Apple is increasing my cortisol levels
A developer recounts a deeply frustrating and costly experience attempting to distribute a simple utility for macOS, highlighting Apple's stringent and, at times, nonsensical developer ecosystem requirements. The author details numerous obstacles, from expensive annual fees to convoluted identity verification processes, ultimately concluding that Apple's policies are hostile to small-scale and hobbyist developers. This piece resonates on HN as a familiar lament against the 'walled garden' and the perceived greed of tech giants.
The Lowdown
The author shares a raw, exasperated account of trying to release a basic Go-based utility for macOS. What began as a simple distribution task quickly devolved into a bureaucratic nightmare, revealing the significant financial and logistical hurdles Apple places before independent developers. The story serves as a candid critique of the company's ecosystem from the perspective of someone just trying to get a small app out to the world.
- Initial Roadblock: macOS's Gatekeeper quarantines downloaded executables, forcing users to manually override or requiring developers to sign their software.
- Developer Program Costs: To sign software, enrollment in the Apple Developer Program is mandatory, costing $99 annually. This fee is deemed prohibitive and uneconomical for a niche, pay-what-you-want utility that might only generate a few dozen dollars.
- Identity Verification Ordeal: The ID verification process was plagued by issues, including the M1 MacBook Air's webcam being unable to capture clear document images, the absence of an option to upload scans, and persistent errors that reset the entire application. The process only succeeded after using an iPhone, highlighting a potential dependency on additional Apple hardware.
- System Inconsistencies: Post-payment, the developer's account status remained unclear across different Apple platforms, with the desktop app not recognizing the enrollment despite a successful payment and email notification.
- Broader Apple Grievances: The author uses this experience to vent about a litany of other Apple frustrations, including vendor lock-in, declining hardware features (e.g., silent mode toggle, TouchID), lack of OS customization, unintuitive keyboard shortcuts, and memory management issues on 8GB MacBooks.
- Comparison to 'Sane World': The post contrasts Apple's cumbersome processes with efficient digital ID and signature services available in Baltic countries, suggesting that a smoother, more developer-friendly system is entirely feasible.
Ultimately, the author concludes with a visceral "Apple, f*** you and your forsaken ecosystem," expressing profound frustration over the economic barriers, technical friction, and perceived user-hostile design decisions that make independent software development on macOS an arduous and often unrewarding endeavor.