Can't open Emacs

Can't open Emacs

[Gene B. Gragg]

I have been trying to reinstall GNU Emacs (my principal text editor for at least the last ten years) on a recently acquired MacBook Pro (macOS Catalina Version 10.15.7). I unfortunately first trashed the existing version. I have tried both installing with home-brew (brew cask install emacs) and downloading from emacsformacosx.com. When I try to open the application in either case I get, again and again, the message:

“Emacs” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.
This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.

Please tell me what I need to do to have a functioning Emacs so that I can get on with my work.

Thank you,


Gene Gragg (g-gragg@uchicago.edu)
University of Chicago
Professor Emeritus (Oriental Institute, Linguistics, NELC)
Oriental Institute
1155 E. 58th St.
Chicago IL 60637
Tel: (773) 307-7486
Fax: (773) 702-9853

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Stefan Monnier]

> “Emacs” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.
> This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.

I'd first bring it up with whoever is in charge of the OS that gives you
that message, since it seems to be actively preventing you from doing
your work (I mean "can't be opened" seems like a lie: if the only
problem is that they "cannot check it for malicious software" then it's
not that it "can't be opened" but that it might be dangerous to open
it).


        Stefan

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Pankaj Jangid]

"Gene B. Gragg" <gbgg@uchicago.edu> writes:

> “Emacs” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.
> This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.
>
> Please tell me what I need to do to have a functioning Emacs so that I can get on with my work.

Probably you will have to allow emacs to run from:

    System Preferences > Security & Privacy > (Tab) General

Try to launch Emacs and then go to above panel.

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Patrick Mahan]

On Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 6:06 PM Gene B. Gragg <gbgg@uchicago.edu> wrote:

> I have been trying to reinstall GNU Emacs (my principal text editor for at
> least the last ten years) on a recently acquired MacBook Pro (macOS
> Catalina Version 10.15.7). I unfortunately first trashed the existing
> version. I have tried both installing with home-brew (brew cask install
> emacs) and downloading from emacsformacosx.com. When I try to open the
> application in either case I get, again and again, the message:
>
> “Emacs” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious
> software.
> This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more
> information.
>
>
I have under Security & Privacy the following set -

    Allow apps downloaded from:
        x App Store and identified developers

And I am running Catalina (10.15.7) on my macbook pro.

Patrick

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Pankaj Jangid]

Patrick Mahan <plmahan@gmail.com> writes:

> On Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 6:06 PM Gene B. Gragg <gbgg@uchicago.edu> wrote:
>
>> I have been trying to reinstall GNU Emacs (my principal text editor for at
>> least the last ten years) on a recently acquired MacBook Pro (macOS
>> Catalina Version 10.15.7). I unfortunately first trashed the existing
>> version. I have tried both installing with home-brew (brew cask install
>> emacs) and downloading from emacsformacosx.com. When I try to open the
>> application in either case I get, again and again, the message:
>>
>> “Emacs” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious
>> software.
>> This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more
>> information.
>>
>>
> I have under Security & Privacy the following set -
>

For a newly downloaded App, MacOS will block the application. So the
user will have to launch the app, read the warning, click OK and then
goto below panel to allow Emacs.

    System Preferences > Security & Privacy > (Tab) General

The warning for Emacs will be exactly below the radio button that you
have specified.

>     Allow apps downloaded from:
>         x App Store and identified developers
>
> And I am running Catalina (10.15.7) on my macbook pro.

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Robert Pluim]

Pankaj Jangid <pankaj@codeisgreat.org> writes:

> Patrick Mahan <plmahan@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> On Thu, Dec 10, 2020 at 6:06 PM Gene B. Gragg <gbgg@uchicago.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> I have been trying to reinstall GNU Emacs (my principal text editor for at
>>> least the last ten years) on a recently acquired MacBook Pro (macOS
>>> Catalina Version 10.15.7). I unfortunately first trashed the existing
>>> version. I have tried both installing with home-brew (brew cask install
>>> emacs) and downloading from emacsformacosx.com. When I try to open the
>>> application in either case I get, again and again, the message:
>>>
>>> “Emacs” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious
>>> software.
>>> This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more
>>> information.
>>>
>>>
>> I have under Security & Privacy the following set -
>>
>
> For a newly downloaded App, MacOS will block the application. So the
> user will have to launch the app, read the warning, click OK and then
> goto below panel to allow Emacs.
>
>     System Preferences > Security & Privacy > (Tab) General
>
> The warning for Emacs will be exactly below the radio button that you
> have specified.

Sometimes thatʼs not enough: you need to find the app in a Finder
window, right click on it and say 'Open', and then it should be OK
from then on.

Robert

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Pankaj Jangid]

Robert Pluim <rpluim@gmail.com> writes:

>> For a newly downloaded App, MacOS will block the application. So the
>> user will have to launch the app, read the warning, click OK and then
>> goto below panel to allow Emacs.
>>
>>     System Preferences > Security & Privacy > (Tab) General
>>
>> The warning for Emacs will be exactly below the radio button that you
>> have specified.
>
> Sometimes thatʼs not enough: you need to find the app in a Finder
> window, right click on it and say 'Open', and then it should be OK
> from then on.

Is this in addition to the steps I have written? Though I have never encounter
any such app till now.

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Robert Pluim]

Pankaj Jangid <pankaj@codeisgreat.org> writes:

> Robert Pluim <rpluim@gmail.com> writes:
>
>>> For a newly downloaded App, MacOS will block the application. So the
>>> user will have to launch the app, read the warning, click OK and then
>>> goto below panel to allow Emacs.
>>>
>>>     System Preferences > Security & Privacy > (Tab) General
>>>
>>> The warning for Emacs will be exactly below the radio button that you
>>> have specified.
>>
>> Sometimes thatʼs not enough: you need to find the app in a Finder
>> window, right click on it and say 'Open', and then it should be OK
>> from then on.
>
> Is this in addition to the steps I have written? Though I have never encounter
> any such app till now.

Itʼs instead of: Iʼve encountered cases where the app does not show up
in the System Preferences/Security & Privacy. Like most things Apple
and security, Iʼve not been able to detect a coherent pattern.

Robert

Re: Can't open Emacs

[Tomas Nordin]

"Gene B. Gragg" <gbgg@uchicago.edu> writes:

> I have been trying to reinstall GNU Emacs (my principal text editor for at least the last ten years) on a recently acquired MacBook Pro (macOS Catalina Version 10.15.7). I unfortunately first trashed the existing version. I have tried both installing with home-brew (brew cask install emacs) and downloading from emacsformacosx.com. When I try to open the application in either case I get, again and again, the message:
>
> “Emacs” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.
> This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.

Is this maybe a case of the master's servers being down? See
https://www.fsf.org/news/the-problems-with-apple-arent-just-outages-they-are-injustices#parent-fieldname-title

Best regards
--
Tomas