Recently, we’ve had a few questions about 64-bit apps and also code signing. It seemed sensible to talk about them here, rather than keep repeating the same message!

64-bit applications

A number of users have asked whether our macOS barcode app, Barcode Basics is a 64-bit app. The short answer, is “yes”. But why does is matter? Well, all modern Macs have 64-bit processors. This means that apps designed to run on 64-bit processors will generally run faster and better than apps designed to run on the old legacy 32bit processors. So, why are people suddenly asking?

macOS displays this message if you try to run 32bit apps

Apple has been supporting both types of apps for quite some time, but has now announced that its current macOS (Mojave) will be the last to support 32-bit technology.

So it’s a good time to check that the apps you rely on are 64-bit, otherwise you may find yourself without them on the next major macOS release. To check whether an app is 64-bit or not, you could either contact the developer or follow these steps:

More about 64-bit here: Apple info on 32-bit/64-bit app compatibility

Code Signing

We also sometimes get asked about code signing. Code signing assures you that an app is from a known source and hasn’t been tampered with since it was signed. Logically, if an app isn’t code signed then you can’t be certain where it came from or that something malicious hasn’t been done to is since it was created – a popular way of introducing malware.

All apps purchased direct from the Mac App Store are code-signed (Apple simply rejects them if they’re not). However, apps from other sources (e.g. downloaded from websites) may or may not be code signed.

Apps which are not code signed can still run on macOS, although you may get a warning when you try to run them, depending on your security settings. If this happens, you should think carefully about whether you trust the source of the app and whether you’re comfortable with the risks of running unsigned code.

More about code signing here: Apple info about code signing

Summary

Barcode Basics is 64-bit compatible and fully code signed so you can be sure it will continue to work in the next macOS, and that it hasn’t been maliciously changed since it was signed by us. Here’s a comparison between Barcode Basics and it’s competitors: