Home Forums Mac Software Mac Operating Systems Ventura questions (easy)

I'm about to get a new Mac with Ventura preloaded. I've had a long look around the internet, but would appreciate some kind person replying to these questions, which are probably Really Easy.

In no particular order:

Does/will Ventura look like/act like older OSs? I'll be coming from Mavericks. (Yes, on first sight this is a stupid question but please bear with me, thanks!)

Does Ventura come with Pages and Numbers? If not, and I have to get them from Apple, will older (Mavericks) versions work?

Widgets. I use them all the time, especially Calendar, Translate, Calculator, Dictionary/Thesaurus, Convert.... Are Widgets still there and if not, what do people do without them?

I've watched the video on how to transfer content from old Mac to new Mac multiple times. It seems to think everyone will use WiFi. Yes I could, but I could also wire the new one to the router with an ethernet cable instead. To me, that would be preferable since the router loses signal now and then (intermittent, one gets used to it).

Many thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

No Ethernet port! Waaa! Thank God I asked this question before actually buying the thing.
I've now sent an anguished email to the website.

Thanks also for the heads-up on Ventura. I'll go back down the OS line to Big Sur or Catalina or something.......as long as Pages/Numbers work.

Sigh.

(It used to be much easier than this, TBH.)

Edited to add: I don't need any "rough rides" at this point in my life.

My apologies!

Ventura was fine.

It's Sonoma, the newest version that's problematic. (I've been having trouble keeping up with Apple's annual releases.)

(It's been quite a few years since Macs had ethernet ports.)

Numbers and Pages are included in the Ventura and Sonoma install packages along with Safari, Mail, Music, etc, and in fact cannot be deleted as they are installed in the system volume, not the data volume and much of their code is shared with other essential macOS functions.

That depends on the model. Some iMacs have the ethernet port but it's on the power brick, not the computer. See these iMac specs

Thanks for that, Jon. I'll try to keep it in mind.

Do you know if those iMacs are the only Macs with available ethernet, or are there others?

I've got absolutely zero use for at least two thirds of Apple's pre-installed apps, and I find it beyond annoying that I can't trash them!

Well, you guys certainly got me going there! I've since calmed down a lot.

Therefore, I'll need a USB > Ethernet connector, right? Like this one? Cable Matters USB to Ethernet Adapter (USB 2.0 to Ethernet/USB to RJ45) on Amazon for £8.49.

Back to my questions, and
Thanks for replies so far.....

It depends on which Mac you're getting. Newer ones haven't got USB 2 ports, so you may need an ethernet to USB connector plus a USB to Thunderbolt connecter or an Ethernet to Thunderbolt connector.

Link us to the Mac you're getting.

Now you are into the differences in protocols (USB 2.0, 3.0, 301, 3.1 Gen 2, 3.2, 4.0, Thunderbolt 2, 3, 4) and connector types (USB A, B, B mini, B micro, and C) Tell us specifically what Mac you are getting, and we can make specific recommendations. Otherwise it can become quite confusing and easy to make costly mistakes.


Calendar, Dictionary, Calculator (which has a conversion function), Contacts, Mail, News, Notes, Preview, Podcasts, Reminders, Weather, Voice Memos, Stocks, Siri, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Photos, and Music are all applications included in the OS[/b] and many, but not all, of them have widgets (functional subsets) that can appear on the desktop or even on the locked screen along with widgets from a number of third-party applications.

The Mac Studio, Mac Mini and Mac Pro have ethernet connections. I couldn't find out about the other models.

A bit more research shows that neither the MacBook Pro nor MacBook Air have ethernet ports.

Ethernet ports have been removed from the laptop models because

1. ethernet ports are too thick to fit in today's super-thin laptops
2. the ethernet protocols are included in the Thunderbolt 3 and 4 specifications

The proper adaptor is available from Amazon at prices ranging from $15 to $30 USD.

The less unwieldy laptops get, the more of a nuisance they are to carry around because of all the adapters!

I'm Ventura 13.5.2 on a slightly older Mac (2020) and I haven't run into anything that caused me concern. The interface is pretty much the same but there are some nice new features (e.g. Stage Manager) that you will probably like a lot. Concerning programs like Pages and Numbers, there was no adverse impact - such as needing to re-install. Ditto all the Widgets. Every program just kept working and Apple sent some updates.

I'll say. I doubt if I'll ever have a laptop again but, if I did, I would certainly prefer a slightly fatter machine with no adapters.

Well, I've done it, I've just ordered the new iMac. (It's new to me, not new-new. It's coming from a reconditioned Macs on-line store which I've used before and they are good and reliable.)

To my intense relief it does have an ethernet port, which was the clincher. My plan is to unpack it, set it up next to this one, plug in this keyboard and mouse, and use Migration Assistant via ethernet to transfer my files and stuff. I'll borrow the ethernet cable off the printer temporarily. This is because the router's wifi goes off now and then (I do not know why), so methinks hard-wiring (ethernetting) the two iMacs to the router will negate any no-wifi stress.*

THEN I can finally download a newer version of Firefox which is what's so badly needed (this Mac can't do that any more), and then the websites which simply don't work for me any more will then work. I know they will, because my husband's Catalina iMac loads them ok. You know, vital things like utility companies........

I'm hoping that after all that I'll sit back and say "I don't know what all the fuss was about". It's coming on Tuesday, so wish me luck!

*Please don't tell me that that logic is awry....

It's a conspiracy to get you to buy a "deluxe executive" style case in which there are multiple compartments for all that jazz.

Transfering your data would be a lot faster and easier if you left your router completely out of the picture and connected directly to one another using Target Disk Mode.

Best wishes with your new purchase. The only down-side that I envision is that, since it is an older iMac, it will become obsolete sooner than a brand-new one. Please tell us the name of the on-line store that you bought it from and the specific model. To way the least, I have been very pleased with my current iMac and I'm sorry that I will have to replace it simply because it can't handle any OS later than Big Sur. Consequently, it can't use the latest updates to MS Office and Adobe CC. Fortunately, everything else seems to work OK.

That's the best way for Bensheim to proceed, but depending upon the ports in his new and old Macs it may require the purchase of one or more adapters.

Unless...can it be done without cabling up the two Macs?

The website is macfinder.co.uk , it's a 21.5" iMac, that's all I'm going to say in case you all (try to) make fun of me.
Regarding 'becoming obsolete', that doesn't bother me much. I'm practically obsolete myself.

Hallo! Bensheim is a her.

TBH, I don't need all that faff. There's very little to transfer, relatively speaking. Indeed, I am now wondering how to stop it from transferring across all the folders in Documents. Much of them relate to the business we had to close down in 2017 when my husband fell ill and had to retire on medical grounds.

Any tips on that would be appreciated.

Oops! My apologies! (I usually use "hir" when I'm uncertain of gender, but I slipped up.)

I don't think there's any way to limit what Migration Assistant transfers other than by trashing it or moving it to an external drive.

I think, though, that you can move stuff selectively via AirDrop. <https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/airdrop-mac-send-files-devices-mh35868/13.0/mac/13.0> (Make sure the OS version in the top left box is correct.)