@Edward_Kidwell in response to the recent blog post, I downloaded your app to my Ventura MacBook to check it out. Unfortunately the OS says that it’s damaged and can’t be run (either from the DMG or after copying to Applications).
Does it download transactions from banks/credit card providers? If so, I’m very interested, as I’m looking for a QB Desktop alternative.
Yeah, got the same issue on Sequoia.
Did you try to remove the quarantine?
macOS Version Notes:
The macOS version of EKlectic Accounting is codesigned. But if you see the following error:
"EKlecticSong V1 is damaged
and can’t be opened. You should
move it to the trash."… please note that you cannot launch the app from the mounted DMG. Please verify that you have copied the app to the /Applications folder, AND that you are launching the app from the /Applications folder.
Sometimes macOS will flag downladed apps with the “quarntine” attribute. To remove this attribute, open the Terminal app (under Applications->Utilities) and copy/paste the following command:
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine “/Applications/EKlectic Accounting V1.app”
I’ve never ever had an app that showed this behavior when doing the first start.
The less said about the app itself the better.
Yeah those instructions bother me, that should never be necessary of a properly distributed Mac app.
Something is really wrong with the app. I now tried to start the app on my old Big Sur and it gave the same error message.
It’s not properly signed:
$> spctl -vvvv -a /Volumes/EKlectic\ Accounting\ V1\ Install/EKlectic\ Accounting\ V1.app
/Volumes/EKlectic Accounting V1 Install/EKlectic Accounting V1.app: a sealed resource is missing or invalid
Wait… is this signed by a certificate intended for the Mac App Store? The authority looks wrong to me:
Authority=Apple Distribution: Edward Lee Kidwell Jr (GDTD7D98QZ)
Authority=Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Certification Authority
Authority=Apple Root CA
Here’s the authority for 1Password, for example:
Authority=Developer ID Application: AgileBits Inc. (2BUA8C4S2C)
Authority=Developer ID Certification Authority
Authority=Apple Root CA
Mac app signing is perilous… but still easier than Windows signing.
… and in addition:
Since macOS Sequoia, the software must also be “notarized”. Or at least I highly recommend it.
See: Apple Developer
This came in much earlier than Sequoia. I’ve been doing notarising for a couple of years at least.
The change in Sequoia is that you can no longer right-click an app and choose Open.
First, I’m the developer of EKlectic Accounting, so thank you all for your interest and comments. I agree with complaints about the DMG quarantine attribute (which was actually reported long ago as an issue with Xojo compiling to an iCloud Documents folder). It’s a time-consuming process to debug, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I’m stepping through the process.
Second, I received several email from people who were trying to launch the app from the mounted DMG. This process reports that the APP is damaged, when in fact, it simply needs to be copied to the /Applications folder. (I appreciate @AlbertoD copying those posted instructions at the top of this thread.)
Thanks again for your input!
"When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.” —Winston Churchill 
Unfortunately, that’s not what is happening. An app should not care if it is run from the disk image, since it is a read-only resource. When signed properly, it’ll run fine. Try it, download my app from Beacon: Download and run it from the disk image. You can use spctl -vvvv -a <path> to check the status of the app. Even if I copy it to Applications, it still reports the same error: a sealed resource is missing or invalid. That message can only mean one thing: it isn’t signed correctly.
If you fix your signing process, your app will run and work like any other Mac app. As I mentioned previously, I suspect you’re using the wrong certificate. Maybe it hasn’t been sent for notarization.
I understand that it’s generally not a good idea to launch from a DMG, but I figured I’d include in my report that I’d tried it, just for completeness.
Thanks for your efforts to fix the issue.
In the meantime, is there any literature on the program’s feature set? Your website seems to have no info other than that it’s “full-featured”.
It should be possible to launch every app from the dmg. Best would be a warning.
Everyone has started somewhere and has had problems with the §$%& codesigning. But you need to use the correct certificate.
The dock icon has the wrong size. The toolbar looks like a windows toolbar. The startup sequence looks like from the 90s.
Thanks for all the feedback … very useful. I am aware of the code signing and notarizing process, but am having to update my automated packaging scripts to use “notarytool” etc. Coincidentally (and terribly timed), my distribution certificate actually expired just this morning, so I’ve renewed/updated, etc. on that front, as well.
EKlectic Accounting v1.0.102 has been released and should resolve all of the macOS codesigning and notarization issues reported in this thread.
I did an overhaul on my post-build shell scripts so that all of my Xojo builds are automatically notarized using the latest Xcode notarytool. And on a related note, all of my other free Xojo-based software is being run through this process, and updates should be posted in the next few hours.
Thanks again for all the feedback!
I had the same issues as those described above. Worse, I tried to contact the company via the website and got no answer. That’s enough for me - I deleted (I hope) every trace from my machine. Shame really; a good well-supported desktop accounts application would suit me very well.
First, my apologies for the delay in responding as it was not meant as a slight. As you can see in this thread, my signing certs just happened to expire the same day the app was “highlighted,” so I was “heads-down” ironing out the technical issues until yesterday afternoon.
I have included the above in my response to your email (in case you’re not notified by the forum). Thanks!
I think it would be helpful if there were some screenshots or additional description of the features on the website. Also, is the download a demo? Assuming yes, but again no information on the website.
I agree … marketing materials coming soon!
Regarding the “demo” question, the download is indeed the full-featured app, but without a valid license code it will stop working after the trial period.
Thanks!