[geeks] Apple applications phoning home

[Shannon Hendrix]

On Oct 21, 2007, at 10:08 AM, Mark wrote:

>  From the evidence present it isn't stupid enough to fail when you
> have *no* network connection, because Mac OS X keeps track of network
> status very well and informs apps seamlessly when no network is
> available - properly written OS X apps check for connectivity before
> they make a request and if it comes back as NULL they quietly get on
> with stuff or return a 'can't connect' error, depending on context.
> So it only tries to connect *IF* you have an network link. It should
> maybe also check the port is clear but Apple probably assume people
> want to access port 80 and won't block it, as the internet is pretty
> useless without it :P

How is the Internet useless if a vanishingly tiny fraction of a  
percent of it is not available?

For that matter, what about those of us running LANs with no outside  
access?

Yes, it is cool how MacOS tracks connections.

But applications that won't run without a WAN connection are  
*BROKEN*, period, end of story.

> FWIW I can confirm it IS a dotmac related query. It is looking online
> for my .Mac settings from my .Mac account online (if you don't have
> one configured in System Preferences and it's still looking then I'll
> concede that, yes, that's a bug). I did a 'Deny once' block using
> Little Snitch 3 times (presumably retries) and on blocking the third
> a sheet dropped down saying:
>
> Could not retrieve .Mac configuration
>
> Please verify your .Mac settings in the .Mac Preference Pane.

I blocked a dozen times at least trying to elicit just such a  
respond.  Never got one.

> The reason it connects to .Mac is because there is a checkbox on the
> initial pane of the Preferences that is labeled 'Synchronize my
> contacts with other computers using .Mac'. This is the facility that

That's not necessary for setting preferences.

It's a design flaw and a bug.

> Also FWIW Address Book is OS X's frontend for any LDAP, Exchange or
> Apple Open Directory (also uses LDAPv3 IIRC) address books you have
> on your LAN/WAN so it is not *just* a local address book, it is very
> much a network address book utility as well.

...all of which have nothing to do with preferences, and in my case,  
none of which are turned on so it has no need for network access for  
those things.

Your points are valid in the situations you mention, but not for the  
original post.

Any application that phones home when it doesn't need to is broken.

I should be the one that decides what it does and does not do.


-- 
Shannon Hendrix
shannon at widomaker.com