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macOS 10.12.3
#43454 01/23/17 08:40 PM
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jchuzi Online OP
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I installed the update. All went well.


Jon

macOS 11.7.10, iMac Retina 5K 27-inch, late 2014, 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 1 TB fusion drive, 16 GB RAM, Epson SureColor P600, Photoshop CC, Lightroom CC, MS Office 365
Re: macOS 10.12.3
jchuzi #43455 01/23/17 09:49 PM
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Don't get too complacent. I am expecting MacOS 10.13 beta 1 any day now. 😵 It has already missed the rumored first release date of January 20, 2017. To paraphrase the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, "change is the only constant in computing".🜎 (that is the symbol for philosopher's sulpher which is as close as I could find to be an icon for a philosopher.)

Also see this post in iTunes, iPhone, iPad, and AppleTV


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: macOS 10.12.3
joemikeb #43458 01/24/17 06:59 AM
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After my unhappy experience with 10.12.0 I waited 'til now to try again, and...

One of my three apps that broke is working again...skushed bug I believe, and the other two are replaceable, albeit with less elegant solutions.

My two major issues remain issues, though:
  1. Sierra takes 40 (yep, forty shocked ) seconds to shut down, which is a reeeal drag after El Cap's fastest ever ~5 second shutdowns! frown
  2. My trackpad has become stiffer...extremely annoying. mad
Note that during my 40 second shut-downs my screen is black and I don't see the usual spinning work wheel, AND verbose mode doesn't display anything, although it works fine when I boot. (Feedback sent to Apple)

I'm gonna stick with Sierra anyhow. I'll live with the annoyances in favor of falling behind again, not that I'm experiencing any major changes. (It would really make me happy if SystemUIServer would remember the positions into which I move my menulets every time I start/restart.)

The best part of the upgrade process was d/l'ing the installer with my new 50/50 Fios. smile (I reverted from 100/100 after a month, because it was $10/month of overkill.)

Edit: Hmmm... The stiffer trackpad maaay actually be a plus. More to come.

Edit 2: I couldn't figure out why a 3-finger tap wouldn't call up dictionary definitions, and when I launched Dictionary.app to see what was up I learned that I first had to d/l the dictionaries. tongue

Last edited by artie505; 01/24/17 08:45 AM.

The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43484 01/25/17 09:38 AM
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Well, it looks like my "stiffer" trackpad is the result of Apple's having addressed a longstanding issue.

When I got my first MBP with glass trackpad close to four years ago (but bear in mind that the machine was already three years old when I bought it) I was infuriated by my cursor's frequently jumping around my screen when I tried to place it: attempting to insert it into a body of text often resulted in its winding up it in the wrong place, even selecting text I had no intention of changing, which resulted in its being overwritten when I began typing without realizing that it had been selected.

The "Geniuses" gave me a new trackpad, but they were perplexed when the exercise proved useless.

I finally got a good answer from an AppleCare tech who figured out that because I tap my trackpad with the side of my thumb, rather than its tip, it was picking up spurious input.

Great! What the hey do I do about that?

My solution was to attach (with two-sided Scotch Tape) plastic cut from the lid of a to-go container to strategic portions of my trackpad, and it blocked the spurious input flawlessly, but when I upgraded to Sierra 10.12.0 I found my trackpad practically unusable because it was much stiffer than it had been, which necessitated my removal of the plastic, which left me with a still-jumping cursor...my primary reason for reverting to El Cap.

Fast forward to Sierra 10.12.3 in which I found my trackpad even stiffer than it had been the first time I upgraded.

I removed the plastic again, and this time... VOILA!

I'm assuming that Apple has tuned down the trackpad's sensitivity, that the stiffness results from its not getting sufficient input through the plastic, and thus its improved functionality without the plastic.

I can't say that the fix is 100%, but it's close enough that I can live with the occasional jumping - but no unintended text selection - with which I've been dealing.

Thank you Apple! smile


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43486 01/25/17 01:02 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
My trackpad has become stiffer...

I can't imagine that being a software issue. Trackpads are surprisingly precision installed. I remember it taking me awhile to get the hang of a trackpad replacement. The tolerance on them is the width of a piece of paper on both ends of all four sides. I used 8 small slips of paper to hold the trackpad perfectly centered before doing the final tightening down of the spring strips along the top.

