When a giant like Apple makes a decision to disallow installing apps that were not downloaded from the macOS-app store (and by preventing me to open the app, what Apple does is basically disallowing the app; my retired father does not know how to circumvent this), then this is a political descision that effects the lives of thousands of mac users.
Computers have become a gateway to the digital world, which makes up a large part of our lives. And Apple is a huge player that has the power to shape the future of computing. Apple's vision of computing is on a trajectory where the end game is clear: Users have no control over their devices and will only be doing what Apple allows them to do. This is the case on iOS already, and macOS will be there in a few years.
Some say: Decide with your purse. If you don't like Apple's vision, then don't buy their products. But this argument is like saying "This is how we handle things in country X, if you don't like it, move somewhere else." Some of us have invested lots in tools and software in Apple land, so changing platforms will take some time. But even if we can change, Apple is shaping the future of this industry, in a way that it restricts freedom and limits options. And this is not a future we should accept. Instead we should be opposing and fighting it.
I've recently downloaded quite a number of Mac programs directly from the web, as well as from Steam. They work just fine, as long as they've been signed.
What makes you say that Apple has made a "decision to disallow installing apps that were not downloaded from the macOS-app store"? That seems kind of obviously untrue.
I mean, I myself sell Mac software outside the Mac App Store and have never had a complaint.
Computers have become a gateway to the digital world, which makes up a large part of our lives. And Apple is a huge player that has the power to shape the future of computing. Apple's vision of computing is on a trajectory where the end game is clear: Users have no control over their devices and will only be doing what Apple allows them to do. This is the case on iOS already, and macOS will be there in a few years.
Some say: Decide with your purse. If you don't like Apple's vision, then don't buy their products. But this argument is like saying "This is how we handle things in country X, if you don't like it, move somewhere else." Some of us have invested lots in tools and software in Apple land, so changing platforms will take some time. But even if we can change, Apple is shaping the future of this industry, in a way that it restricts freedom and limits options. And this is not a future we should accept. Instead we should be opposing and fighting it.