[GNC] Installation on a Mac

[John Ralls]

> On Dec 3, 2018, at 2:17 AM, Jules Levinson <juleslevinson at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> I have used GnuCash for many years, but only on Windows. My wife has
> decided to give GnuCash a try. She uses a Mac. I've never used one.
> 
> She downloaded the current *.dmg file from the website and then did
> whatever one does on a Mac to install an application. Several times. Many
> times. Installation failed, always in the same way, leaving her with, at
> best, an icon for GnuCash but unable to open the program. Unfamiliar with
> the Mac, I am unable to help her. I hope someone on this list will be able
> to assist me to assist her.
> 
> In search of information, I stumbled across a few forums and queries. One
> resembled her experience closely:
> 
> "The installation process appears to go normally, there's the usual warning
> about 'Opening' a file downloaded from the internet and the GNUCash icon is
> seen 'bouncing' up & down on the lower docking bar, but after you 'click'
> Open the GNUCash icon disappears and the installation process halts -
> nothing! No GNUCash. I've tried several fresh downloads and repeated the
> same installation process without success."
> 
> I read this to her. She replied, "That is what is happening on my computer."
> 
> Thanks for whatever help you can offer us.

There’s no “installation process” beyond dragging GnuCash from the dmg to somewhere on disk. The first time you launch a program, MacOS runs some checks on it before starting it. Several users have reported that that process fails to start GnuCash after completing its checks and that if one simply double-clicks the GnuCash icon again it starts normally.

However, there are also a couple of Gtk bugs affecting GnuCash-3.3. What version of MacOS is she running, and if it’s 10.14 “Mojave” is she using Dark Mode?

Regards,
John Ralls