If your trackpad is stiff, you might try taking a thin piece of clean stiff white paper (printer grade) and running a corner down into the gap and dragging it around the perimeter, to clear out anything that's stuck in the gap. It's easy to get a bit of dirt or a (small!) grain of sand etc in there. The trackpad is attached at the top toward the left and right sides so you won't be able to clean that as well or as easily, but thats the hinge of the system so debris in that gap is usually less of an issue. The button that clicks when you press down is in the bottom center of the trackpad.

If your trackpad isn't sitting level, like you can feel it raised in the lower left and lowered in the lower right, you will need to get it adjusted at an apple store etc. They may need to replace the spring strips. If it's not level, that's a pretty good indicator you're going to have problems clicking it.

The click depth of the button is also adjustable, and has to be carefully set for proper depth, to not hold any pressure on the button when up and yet not have any gap. (these buttons can also wear out, necessitating a replacement trackpad) They're lock-tite'd into place but can require adjustment on rare occasion.

BTW in case you didn't know, the trackpad is made of GLASS. I've replaced a few that were damaged by objects being dropped on the top deck. They shatter but stay together due to all the electrical magic underneath. I've also seen a number of them with a crack. Strangely, in most cases they remain usable in this state. But they're surprisingly tough.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: macOS 10.12.3
Virtual1 #43499 01/27/17 06:31 AM
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I guess I didn't make my point as well as I thought I did.

When Apple introduced their new glass trackpads I did a bit of reading, and I remember it sounding like they were 1/3 electronic, 1/3 mechanical, and 1/3 voodoo, and I think we're dealing with the voodoo in this instance.

The stiffness I tried to describe has nothing to do with the mechanical up/down movement of the trackpad, rather it's related to the amount of pressure I had to put on the plastic to get my input transmitted through it to the trackpad, and I suspect that the best way for you to understand it will be to cut a piece of (~1mm) plastic out of the cover of your next eat-in lunch, tape it to the lower right-hand corner of your trackpad, and click with most of the side of the tip of your thumb as I do.

If it's not a function of the sensitivity of your fingertip, you'll feel that you've got to press harder to get your input through, particularly if you're trying to drag something, and occasionally it will feel like the trackpad isn't even moving up and down, although if you put a fingertip on the interface between it and the palm rest you'll find that it is.

As I said, then, I think Apple has tuned down the sensitivity of the trackpad to more or less correct my spurious input, with the stiffness - but only with the plastic in place - being a side effect which led me to realize that I no longer need it.

Mods, I wonder if these last three posts deserve their own thread?


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
joemikeb #43510 01/27/17 07:02 PM
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I was correct in saying there would shortly be a new beta, but it is not 10.13 it is 10.12.4. So far the only significant new feature I have found is Night Shift has been added to System Preferences > Displays. It is a feature that has been available on iOS for a while now and is belatedly making its way to MacOS.

Originally Posted By: Apple
Night Shift automatically shifts the colors of your display to the warmer end of the color spectrum after dark. This may help you get a better night's sleep.

So far I have only found one glitch, in one application, MoneyDance, the printing is broken. Hit print in the print dialogue and the app hangs reliably every time.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: macOS 10.12.3
joemikeb #43518 01/28/17 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
So far I have only found one glitch, in one application, MoneyDance, the printing is broken. Hit print in the print dialogue and the app hangs reliably every time.


Which version of Moneydance, 2015.x or 2017.x? I don't think there is a 2016.


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: macOS 10.12.3
Ira L #43519 01/28/17 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: Ira L
Which version of Moneydance, 2015.x or 2017.x? I don't think there is a 2016.

2017.2 and you are correct, there was no version 2016. This is not the first time MoneyDance has had printing problems of one sort or another, but Sean is a good programmer and I am sure this too will be straightened out.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: macOS 10.12.3
Virtual1 #43545 01/31/17 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted By: Virtual1
Originally Posted By: artie505
My trackpad has become stiffer...

I can't imagine that being a software issue.

Doesn't the presence of System Prefs > Trackpad > Point & Click > Click > Light, Medium, Firm support it? (Even the sound of the click changes.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43549 01/31/17 04:14 PM
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Re: System Prefs > Trackpad > Point & Click > Click > Light, Medium, Firm


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Huh? My SP doesn't show those three options under Point & Click using SIERRA. Any ideas where it might be hidden?


Many thanks,
MG2009
Re: macOS 10.12.3
MG2009 #43551 01/31/17 04:35 PM
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Originally Posted By: MG2009
Re: System Prefs > Trackpad > Point & Click > Click > Light, Medium, Firm


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Huh? My SP doesn't show those three options under Point & Click using SIERRA. Any ideas where it might be hidden?

