I’m hoping that some of you may have an answer to this. I’ve asked on the Apple Dev Forums, but no answer in 3 weeks.
In dealing with my main OS X build system, I see that I have 2 identities for Application and 1 for Installer. For the Application, one is “3rd Party Mac developer” and the other is “Mac Developer”. For the Installer, it’s just “3rd Party”.
They are both valid and have 2020 expiration dates.
I had been using the “Mac Developer:” identity and some of my testers are now reporting that the app is signed by an unrecognized developer. However, the same app downloaded from the MAS in test mode is valid.
Is that the difference between the two identities? The Mac Developer for MAS and the 3rd Party for non-MAS distribution?
The ones beginning with “3rd Party” are for signing your MAS apps.
The other one (“Developer ID Application: …”) is for signing your apps for self-delivery.
I also find “Mac Developer …” certs, but do not use them, not sure what they’re for - the ones I have all seem to be older than the ones starting with “Developer ID”.
Also, do you know about “RB App Checker Lite”? That’s a free app helping you to check your signed apps.
Now you’ve got me curious on what the definitions of first, second, and third parties are. So I looked it up
[quote]A first-party source comes directly from the first party (such as a self-published document or product description). A second-party source is controlled by the second party, such as a customer[1] who has written some product requirements, or a prior book or article written by the same author.
In commerce, a “third-party source” means a supplier (or service provider) who is not directly controlled by either the seller (first party) or the customer/buyer (second party) in a business transaction.[/quote]
