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Re: Read Crash Log?
artie505 #48314 03/21/18 06:35 PM
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A very determined Google search yielded this:

https://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/companies/0663605D:US-chronos-inc

I actually wrote to and received a reply a couple years ago. The guy promised better support but that never happened. He said they were having a very difficult time.

I can understand if Apple pulled their certificate that would affect purchases after that but it certainly should not affect prior purchases.





Re: Read Crash Log?
Douglas #48319 03/21/18 09:21 PM
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Originally Posted By: Douglas
I can understand if Apple pulled their certificate that would affect purchases after that but it certainly should not affect prior purchases.

It apparently doesn't in most cases, but Chronos seems to have run into this wall, publicized or unpublicized and fair or unfair as it may be...

For apps that utilize advanced capabilities with a Developer ID provisioning profile
Gatekeeper will evaluate the validity of your Developer ID certificate when your application is installed and will evaluate the validity of your Developer ID provisioning profile at every app launch. As long as your Developer ID certificate was valid when you compiled your app, then users can download and run your app, even after the expiration date of the certificate. However, if your Developer ID provisioning profile expires, the app will no longer launch. (Emphasis added)

And likewise:


If your certificate expires, users can still download, install, and run versions of your Mac applications that were signed with this certificate. However, you will need a new certificate to sign updates and new applications. If your certificate is revoked, users will no longer be able to install applications that have been signed with this certificate. If your Mac application utilizes a Developer ID provisioning profile to take advantage of advanced capabilities such as CloudKit and push notifications, you must ensure your Developer ID provisioning profile is valid in order for installed versions of your application to run. (Emphasis added)

Good searching, by the way.


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: Read Crash Log?
artie505 #48323 03/21/18 11:05 PM
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I also found out the name of the VP of Sales at Chronos and found an home address and phone number and left a rather terse message for him.

If nothing else this may light a fire as he knows that some of their customers have such information.

Re: Read Crash Log?
Douglas #48324 03/21/18 11:11 PM
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Originally Posted By: Douglas
I also found out the name of the VP of Sales at Chronos and found an home address and phone number and left a rather terse message for him.

If nothing else this may light a fire as he knows that some of their customers have such information.

VERY cool ! (Better hope he either doesn't have caller ID or has an excellent sense of humor.)

I think it's reasonable to expect that Chronos has been inundated with complaints from PrintLife users in the past few days and that a fix will be forthcoming.


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: Read Crash Log?
artie505 #48325 03/21/18 11:37 PM
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Given that Support requests go unanswered for over a year, I doubt they are aware. Other than their Support Forum, there is no way to contact them.

The websites states that if you are unhappy with a product to contact Customer Service.

There is no Customer Service info anywhere on the site.

According to someone on the Apple Forum who checked, the certificate expired on March 12, so they aren't working very hard on correcting the problem.

Last edited by Douglas; 03/21/18 11:44 PM.
Re: Read Crash Log?
Douglas #48326 03/22/18 12:47 AM
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This is an odd situation. The fact that Chronos doesn't respond to support requests doesn't necessarily mean that they don't even look at them - Devil's Advocate here. - but judging from the nature of some of the complaints it certainly sounds like they don't, and there actually is customer service info, but it says to file a support ticket. tongue

Chronos is in business to make money, though, so it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect them to take care of this situation. Why allow a $50 app to die over a technicality? (Is it possible that they actually live in a vacuum?) I've got no idea how long it will take them to do it, but maybe joemike or one of our resident developers, tacit and Virtual 1, knows.

I realize that this is frustrating, but the bottom line seems to be that you've got no options other than to wait it out unless PrintLife is so critical to your workflow that you can't live without it, in which case it's time to go looking.

There's apparently no trial period for the App Store d/l. frown


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: Read Crash Log?
artie505 #48346 03/22/18 07:41 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
Chronos is in business to make money, though, so it doesn't seem unreasonable to expect them to take care of this situation. Why allow a $50 app to die over a technicality? (Is it possible that they actually live in a vacuum?) I've got no idea how long it will take them to do it, but maybe joemike or one of our resident developers, tacit and Virtual 1, knows.(

Technically all that has to happen is for Chronos to contact Apple and make arrangements to re-provision the developer profile and certificates. But if Chronos is in dire straits, there may not be anyone left in the company that knows how to do that. On the other hand if the certificates were rescinded, which could happen for a number of reasons including inadequate customer support, Apple would have to be convinced the company was in a position to fulfill their obligations before they would allow re-provisioning. Apple has been doing a lot of housecleaning and getting rid of non-supported apps, maybe Chronos was a casualty of their own inaction?


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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Re: Read Crash Log?
joemikeb #48351 03/22/18 08:45 PM
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I can see Apple canceling their certificate going forward for whatever reason they desire but it doesn't seem kosher for Apple to have the right to disable all previously sold versions as well.

The last time I had a support problem and couldn't get an answer I wrote an actual letter and they responded via direct email, apologized and said they were in very bad straights and promised to get things fixed. They begged me not to post any bad reviews. That was over 2 years ago. Obviously they are in no better shape now.

It seems weird that the AppStore would still have PrintLife for sale if they have pulled Chronos certificate. The AppStore certainly cannot provide whatever they cancelled the certificate for.

Re: Read Crash Log?
Douglas #48354 03/24/18 06:12 AM
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Originally Posted By: Douglas
I can see Apple canceling their certificate going forward for whatever reason they desire but it doesn't seem kosher for Apple to have the right to disable all previously sold versions as well.

It seems weird that the AppStore would still have PrintLife for sale if they have pulled Chronos certificate. The AppStore certainly cannot provide whatever they cancelled the certificate for.

It's either awfully shabby behavior on Apple's part or there's a critical (security?) reason for their having disabled your app.

Anybody got any thoughts on that?

All considered, it may just come down to Chronos's being the all time ultimate, sad sack developer.


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: Read Crash Log?
artie505 #48359 03/24/18 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
It's either awfully shabby behavior on Apple's part or there's a critical (security?) reason for their having disabled your app.

Anybody got any thoughts on that?

All considered, it may just come down to Chronos's being the all time ultimate, sad sack developer.

There may be a critical reason but whatever the reason the responsibility rests entirely with the developer. Apple has no moral or legal responsibility to assume support for unsupported third party apps. Maintaining the various developer certificates in good standing is entirely the developer's responsibility. To do otherwise could imply Apple would assume support of any application where the developer has ceased to function, a task no sane business would want to take on.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Read Crash Log?
joemikeb #48363 03/24/18 04:33 PM
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Nobody is asking for Apple to 'support' the app, just allow it to operate the way it has on my system since 2015. An expired certificate is not a national security breach.

I doubt there are any security issues since the AppStore is selling the exact same application.

I think I'm going to purchase the app from the AppStore and it had damn well better work.

Last edited by Douglas; 03/24/18 08:07 PM.
Re: Read Crash Log?
Douglas #48370 03/25/18 11:15 AM
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If it doesn't work, perhaps a strongly worded, very negative review of PrintLife at the App Store will get Apple's attention.

Fingers crossed!


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: Read Crash Log?
artie505 #48390 03/26/18 09:35 PM
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After a lengthy google search finding telephone numbers of various officers of Chronos and leaving messages, Version 4 of PrintLife now works with updated signature codes and certificated.

Working on getting Version 3 back now.

Re: Read Crash Log?
Douglas #48391 03/26/18 09:56 PM
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Yaaay!

From where did you d/l the updated version? Ah ha, I see version 4.0.3 on their website, but not on either the App Store or MacUpdate yet.


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
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