I see this in Sierra 10.12.3; if you don't, I'm at a complete loss.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43553 01/31/17 04:48 PM
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System Preferences > Trackpad > Point & Click > Light, Medium, Firm shows up on my late 2012 Mac mini running MacOS 10.12.4 beta 1 when my wireless Magic Keypad is paired. However, I can't tell much, if any, significant difference between the settings.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: macOS 10.12.3
joemikeb #43554 01/31/17 05:06 PM
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Originally Posted By: joemikeb
...I can't tell much, if any, significant difference between the settings.

I don't feel a heck of a lot of difference in required pressure (Firm -> Light gives me a clearer idea of what's going on than Firm -> Medium -> Light.), but I hear noticeably different sounds at the three settings.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
MG2009 #43555 01/31/17 05:11 PM
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Originally Posted By: MG2009
Re: System Prefs > Trackpad > Point & Click > Click > Light, Medium, Firm


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Huh? My SP doesn't show those three options under Point & Click using SIERRA. Any ideas where it might be hidden?


I too, with 10.12.3, do not see the Click options, only tracking speed. It may require a newer trackpad, one capable of force clicking.


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: macOS 10.12.3
Ira L #43556 01/31/17 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted By: Ira L
Originally Posted By: MG2009
Re: System Prefs > Trackpad > Point & Click > Click > Light, Medium, Firm


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Huh? My SP doesn't show those three options under Point & Click using SIERRA. Any ideas where it might be hidden?


I too, with 10.12.3, do not see the Click options, only tracking speed.

I wonder if it's a function of which Mac, i.e. (generation?) trackpad, you've got, similar to how joemike only sees it when his Magic Trackpad is attached and I have a CDs & DVDs pref pane only when my external drive is attached.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43557 01/31/17 07:28 PM
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Sorry, Folks. I should have provided more info.

Using the built-in trackpad (not Bluetooth) which came with an early 2011, 17-inch MacBook Pro . . . if that makes any difference.

Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43558 01/31/17 09:12 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
I don't feel a heck of a lot of difference in required pressure (Firm -> Light gives me a clearer idea of what's going on than Firm -> Medium -> Light.), but I hear noticeably different sounds at the three settings.

You are right! Now that you mention it, there is a much more noticeable pressure differential between Light ➯ Firm or vice versa, but it is far less noticeable going from Light ➯ Medium ➯ Firm. In any case it definitely works on Apple's Wireless Magic Trackpad. The sound and haptic option works too but they are subtle enough to be mistaken for normal mechanical sound and touch.

Originally Posted By: artie505
I wonder if it's a function of which Mac, i.e. (generation?) trackpad, you've got, similar to how joemike only sees it when his Magic Trackpad is attached and I have a CDs & DVDs pref pane only when my external drive is attached.

I think you are spot on once again. There are some preference panes that only load if there is an appropriate device present. On my system while there are 36 preference panes in /System/Library/PreferencePanes only 30 of them actually mount in System Preferences. Additionally Preference panes display settings appropriate to the particular Apple device that is installed. For example, although the Mouse preference pane always installs it offers different options depending on which Apple mouse is mounted.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: macOS 10.12.3
MG2009 #43561 01/31/17 11:53 PM
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Originally Posted By: MG2009
Sorry, Folks. I should have provided more info.

Using the built-in trackpad (not Bluetooth) which came with an early 2011, 17-inch MacBook Pro . . . if that makes any difference.

My bad! blush I've been erroneously referring to the Force Touch trackpad, which was introduced in 2015, as the glass trackpad, which was introduced round about 2010.

Nope, your Mac wouldn't have one.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43562 02/01/17 02:26 AM
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FWIW, the late 2013 MB Pro Retina does not show this option for the built-in trackpad that it comes with.....haven't tried the wireless trackpad yet as I'm away from my home base for another month yet.


Freedom is never free....thank a Service member today.
Re: macOS 10.12.3
MacManiac #43563 02/01/17 02:41 AM
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Originally Posted By: MacManiac
FWIW, the late 2013 MB Pro Retina does not show this option for the built-in trackpad that it comes with...

It wouldn't; the option is for Force Touch trackpads which weren't introduced until 2015.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: macOS 10.12.3
artie505 #43564 02/01/17 02:46 AM
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Just to clarify, the spurious input problem that initiated this line of thought began with the glass trackpad in my 2010 MBP and carried over to the Force Touch trackpad in my 2015 MBP.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire

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