Apple releases Catalina 10.15 GM seed to developers for testing

AppleInsider

Apple has released what is likely the release candidate of macOS Catalina to beta testers, in a final push to eradicate launch bugs.

The latest macOS Catalina beta released less than a week after the tenth beta appears focused on bug eradication. There are no new features highlighted or obvious versus beta 10.

The release of macOS Catalina isn't scheduled any more specifically than October. Apple's regional website in Denmark suggested that the operating system would be released on October 4.

If accurate, the October 4 release date would be contrary to most Apple OS releases. As a general rule, Apple rolls out full releases of software on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Announced in June, macOS Catalina incorporates new technologies like Voice Control, second-screen capabilities with a connected iPad through Sidecar, and a refreshed user interface. Other major additions include Project Catalyst, a development framework that enables app makers to more easily port iOS software to Mac, and a breakup of iTunes.

blastdoor

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

bobolicious

I wish Apple would return to release on merit rather than on a planned calendar basis.

10.4 & 10.6 come to mind as precedents spanning multiple years:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacOS_version_history#Timeline

Did Steve Jobs end MacWorld for similar reasons ie. the annual deadline presssure it put on Apple?

Has such a burden been transferred more on new hardware customers ?

Should buyers get new macs soon if wanting the fullest support on the current not-just-out-of-beta macOS...?

edited October 2019

mike wuerthele

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

I don't foresee them walking back the 32-bit thing.

FWIW, developers have been able to compile 64-bit for over a decade. I know it's not as simple as a checkbox in many cases, but still.

misterkit

I wonder if a new Mac shipping with Catalina could be rolled back to an earlier version. It’s a little over my head whether the built in security chips would not allow a rollback.

blastdoor

Mike Wuerthele said:

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

I don't foresee them walking back the 32-bit thing.

FWIW, developers have been able to compile 64-bit for over a decade. I know it's not as simple as a checkbox in many cases, but still.

Apparently the ability to compile to 64 bit does not mean that developers will do it :-( 

razorpit

MisterKit said:

I wonder if a new Mac shipping with Catalina could be rolled back to an earlier version. It’s a little over my head whether the built in security chips would not allow a rollback.

Were you ever able to do that? I don't think you were, at least in the modern (Intel) era.

bobolicious

MisterKit said:

I wonder if a new Mac shipping with Catalina could be rolled back to an earlier version. It’s a little over my head whether the built in security chips would not allow a rollback.

With such an aggressive annual cycle would supporting older macOS take resources (code, support knowledge, etc) and thus consume profit ? Would Apple say they want everyone to be on the latest and greatest 'user experience' ? How would those struggling with longer term work, orphaned if essential software, needlessly obsolesced high value hardware, etc. feel...?

yuck9

AppleInsider said:

Apple has released what is likely the release candidate of macOS Catalina to beta testers, in a final push to eradicate launch bugs.

The latest macOS Catalina beta released less than a week after the tenth beta appears focused on bug eradication. There are no new features highlighted or obvious versus beta 10.

The release of macOS Catalina isn't scheduled any more specifically than October. Apple's regional website in Denmark suggested that the operating system would be released on October 4.

If accurate, the October 4 release date would be contrary to most Apple OS releases. As a general rule, Apple rolls out full releases of software on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

Announced in June, macOS Catalina incorporates new technologies like Voice Control, second-screen capabilities with a connected iPad through Sidecar, and a refreshed user interface. Other major additions include Project Catalyst, a development framework that enables app makers to more easily port iOS software to Mac, and a breakup of iTunes.

Basic OS is taking 7GB to load ? Nothing running in background. 32 total and free is 24.97 at boot.  

razorpit

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

I'm more concerned about Gatekeeper and apps like MakeMKV.

dewme

blastdoor said:

Mike Wuerthele said:

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

I don't foresee them walking back the 32-bit thing.

FWIW, developers have been able to compile 64-bit for over a decade. I know it's not as simple as a checkbox in many cases, but still.

Apparently the ability to compile to 64 bit does not mean that developers will do it :-( 

As Mike said, it’s rarely as simple as choosing another compiler option. Very few software applications (thankfully!) are compiled as a single monolithic binary image. When retargeting a native app from 32-bits to to 64-bits you typically have to make sure that everything in the software stack, including all static and dynamic libraries are compiled to 64-bit images. If some of these components are acquired through a third party you have to get them to retarget their components or rewrite the code yourself. It’s typically not easy and certainly not cheap. 

But again, as Mike mentioned, they’ve had a decade to make this move and Apple’s been telegraphing their intentions loud & clear for years, including letting their customers know that the 64-bit-only train was approaching the station in 2019 and 32-bit apps are being left behind when the train leaves the station. If they aren’t on the 64-bit train it’s their own fault and it’s their customers who will suffer. 

foljs

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

With Apple / macOS the update is not really optional.

