…or listen on any of these podcatchers!

Mac users: Any macbook, imac, mac-mini, even the mac pro.

Hair of fire 0 of 5 (or maybe -5 out of 5?)

This is my second podcast in a row that actually recommends skipping an Apple upgrade!

Many apps are breaking in the new mac operating system: Catalina

FIX: easiest thing to do is simply NOT upgrade to Catalina until the problem is solved.

There is another, complex and risky.  For that, we need a little more explanation.

What’s going on?

• At Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 2017, Apple informed developers that macOS High Sierra would be the last version of macOS to run somehting called 32-bit apps “without compromise.”
• Then, in the summer of 2018, Apple ‘warned’ developers again that  ’32-bit apps’ would no longer be supported in 2019.
• Now, with the release of Catalina this week,  many of these 32-bit apps are failing

Apple knows : Best way to get developers to upgrade their product to your standards is to make their product stop working for all of their customers – and that is what is happening.

So – what is a 32-bit app?? What is the difference with a 64 bit app.

Let me emphasize that you should not have to care.

Short answer: If you have a computer / laptop /desktop with a 64-bit system, then applications written for 64-bit systems will simply run faster and will have greater fuctionality than the same application withtten in 32 bit.

For the long answer – see a link in the show notes from webopedia which has a great explanation:

What Are 32-Bit and 64-Bit Apps, and Why Do They Matter?

That is more than you should ever need to know about 32 bit or 64 bit apps or computer systems.

So – its not that a 64-bit computer can’t run a 32-bit application.  In this case, Apple simply does not want to because it makes their computers look like they run slower.  By forcing developers to upgrade their apps, then everything running on a mac will be as fast and functional as the hardware.

The DOWNSIDE: not every developer has republished their app in 64 bit, and you may be relying on some of them right now.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/12/20908567/apple-macos-catalina-breaking-apps-32-bit-support-how-to-prepare-avoid-update

QUOTE:

Other popular pieces of software ensnared by this 32- to 64-bit transition include older versions of Microsoft Office, numerous legacy versions of Mac apps like GarageBand, and discontinued apps like iPhoto. For those who do play games on a Mac, it’s likely quite a few are 32-bit and there’s no way to salvage them after upgrading to Catalina.

Over at The Tape Drive, Apple blogger Steve Moser has compiled a list of 235 apps and counting that aren’t supported in Catalina. That includes some versions of Transmit, 1Password, QuickBooks, VMWare Fusion, and Parallels.

But the issues extend beyond the loss 32-bit app support. Due to incompatibility issues, even newer versions of Photoshop installed and managed using Creative Cloud are having file naming issues, plug-in verification problems, and video rendering hiccups. Adobe says on its support page for the issue that droplets, ExtendScript Toolkit, and Lens Profile Creator will flat-out fail to run.

And, Catalina marks the official end of iTunes as a standalone app!

So, the ‘complicated and risky fix that I mentioned earlier?  make a list of EVERY app that you use, including apps that come with you apple computer.  Then, one at a time, figure our if your computer is running a 32-bit version, or a 64-bit version.  If you have any apps running a 32-bit version – know that the risk of them breaking or failing is high after upgrading to Catalina.

Apple craziness!

That’s our episode – as always, email me with any questions at david@diycyberguy.com