used or would use Airbnb.

I understand that a lot of people do use them and consider these crowdsourced services to be “normal”, but from my perspective it’s baffling why people put so much trust in totally unvetted, unaccountable randos.

lapcatsoftware, 2 months ago to random

I need code review.

This is one downside to self-employment.

lapcatsoftware, 1 month ago to random

Safari users are very confused about the difference between Safari extensions and Safari content blockers. They think StopTheMadness is a content blocker and wonder why turning off content blockers doesn’t work. And of course these people don’t contact Apple when they’re confused: they contact the extension developer, me!

lapcatsoftware, 7 months ago to random

As on Twitter, the worst replies on Mastodon always come from accounts with approximately zero followers.

At least there are somewhat fewer trolls on Mastodon, but they do exist here too.