apache2 @2.4.57_0+preforkmpm: Background item on Ventura 13.3.1

[j-mac344]

port install apache2 creates a Background Item "joshua root" reported by Ventura 13.3.1 Notification. Is this actually necessary and if it is a more appropriate name should be applied and if not should be removed. Can be viewed in System Preferences / General / Login Items

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Apache is a server program that runs in the background. MacPorts installs a launchd plist to assist you in doing that. port notes apache2 tells you how. You're not required to follow those instructions. If you don't, then Apache won't run. If you prefer, you can start Apache using a different method.

New in Ventura, macOS will notify you when launchd plists are installed. Josh is the one who creates the MacPorts installer packages and signs them with his developer certificate which is presumably why the notification mentions his name. I know of no way to tell macOS not to notify you of this and I don't know how the name displayed in the notification could be changed, although I notice that not all notifications about MacPorts-installed plists bear his name; the ones from the dbus port, for example, mention dbus instead.

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

It would be the daemondo binary that is signed with my Developer ID, and dbus installs its own plists that don't use daemondo.

[j-mac344]

Thanks you for the feedback. Might be worth adding a note to the Apache Install details. I note that there have been other problems with the Ventura 13.3.1 Notification process, hopefully Apple will sort this out for their next release.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

The issue is not specific to the apache2 port. If any additional note is to be printed about the situation during port installation, it should be done by MacPorts base for all ports that install launchd plists.

What additional information would have been helpful? I would not want to make the additional information too wordy since it will be printed every time any port that installs a launchd plist is installed or upgraded; large blocks of text encountered repeatedly are likely to be ignored by users, possibly leading them to inadvertently ignore other more important notes printed by other ports now made more difficult to see amongst repeated information about notifications which the user may not have known the first time but now on their 65th port upgrade the user certainly no longer needs to be told about.

Be sure to ​submit feedback to Apple about any changes you'd like them to make in their OS.

[j-mac344]

The point you make is true and you always have to guard against TL;DR. Before installing the port I read the Support & Development tab on the home page https://www.macports.org/ which currently has a section under MacPorts support called Ventura Problems. A concise note under that heading would probably be sufficient. For example "Some port installs create a Background Item which may be reported by Ventura 13.3.1 Notification", with possibly a list of Background Item names to be aware of.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

Feel free to edit VenturaProblems to add that; the wiki is editable by anyone. Maybe better to describe the problem in ProblemHotlist, and then link to it from VenturaProblems, since we will likely need to link to it from all future macOS versions' Problem pages as well.