[dannyw]

Since recent versions, macOS now phones home and gets apple's permission over the internet before allowing you to open a binary. This is a synchronous blocking operation.

If your ping is 30ms, you don't notice it.

If your ping is 300ms due to say weak wifi, you do notice a 300ms wait when you open an app.

[astrange]

Above post didn't say anything about app launches. There was a popular blog post about that, but it doesn't mean it applies to every issue.

[kbenson]

It doesn't need to apply to above post, it can apply just as well to your statement that it means there's something wrong with the machine if it's an M1. If a slow or laggy connection affects responsiveness in launching desktop apps, that's definitely a reason it could feel slower that doesn't mean there's something wrong, as it would be completely by design.

[threeseed]

I don't know how a 300ms delay for a first-time app launch would render a machine unusable and requiring regular restarts.