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Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
#25432 03/16/13 04:43 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
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"iTunes can't verify the identity of the server "ax.itunes.apple.com".

Followed by the usual certificate expired blah blah. Using iTunes 10.2.1

If I hit cancel, everything is fine.

I don't know if the latest upgrade sneaked past me with another software upgrade, but I never upgrade iTunes because it tells me to. That starts the cycle of having to upgrade everything until you need a newer computer. Upgrading iTunes is a sinkhole, and it took me a long time to realize it and why they do it.

Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
slolerner #25441 03/16/13 02:51 PM
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check your system clock? be more specific than "bla bla" on the error message.


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Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
Virtual1 #25453 03/17/13 03:21 AM
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iTunes can't verify the identity of the server "ax.itunes.apple.com".

The certificate for this server is invalid. You might be connected to a server that is pretending to be "ax.itunes.apple.com", which could put your confidential information at risk. Would you like to connect to the server anyway?

Cancel Continue

It has a yellow triangle in the upper left hand corer with a white exclamation point inside and a small iTunes circle logo stuck to the lower right hand corner of the triangle.

Note: Whoever typed it is illiterate because commas go before quotation marks.

Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
slolerner #25457 03/17/13 04:34 AM
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Originally Posted By: slolerner
Note: Whoever typed it is illiterate because commas go before quotation marks.

The rule about putting commas and such-like inside quotes was promulgated by typographers who cared more about appearance than about substance, more about how words and punctuation look on paper than what the words and punctuation mean. They felt that when you put comma (or period) after a closing quote, the kerning didn't come out right, or at least it didn't if you were assembling the line using movable type slugs, or using a typewriter.

But those of us who care about meaning (and especially among those of us who are programmers, and know that the computer really cares about meaning) know that quote marks are used to surround a string of text that is to be interpreted literally. That is, you are on-the-fly creating a noun which refers to the very text you construct the noun from.

If comma or period is part of that literal text, then it most certainly belongs inside the quotes. But if not, it most certainly doesn't. In this case, the literal being constructed is the domain name "ax.itunes.apple.com" which, like all domain names does not and cannot contain a comma. The comma is not part of the literal text, and so does not belong inside the quote marks.

And modern computers are quite good at working out the right kerning, thank you very much. We've come a long way since the old days when that rule had any sort of justification. It never made any sort of sense. The proper rule is: put the punctuation inside the quotes if it belongs inside the quotes; otherwise, leave it outside.

I notice you no longer put two spaces after the period at the end of a sentence. That was another rule from the same era, designed to to overcome the fact that in those days a period didn't kern right. The best remedy was to add enough space after that the unwanted space before wasn't so noticeable. Again, notice that modern computers are quite good at snuggling a period right up against the preceding text, so the double space after is no longer needed.

Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
ganbustein #25458 03/17/13 04:51 AM
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"You caught me; I'm a Graphic Designer." grin

Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
slolerner #25471 03/19/13 09:01 PM
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Originally Posted By: slolerner
"iTunes can't verify the identity of the server "ax.itunes.apple.com".

Followed by the usual certificate expired blah blah. Using iTunes 10.2.1


The problem is that the certificate built into iTunes 10.2.1 ha in fact expired. The solution is to update to iTunes 10.6.3, or in Preferences->Advanced turn off "Automatically Check for Updates".

When you run iTunes, it makes a secure connection to Apple's servers in order to look to see if any updates are available. It establishes the connection using a security certificate (a cryptographic code) built into iTunes.

You're using a very old version of iTunes. The security certificate built into it has expired. If you update to a new version of iTunes, it has a new certificate in it. (Security certificates generally aren't good for more than 5 years.)


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Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
tacit #25488 03/22/13 10:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: tacit
The problem is that the certificate built into iTunes 10.2.1 ha in fact expired. The solution is to update to iTunes 10.6.3, or in Preferences->Advanced turn off "Automatically Check for Updates".


That's why I was wondering about setting the clock back. You have to do this to install ilife 08 now on an older machine, because the certificate it's signed with expired (last year?) Same thing happened to the 10.6.8 combo updater, but they published a 10.6.8 ver 1.1 updater, whose only change was an updated signature.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
Virtual1 #25539 03/26/13 02:29 AM
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Don't really want to update iTunes for reasons previously mentioned. I'll just hit continue in the future, no harm there. Thanks!

Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
slolerner #25540 03/26/13 07:49 AM
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Have you tried tacit's fix:

Quote:
The solution is to update to iTunes 10.6.3, or in Preferences->Advanced turn off "Automatically Check for Updates".

I wonder if this is odd: I'm still running iTunes 8.2.1 with that box unchecked, but when I check it, iTunes (via Little Snitch) asks for permission to connect, and that's where it ends: Nothing about either certificates or later versions. (I've got iTunes set as "Ignored" in Software Update, but enabling it didn't change anything.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: Weird Window Comes Up When Launching iTunes
artie505 #25545 03/26/13 01:52 PM
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Version 10.2.1, at least one upgrade must have slipped by. Maybe I do have to do the other incremental upgrade.

I couldn't set the system software upgrade to ignore the iTunes updates automatically. That's how it slipped by. And every time I launched iTunes it would ask if I want to update, even if I checked to not ask again.

I don't want to stop automatically check for all updates, because I need the security Java updates when they come out.


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