[quote='854085022, DTS Engineer, /thread/797007?answerId=854085022#854085022'] Keep in mind that appex-based VPN isn’t well aligned with macOS’s execution model. macOS supports multiple users simultaneously, which is a concern because VPN configurations affect the networking stack as a whole. [/quote] So how does that explain network app extensions in App Store apps? What is there to stop a user logged in on the same system (possibly a standard user) from accessing a VPN tunnel started by another higher privileged user via a Mac App Store app with a network app extension and gaining unauthorized access to resources via that tunnel? I would think most people assume App Store apps to be running in a far more restricted environment than apps distributed outside the App Store, but in the case of app extensions the opposite appears to be the case. By forcing Developer ID apps to use system extensions it forces admin privileges in order to install the extension and the explicit granting of Privacy and Security permissions, which is not needed with app extensions in App Store apps. This seems to introduce a false sense of security when using App Store apps. Should users be warned not to download App Store apps with extensions because doing so may compromise their system's security? I know this may sound like a "why" question but it's actually a "what" question. What is the rationale for these policy decisions regarding app and system extensions? Are there documentation, tech notes or WWDC sessions describing these policy rationales or do they only exist in the minds of certain select Apple employees?

And frankly, I have no clue what Apple or anyone else has against the C preprocessor. One of the most useful tools in the toolbox. I'm tired of compiler people taking away our best tools because they think we can't use them responsibly. End of rant. Neither Apple nor anyone else has anything against the C preprocessor, in fact they're likely using it themselves. Swift is an entirely different language, not related to C or C++ and most other languages don't have a preprocessor either. Swift never had a preprocessor, no one took anything away. In fact, Apple has been adding more preprocessor-like constructs over the years. That being said, I do wish Apple would add more ways to conditionally compile out code in Swift, particularly how you can do with macros in C/C++, primarily for confidentiality reasons so that things like debugging message strings and other debug data don't end up in the production executable.