Discussion macOS Catalina. Security nightmare.

[sportage]

Apple released a new macOS called CATALINA, i.e. macOS 10.15.
First off, nothing 32bit will run in Catalina, so you're going to lose some of your favorite programs.
And good luck finding and purchasing new 64bit versions, if you can even find them, or if they even exist from the developer(s).
And finding acceptable program substitutes is going to cost. Like lots of money.
A lot of photo editing software will no longer work in Catalina. You need to hunt for something that will work AND... is 64bit.

Then you have the programs you already have in 64bit that Catalina won't like.
Security errors up the yin yang.
Catalina doesn't trust this, or refuses to open that, even though all were good legitimate macOS programs that you purchased.
Believe me.... Catalina is one picky Bee-ach.
Then, simple things like buying and punching stuff online Catalina will not like either.
When it comes time for the good old CHECK-OUT page, its gone. Bye Bye. Blank screen. White-out.
Catalina doesn't like CHECK-OUT.
I found a go around by starting a new "private" window in Safari, and navigating the store's website from there with opening a new private page.
Select your items, go to checkout, and the checkout page "should" display using that private window. Hopefully.....
Just another little Catalina fluke to piss you off during your online shopping experience.

And then you have the Catalina PERMISSIONS. Endless permissions.
Holy hell.... permissions here, permissions there, permissions permissions everywhere.
Catalina wants your APPs to get permission before accessing THIS or accessing THAT, and before accessing FOLDERS and accessing FILES, and accessing contacts, and accessing YOUR BRAIN.
Access, access, access. Holy hell Cindy Brady.

I haven't yet come across Catalina actually threatening me with, YOU CAN'T USE YOUR COMPUTER TODAY BECAUSE... I DON'T LIKE YOU.
But..... I'm sure its out there somewhere, just waiting to screw up an otherwise happy computing day.
If I didn't know better, I'd swear Microsoft either bought out Apple, or Microsoft designed Catalina. In any case, I smell Bill Gates.
Only MS Windows could screw up an operating system, that was until Catalina came along.
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!!

 

[ultimatebob]

Wait a minute, you installed a .0 release version of an Mac OS X update, and you expect it to WORK RIGHT? Ha!

Ever since OS X came out, the common wisdom was to wait for the .2 release version of the new OS version unless you felt like being a paid beta tester for Apple.

 

[SamQuint]

Highly recommend everyone taking a 32bit app inventory before upgrading. I think you can get this in your system information. I had an app that was 32bit and went to uninstall it and could not run the uninstaller that came with the program because it too was 32bit. Damn you Apple! You would think they could put this in the installer. It could give you a quick list of programs not compatible and allow you to abort before you go ahead with the install.

 

[ultimatebob]

Yeah, it looks like Steam, most of my game collection, and my Harmony remote software are all 32 bit applications. And it looks like newer versions for a lot of this software isn't available yet. Well... shit.

 

[sportage]

Went back to High Sierra 10.13.6.
Truth is, 64-bit replacements for 32-bit apps will be a VERY LONG WAIT, that is if they ever do come.
Finding 64-bit replacements for apps you love and have been using for years will not be easy. I suppose 64-bit allows better security and better functionality, but still.
If you can't find an app to do what you need it to do, or the author has stopped supporting or is no longer in business, well hell. Those 64-bit app updates and upgrades just won't be there.

 

[daveybrat]

Yup, i just had a customer come into my shop today and he had upgraded to Catalina.......huge mistake!

He lost about 90% of his programs. All of his Adobe Master Suite CS3 and CS6 were gone, many other programs, and his Office 2011. All of those programs were 32-Bit and no longer compatible.

The customer was so upset but there was nothing i could do, Apple now deems 32-Bit software as 'obsolete'.

 

[ultimatebob]

32 bit software is obsolete, but Apple should probably take a page from Microsoft's playbook and offer more backward compatibility. Hell... even old DOS applications can work on Windows 10 in compatibility mode.

 

[Muadib]

my Harmony remote software are all 32 bit applications. And it looks like newer versions for a lot of this software isn't available yet. Well... shit.

Harmony claims they will have a fix next month. Read the FAQ on this link: https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/download

 

[senjaz]

Developers have had years to update their applications, first they were told to build in support for 64 bit, then that 64bit code was a requirement for listing in the App Store, then that 32bit code was deprecated and would cease to work in the future. Now that time is here. The truth is that most are already 64 bit. What I guess people don't like is that they can no longer use a version of an application that is from 2007 as in the case of Adobe CS3. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect your users to upgrade their software more than once every 12 years. Incidentally 2007 is when Apple first shipped a 64 bit OS.

There are alternatives if you don't like Adobe's new software rental business model; you can get drop in replacements for the Adobe suite from Affinity at £50 each.

Finding replacements for most things is not going to cost a lot of money; and in face if you actually look for replacements rather than just upgrades you might spend less.

There is the issue of abandonware. Some software has not seen updates in years and that is a problem but it is the exception rather than the rule.

Just dual boot your machine or run an old version of the OS in VMWare. That is the price you pay for a leaner OS and not wanting upgrade your software on reasonable timescales.

Backwards compatibility is the straight jacket that stops Microsoft from making Windows as stable and as secure as macOS. I spent most of my career as a software developer on Windows and it was one one huge convoluted inconsistent mess.

 

[mikegg]

I agree with OP that the permissions thing is super annoying.

Asking for permissions for my apps to do anything. When it does ask for permissions, it doesn't even prefill my MacOS username.

 

[ultimatebob]

Harmony claims they will have a fix next month. Read the FAQ on this link: https://support.myharmony.com/en-us/download

I tried installing the new Harmony software in Mac OS X 10.15.2, but the installer gets stuck when it opens the control panel to change security settings. I guess that they tried to script something that the 15.2 update broke.

Oh, and most of my older Mac OS X "compatible" Steam games still do not have 64 bit updates.

You might want to skip this update, folks.

 

[Muadib]

I tried installing the new Harmony software in Mac OS X 10.15.2, but the installer gets stuck when it opens the control panel to change security settings. I guess that they tried to script something that the 15.2 update broke.

Oh, and most of my older Mac OS X "compatible" Steam games still do not have 64 bit updates.

You might want to skip this update, folks.

I just updated my Mac mini to 15.2, and then downloaded and installed the harmony software. I couldn’t use it because my cable to my remotes is missing, but I will find it tomorrow.
EDIT: Found the cable, and the software works!

 

[balbogun]

I agree with OP that the permissions thing is super annoying.

Asking for permissions for my apps to do anything. When it does ask for permissions, it doesn't even prefill my MacOS username.

I wonder if there is any way to disable those system routines. Meanwhile, folks, Catalina is now a bit dated, it's a Big Sur time.
Apple seems to be less obsessed with imposing its security rules now. Moreover, mac security geeks like Patrick Wardlel

https://twitter.com/x/status/1327726496203476992

are now concerned with.. well, a bit easy-minded approach of Apple ("In Big Sur Apple decided to exempt many of its apps from being routed thru the frameworks they now require 3rd-party firewalls to use (LuLu, Little Snitch, etc.")
More detailed explanation is also here https://macsecurity.net/view/462-ma...-circumventing-third-party-firewalls-and-vpns, the problem is reported to be fixed, but I am not that sure...