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Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

morrick.me

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Re: Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

#241
post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the amount of work I use the CLI for, it was still perfectly alright for my 30 year old UNIX knowledge.

Really? https://www.cvedetails.com/vulnerability-list/vendor_id-72/p...

> amount of work I use the CLI for...

I don't use macOS as pretty UNIX, rather for XCode, testing Websites on Safari, doing iOS stuff.

So when something doesn't get used, the exploits don't matter that much.

Re: Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

#243
post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the issue is that supporting 32-bit apps in MacOS isn't free. So there's a cost/benefit analysis to do. It probably isn't helped by the current MacOS business model. MacOS needs to focus on things that help sell new Macs because that's where the money comes from. Back when you'd drop $129 every few years the focus could be more on the OS itself. Not that it didn't also have to sell Macs, but the OS itself was…

I think that makes a lot of sense, until you look at the rest of the market and that Windows 10 was a one off purchase in 2015 and still supports apps from the early 90s, with a selection of apps tens, maybe hundreds? of times more than OS X. Not to mention Apple specifically chose that business model themselves for business reasons, they get the cost benefit of not having to support older versions which must outweig…

> We can't retroactively claim that business choice is not a bad thing

I'm not saying it's good or bad, just explaining why (in my analysis).

Regarding Windows, I think we have yet to fully see how the movement toward "the operating system is free" will affect it. For one thing, OEMs and businesses are still paying for Windows. I'd guess direct revenue from Windows is dropping and is expected to continue to drop. But that's not the same thing as the $0 that MacOS makes (directly).

But, yes, if you want to run software from the '90s and not in a VM, then Windows is probably your OS (I think businesses are the reason for that. They have a lot of software in use that would be very disruptive/expensive to replace or move to some visualized environment.)

Re: Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

#244
post #11

Am I the only person that doesn't have any significant issues with Catalina? I'll admit, some of the permissions-related pop-ups are a bit annoying, but overall it's been a rather stable macOS version for me (developer, working mostly in Xcode and JetBrains IDEs).

I always wipe down my mac and a clean reinstall... Never had any issue with Catalina and with previous releases. macOS is great... Honestly when do you upgrade your Win or other type of machine... clean install, that's the key. ;)

Re: Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

#245
post #7

Also worth reading John Gruber's complaints, over and above bugs: > But I don’t know a single expert Mac user who is not seriously annoyed by the heavy-handed security design of Catalina. Not one. Every single expert user I know is annoyed. That is a bad place for MacOS to be. MacOS 10.16 needs a serious course correction to fix this, and if 10.16 goes the opposite way — growing even more heavy-handed in restricting…

> there should be a single switch for expert users to toggle to effectively say “I trust all of the software on my Mac”. As an "expert" software engineer, I completely trust absolutely zero software running on my computer, in my browser, or basically on any device anywhere. I begrudgingly put up with it all because there is no alternative. Adding friction is good because it will eventually push (force?) developers to…

You can effectively do that by disabling SIP. I did it a few weeks ago while debugging an issue with my WiFi card (because apparently we’re no longer allowed to view the logs on our own computers..)

I haven’t reenabled it yet, and I don’t think I will be doing for the time being. Apple’s gone too far here. Protect me, sure. Make me take an extra step to run an unsigned binary. For critical modifications like installing kernel extensions, make me run a terminal command, that’s fine. These measures would assist me in maintaining my own security, and they certainly shield my computer illiterate mother. But treat me like a hostile actor on my own computer and strip me of my superuser privileges? No.

I’d rather be a pirate than join the Navy.

Re: Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

#246
post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have two identical setups, both with two 27 monitors and to make it worse one is horizontal and one vertical. Most of the time when i go to the other desk the monitors switch and I have to reset the orientation in display preferences. I have been fighting this for two years. Reset everything apple has told me to and no fix at all. Total PIA.

Same issue for dual display setup, my workaround is to label the cables and make damn sure I plug them in the same order and same port every time. If I do it wrong I’ve to do the display settings and rotate both screens routine.. Another option is to use the left side ports at work and the right side at home.

Ports works SOMETIMES but since all 4 monitors are identical i still see confusion. I may try the left/right though. Currently all cables are hidden so i'll have to redo some to pull that off.

Re: Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

#247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have two identical setups, both with two 27 monitors and to make it worse one is horizontal and one vertical. Most of the time when i go to the other desk the monitors switch and I have to reset the orientation in display preferences. I have been fighting this for two years. Reset everything apple has told me to and no fix at all. Total PIA.

Tried 3rd party app "SwitchResX"?

It's not the resolution it's the orientation that keeps getting flipped.

--- Well I take that back. It's been updated since last i used it a few years ago. There is display orientation savings now. It might now solve the problem, but it sure looks to make the fix much easier and faster. Trying it now. Thanks

Re: Mac OS Catalina: more trouble than it’s worth (Part 2)

#248
post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understood when they removed PPC support via Rosetta from Intel OS X (Even though the tech pretty much felt like magic). But I don't get the justification for ditching all that legacy 32bit software. If it hasn't been upgraded yet, then it's never going to be. The Mac isn't like iOS, it's pretty niche. You can't just throw all the software under the bus every few years and sit back smugly expecting either developer…

I think the issue is that supporting 32-bit apps in MacOS isn't free. So there's a cost/benefit analysis to do. It probably isn't helped by the current MacOS business model. MacOS needs to focus on things that help sell new Macs because that's where the money comes from. Back when you'd drop $129 every few years the focus could be more on the OS itself. Not that it didn't also have to sell Macs, but the OS itself was…

> I think the issue is that supporting 32-bit apps in MacOS isn't free. So there's a cost/benefit analysis to do.

The cost benefit analysis should be as follows: if I know Apple is going to kill compatibility with a large range of software on a whim (ie, not because of a huge and unavoidable underlying hardware transition), I'm going to stop investing in Apple's platform, and by extension stop buying new Macs.

This is in fact what I'm doing.

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