Yikes. If you can't figure out how to make your code 64-bit safe, or how to make code signing work, you are effective requiring your users to give you root access. Completely unacceptable for a game.
* lack of vulkan support * porting code to the apple SDK * cost/benefit for small indie titles
pointing out how many people logged bugs doesn't mean that the OS is buggy. it simply means you've written shitty code. Another odd point with OP is that he's made the effort to start supporting it. Dropping support is always more expensive than simply fixing some issues, as you've already made the investment.
Most developers seem to have rational decisions behind their support. This post seems like they're jumping on the Apple hate bandwagon.
2. All the existing tooling (not the game, but the build process) will need to be 64 bit to run on this new hardware. So the build needs to be re-worked
3. People on Mac require more support, which is harder because dev is not a Mac user.
But there’s some FUD here:
1. There is no review step. Notarization is an automated process that takes about an hour. It doesn’t require a substantive change to your build process. You just submit your build, get a notary receipt file back from Apple about an hour later, and “staple” it to your build using a single tool. It’s not burdensome.
2. The system requirements for preparing a build for notarizarion are pretty liberal if you look at actual hardware usage. Of course some machines fall off the bottom, but it’s not like they’re trying to drive revenue with this. It’s like a teardrop in the ocean.
3. All of this is even less burdensome on developers who follow any kind of process for testing. You would already have a capable machine being used for testing, and would already be seeing delay between your builds being prepared and your distributions going out. Apple’s part of notarization could happen while testing is in process, meaning zero delay. If this doesn’t apply to you, fine. But it probably means you weren’t treating the platform all that seriously in the first place.
As defined by who?
1. Submit build
2. Wait an hour
3. Retrieve notary receipt
4. Staple to correct build
5. Upload build
1. Upload build
Isn't burden the thing you're actually getting paid for when you sell the game?
If adding 2 steps to your build process is such a burden that it results in you not supporting an entire platform, you're either lazy or looking for an excuse.
Wait, it's either code sign and you don't get root or don't code sign and get root? How retarded is macOS? Why is there no "no code sign and no root, just run as the user"?
Longer term I imagine that OS X will simply have an non-overridable sandbox that tightly restricts what any unnotarized app can do. Eg if you aren’t notarized you get access to your own container and no other part of the file system.
Alternatively you could just sign your code properly and update it to hardware that’s existed for 15 years.
You’re doing a great disservice to the engineers at google if you think the actual release work is so short that a few minutes for notarization is a problem.