MacOS 10.13.2 has changed USB audio again!

I’m not interested in having an argument about windows vs mac, but I want to point something out which I think is important (and I apologise for taking this a little bit off-topic)

Code signing, which is I guess partly what you are referring to with “closed kindergarten”, is really important. It lets you, the user, verify that the code that you are about to run on your machine was actually produced by the person that you think it was, and that it hasn’t been modified.

MacOS has been doing this for years, and recently it has started enforcing extra rules for kernel modules, which are extremely important parts of the OS. You don’t see those bits of code running. So Apple wants you do be aware of the fact that kernel modules are being added, and wants you to sign off that you’re the one who is installing it.

Windows does this too. Windows 8 made a mess of it, but Windows 10 no longer permits you to install kernel modules that are not signed by the developer. This has also caused issues with older Windows drivers.

There are improvements that developers can (and must) make to their installers which make the process less painful.

I strongly advise :warning: against :warning: disabling code signature checking in your OS. You get no advantage from doing it, and you put your system at risk. All it takes is a single intercepted http:// download, and you’re running code from who knows where?

If you’re interested in learning more about it, the wikipedia page on binary signing is pretty good. Also read about “MITM” attacks; code signing and https:// can help prevent those.

(The other part of the “closed kindergarten” you describe is maybe the App Store; that’s another world of discussion. Rest assured, you’re not required to install stuff from the App Store, although doing so will give you better security (read up on application sandboxing in MacOS, for example))

OK I stop ranting now :blush: PLUR etc xx <3

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I dislike Windows as much as any Mac fan… but I have increasingly grown to hate Apple since the iCrap started coming out. Their dumbed down design philosophy is sad. This is the company that for a very long time was offering a one-button mouse/trackpad with their computers until eventually they reluctantly realised that people are not quite as dumb and can actually use a right click, so they quietly added it to their mice and trackpads… The App store is sad and Apple “support” is where to go if you don’t want a solution to your problem (the “solution” is always to wipe your drive and install the latest OS). I won’t even talk about iTunes… and the rest of the “iLife” garbage :frowning:

Apple’s “pro” machines are a sad joke, with each iteration reducing the number of ports. No doubt next year we will see a MacBook “Pro” with no physical ports at all, and be expected to buy all new wireless (and twice as expensive) peripherals for everything ( which will also render the machines useless for music / video production or performance). Or they will change to another proprietary port since USB, Firewire and Thunderbolt are all “legacy”. Just get an Apple adapter for $30, no problem! If you lose or leave it at home, it just buy another one!

In a serious production environment the computer is kept offline and dedicated to running the DAW. There is no “risk” if you don’t download and install stuff you can’t trust. Disabling code signature checking may be the only solution for those who updated to High Sierra and cannot run what they need to run, and cannot downgrade the OS because Apple removed the installers from their site. The constant fearmongering about online security threats is an old game …
Macs have been running happily without malware for decades without code signing! This "security " feature is really just another step into locking down the system and removing control from the user. If you use a 3rd party firewall such as Hands Off!, you can see how with each OS update, there are more and more system processes connecting to Apple’s servers without any user permission or input… I doubt this has anything to do with keeping my private data private… and much to do with data mining…

If people are happy playing catch up with Apple’s annual updates (and waiting for all their other apps and drivers to be updated), good luck to them. I’d rather spend the time making music or not being on the computer at all.

As I see it, Apple no longer make computers and OSs for creative people, they make dumbed-down “designer” shopping terminals for consumers with more money than sense.

The flakiness of Windows when it comes to MIDI and audio is what has kept me from getting out before but that era is coming to an end.

tl;dr: Apple has become just as bad as Microsoft. :no_entry_sign: Don’t update your Mac if you want things to keep working as they are. :no_entry_sign:

I won’t argue with anything you’ve said, except your advice to not update operating systems.

Regardless of your feelings towards Apple or Microsoft with regard to strategy and user experience, it is essential to keep internet-connected machines up to date. You don’t have to upgrade to High Sierra as long as Sierra is still supported.

Just the other day someone found a bug where you could log in as admin by typing “root” in the username field and leaving the password blank. Apple patched it days later. If a high sierra user had updates disabled, they missed that patch.

There have been hundreds of critical security vulnerabilities in software we all use over the last year. You can look up the CVE reports for more info.

Use whatever software you like, but make sure you keep it up to date. Botnets are very powerful and efficient, and they don’t give a hoot about your feelings about User Experience :slight_smile:

Respect <3

Only thing i want to add here Overbridge and Windows10 works just fine. Switch from windows to apple back to windows. Never give a shit at windows regarding major updates that any of my software stop working, never see any warning mails from Developers be careful with updates at windows.
Nice to be back, very expensive trip to apple never ever again. Nowadays workstations running windows this is the truth. Apple make 8000€ workstations obsolete in less than 5 years this UNSERIOUS…

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Oh great. My thread has turned into a Mac vs. PC argument.

Could we please stop going off topic and keep to my original point?

I’m not interested in ANOTHER Mac vs. PC argument.

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People always feel the need to justify their own decisions by putting down other people’s decisions and explaining why theirs is so much better. Thanks for the helpful (not) info.

I’m fully up to date and I’m not having any USB audio issues. I did have to “okay” some things in security but I was notified to do so. Smooth sailing for me on a 2016 MacBook Pro so far (fingers crossed).

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I was right on the timing ! 10.13.3 is available :slight_smile:

So i will make a fresh install with 10.13.3 Full setup with Overbridge when it’s released / assuming OB will be compatible with 10.13.3… if not, well i will see what i do from there…

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Well, I have two iMac, one 27inches late 2012 and one 27inches mid 2017. The idea was to use the 2012 as an external screen with the 2017, but it appears not to work as it should, so I kept it alive.

I stopped updating OS on the 2012 version since 2015, while OTOH I blindless regularly update the 2017. Guess which one works the best with my music hardware and software?.. the 2012… even if less CPU power. I am not an IT geek or don’t have magical fingers with computers, just a regular user, maybe that’s why… but the 2017 with up-to-date OS is not recognizing stuff, startup takes longer and got issues with my Scarlett 18i20 interface and Overbridge.

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I don’t do update i make only fresh install on stable OS number generally [ x . x . 5 ]
I notice it’s usually better to make clean install rather to updates. But that’s possible things are better for Music post icloud/apple store/ios integration with mac os etc… After that, it’s complicated with new things you buy and time… to mix that with old stuff… That’s computer PC, MAC or whatever… things move forward.

Hardly a surprise. Apple’s yearly updates are largely about making machines older than a few years increasingly unusable. Almost all non-techy people I know with Macs eventually complain that their Mac is slowing down… and many go out and buy a new one because they believe that their perfectly fine 5 year old computer is too slow to browse the net and watch Youtube…In my case I have some hidden system process constantly filling up my SSD and I have to reboot every day to reclaim the disk space… All that Apple have to say is “do a clean install with High Sierra”… No thanks, and f u very much.

This comment isn’t about Win vs Mac, it’s to point out that if you follow Apple’s orders you’d better be able to replace your expensive machine every few years.

If you think that always installing Apple’s latest OS update as soon as it’s released will keep your machine running as best as it can, you’re being suckered, no offense. Have fun trying to keep all your apps and hardware working.

Hello !
One thing to consider now therefore is Backup/Restoring from Backup software and the apple HPFS new file system because it is Beta and only be public with 10.14

I run some test and will let you know on another thread if it’s not better to stick with the old file system at least for one year more that’s the link :

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