# Git/Mac refuses to install on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)

3 messages from 2013-04-07 to 2013-04-07. Participants: David Foster, Andreas Ericsson.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/33409

## David Foster, 2013-04-07 01:55

Subject: Git/Mac refuses to install on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
Message-ID: <5160D223.3090203@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/5160D223.3090203%40gmail.com

```
The default security settings on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) disallow the
installation of unsigned packages, with no override.

Git/Mac 1.8.2 is not signed and therefore will not install without changing
the OS default security settings.

See screenshot:
http://postimg.org/image/wcb34kzy5/

-- 
David Foster
http://dafoster.net/

```

## Andreas Ericsson, 2013-04-07 14:56

Subject: Re: Git/Mac refuses to install on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
Message-ID: <5161890E.701@op5.se>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/5161890E.701%40op5.se
In-Reply-To: <5160D223.3090203@gmail.com>

```
On 04/07/2013 03:55 AM, David Foster wrote:
> The default security settings on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) disallow the
> installation of unsigned packages, with no override.
>
> Git/Mac 1.8.2 is not signed and therefore will not install without changing
> the OS default security settings.
>

Sounds like an OSX lockin bugture to me. If anyone can sign the package
with any random key, then it wouldn't provide much in the way of
security, so I guess that means one has to get a signing key form Apple,
which I doubt they just hand out to anyone (usually it means paying
$100 to get an "apple developer certificate). That's nonsense, ofcourse,
but it's how they've chosen to do business.

That aside; Does the package work if you reduce the security settings,
install it and then reset the security settings to their default
settings later? If so, I'd call that a reasonable workaround, and we
probably won't even have to document it since google should provide it
for git and a plethora of other useful packages.

Otoh, if enough osx folks want git on the latest pussycat, I'm sure
they'll provide a package themselves sooner or later, in which case
you just have to wait for that to happen.

-- 
Andreas Ericsson                   andreas.ericsson@op5.se
OP5 AB                             www.op5.se
Tel: +46 8-230225                  Fax: +46 8-230231

Considering the successes of the wars on alcohol, poverty, drugs and
terror, I think we should give some serious thought to declaring war
on peace.

```

## David Foster, 2013-04-07 19:20

Subject: Re: Git/Mac refuses to install on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion)
Message-ID: <5161C6EF.8010506@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/5161C6EF.8010506%40gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <5161890E.701@op5.se>

```
 > That aside; Does the package work if you reduce the security settings,
 > install it and then reset the security settings to their default
 > settings later? If so, I'd call that a reasonable workaround

It does. An even better workaround is to right-click (or Control-click) 
on the installer and select Open. This provides a slightly different 
dialog with gives an override to open the application anyway. This 
method avoids changing the OS security settings.

 > and we probably won't even have to document it since google should 
provide it

If you intend to make the workaround official, then it would be a good 
idea to at least mention it on the download page. It is poor user 
experience to require users to use Google to workaround issues in a core 
installation scenario.

--
David Foster
http://dafoster.net/

On 4/7/13 7:56 AM, Andreas Ericsson wrote:
> On 04/07/2013 03:55 AM, David Foster wrote:
>> The default security settings on OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) disallow the
>> installation of unsigned packages, with no override.
>>
>> Git/Mac 1.8.2 is not signed and therefore will not install without
>> changing
>> the OS default security settings.
>>
>
> Sounds like an OSX lockin bugture to me. If anyone can sign the package
> with any random key, then it wouldn't provide much in the way of
> security, so I guess that means one has to get a signing key form Apple,
> which I doubt they just hand out to anyone (usually it means paying
> $100 to get an "apple developer certificate). That's nonsense, ofcourse,
> but it's how they've chosen to do business.
>
> That aside; Does the package work if you reduce the security settings,
> install it and then reset the security settings to their default
> settings later? If so, I'd call that a reasonable workaround, and we
> probably won't even have to document it since google should provide it
> for git and a plethora of other useful packages.
>
> Otoh, if enough osx folks want git on the latest pussycat, I'm sure
> they'll provide a package themselves sooner or later, in which case
> you just have to wait for that to happen.
>

```