Either you upgrade within 1 year or so, or you're left with an unsupported system that doesn't play as well with the rest of the ecosystem (iPhone, airpods, watch, iPad, etc) and doesn't take advantage of their new features. You can of course still rock a 10.5 today, if you want to, but you're  on your own, almost as if you were running an Apple II or Amiga 500 today.

jkdsteve

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

Agreed, it obsoletes a few apps that will never be updated/no longer maintained by the developer and also my main Mac (MacPro 5,1)...I don't see the point. Not to mention the price of a new MacPro is ridiculous.

edited October 2019

mpantone

The 64-bit only stipulation has been a long time coming. While I will be keeping a Mojave boot drive around, I reluctantly acquiesced and bought a $180 Windows 10 box so I could run legacy applications like the Harmony Remote utility from Logitech.

I'm more concerned about the perceived quality of Catalina 10.15 as it currently stands. For the same reason, I have not upgraded my eligible iDevices to iOS 13. Both operating systems sound buggy as hell right now and Apple couldn't pay me to make them my default boot OSes at this time.

While eventually I will upgrade to both operating systems, it might be Q1 2020 before I do so. If anything, I might try to find a spare drive and install Catalina on that before I install it on the built-in SSDs.

This is the first year in a decade that I haven't installed the new OS within a day or two of release.

edited October 2019

macxpress

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

*sigh* Developers have had 12 YEARS! to get their apps, plug-ins, drivers, etc 64-bit on macOS. It's not Apple's fault developers dragged their feet on this. Any 64-bit issues are solely the developer's fault, not Apple's. Why should Apple continue year after year to offer backwards compatibility? If they don't push forward, developers will just keep dragging their feet or just plain not fixing their shit to bring it to modern standards. 

macxpress

MisterKit said:

I wonder if a new Mac shipping with Catalina could be rolled back to an earlier version. It’s a little over my head whether the built in security chips would not allow a rollback.

I guess it would be something to try before you start installing any apps, migrating data, etc. If it doesn't work, just boot to internet restore and let macOS Catalina reinstall. 

auxio

macxpress said:

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

*sigh* Developers have had 12 YEARS! to get their apps, plug-ins, drivers, etc 64-bit on macOS. It's not Apple's fault developers dragged their feet on this. Any 64-bit issues are solely the developer's fault, not Apple's. Why should Apple continue year after year to offer backwards compatibility? If they don't push forward, developers will just keep dragging their feet or just plain not fixing their shit to bring it to modern standards. 

While I'm certainly not disagreeing with the sentiment that we need to more forward, let me give you an example of why an app might not move to 64-bit.

I worked on an app which supported loading 3D content in a bunch of different formats.  A couple of the components we used to load that content were very old and only available as 32-bit (no longer supported).  So if we wanted to move to 64-bit we either had to drop support for those formats (which would make customers unhappy), find 64-bit replacements (no good options existed), or write our own (very costly -- couldn't be justified to management to spend that much on it).  

jannl

Public beta also available.

blastdoor

macxpress said:

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

*sigh* Developers have had 12 YEARS! to get their apps, plug-ins, drivers, etc 64-bit on macOS. It's not Apple's fault developers dragged their feet on this. Any 64-bit issues are solely the developer's fault, not Apple's. Why should Apple continue year after year to offer backwards compatibility? If they don't push forward, developers will just keep dragging their feet or just plain not fixing their shit to bring it to modern standards. 

But what's the advantage to the customer of moving from 32 bits to 64 bits? How will the 64 bit app be better? 

In the past, moving forward has had advantages to customers. For example, an x86 native app will be faster than an emulated PPC app. If Aspyr were to make Homeworld Remastered 64 bit instead of 32 bit, what would that get me? I strongly suspect the answer is: NOTHING. 

sflocal

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

I don't think so.  The same argument can be made when Apple was migrating to the x86 platform and abandoning PowerPC.  Like Rosetta, Apple has given everyone fair warning that the day would eventually happen.

I feel you about the hesitation.  If the company that makes your 32-bit apps don't/will-no support the migration to 64-bit only given literally years to be ready, then that says a lot about their support.  Guess it's more important to just go out of business then.

I have one app that is really important that the vendor has not upgraded to 32-bit, but then I have three MacOS systems and I'm diving in full Catalina on the least used machine and put it through the ringer before I migrate my main workstations.  I will certainly get on my vendor's case to upgrade the software.

bobolicious

blastdoor said:

Mike Wuerthele said:

blastdoor said:

As the release date approaches, I'm becoming convinced I just can't install it on any Mac I own. For my home Mac I refuse to let go of some 32 bit games. For my work Mac, there are vitally important apps that are still 32 bit. 

It will be interesting to see how this plays out -- will Apple be forced to walk back the decision to kill off 32 bit apps? Probably not, but I bet uptake on Catalina will be much slower than past operating systems. 

I don't foresee them walking back the 32-bit thing.

FWIW, developers have been able to compile 64-bit for over a decade. I know it's not as simple as a checkbox in many cases, but still.

Apparently the ability to compile to 64 bit does not mean that developers will do it :-( 

It seems virtualization (Parallels) may offer an option:

https://tidbits.com/2019/09/18/moving-to-catalina-keep-your-32-bit-mac-apps-running-with-parallels/