Homebrew: Apps Like Librewolf and Freetube Are to Be Deprecated in 2026-09-01

Posted3 months agoActive3 months ago

shantara

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HomebrewPackage ManagementOpen-Source Software

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Homebrew is deprecating certain apps like LibreWolf and FreeTube, sparking a discussion about the implications and alternatives for users.

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Oct 4, 2025 at 11:21 AM EDT
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Discussion (5 comments)

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bdcravens

3 months ago

2 replies

by "Apps like", it means apps that are unsigned, not apps based on any particular category of functionality.

More details provided here: https://github.com/orgs/Homebrew/discussions/6334#discussion...

> We are rejecting unsigned apps already for new registrations. > Keeping unsigned apps is only for the intel based macOS users. > Signing is required to run on silicon based macOS. > Apple announced that macOS 26 Tahoe will be the last version of macOS to support Intel-based Macs. > No more unsigned apps after this phase.

Wowfunhappy

3 months ago

I don't understand what this has to do with the Intel deprecation. Did Apple recently change something I'm not aware of?

I know that from the start Apple Silicon has required binaries to be signed with _a_ signature, but since that could be an ad-hoc signature this struck me as more of an implementation detail of the binary format than a significant policy shift. Otherwise, as far as I was aware the requirements were the same for Intel and Apple Silicon.

Also, is Homebrew planning to drop support for macOS 26 as soon as macOS 27 comes out in September 2026? I thought they supported the three most recent OS releases, as Apple does.

Edit: I decided to also ask these questions on the Github discussion. Either the maintainer is confused, or I'm confused, and I don't know which it is!

shantaraAuthor

3 months ago

>But Apple has made it clear that unsigned software is going away, so Homebrew is following the requirements macOS sets on macOS software.

I’m running LibreWolf installed via Homebrew with --no-quarantine flag. It was news to me that there’s been pressure from Apple to remove it. Running unsigned apps is already absurdly cumbersome, and if the option is removed, this would be the final straw to push me to install Asahi on my MBP

sunaookami

3 months ago

1 reply

I'm so tired of this push for "signing" and "approval" from corporate overlords. How fitting that there is currently another post from Google about their Android changes on the front page with the same bullshit.

burnt-resistor

3 months ago

The corporate bootlickers demand conformance to the technofeudal shoguns instead of using alternative solutions like signing / hash checking archive containers. It's a Hobson's choice meaning foisting corporate developer program EULAs and payments on FOSS projects and release signing workflow or non-participation.

And, to be fair, Homebrew maintainers in particular have a history of Apple-adjacent asshole attitudes. And it's not just my experiences and interactions with them to offer as evidence, but also similar experiences faced by a MA_NG client platform engineering department's manager who tried to support that environment but ultimately walked away because of their rude, unprofessional, and uncooperative attitude and total lack of understanding of system engineering.

Currently, one workaround for brew formulas that the HB geniuses don't understand how to configure, pearl clutch cancel for petty reasons, or don't care to support properly can still be released as third-party taps.

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ID: 45473947Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 4:35:27 PM

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