An open community 
of Macintosh users,
for Macintosh users.

FineTunedMac Dashboard widget now available! Download Here

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Santa Catalina is running for me...
#51905 06/26/19 01:57 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
After
  • downloading and launching the Catalina install tool,
  • using the install tool to download the 6.45GB Catalina installation package,
  • waiting out the usual macOS installation process
  • being presented with a window identifying the sole remaining 32 bit app on my system along with assurances that it would not run and instructions to follow up with the developer
I was at long last presented with this gorgeous desktop image and a warning that Safari Technology Preview 85 was ready for download.

So far I haven't had time to do much more than assure myself my critical apps are running (so far they all are working flawlessly🤞) and discovering that System Preferences has been re-shufled and new pref panes added.

INITIAL IMPRESSION:
  • visually impressing
  • It feels smoother than the initial public beta releases of Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave (so far so good at least)
  • I have a feeling the learning curve won't be too steep
  • So far I like what I have seen and there have been no surprises.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51906 06/26/19 05:01 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
"Gorgeous" is an understatement for the desktop; it's truly a gem!


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: Santa Catalina is running for me...
artie505 #51909 06/26/19 01:52 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Even better, it is one of those images that changes through the day according to the sun's location in the sky. Apparently it is cued to Pacific time because at the moment it appears to be pre-dawn and slowly getting brighter. Not for a day of play with my new toys Catalina, iOS 13, and iPadOS 13. I am thinking about enrolling my watch and AppleTV in the beta program as well.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51910 06/26/19 02:03 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
My days have got only 24 hours; how many have yours got? grin


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: Santa Catalina is running for me...
artie505 #51912 06/26/19 02:45 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Not enough and that is for darn sure. I also have woodturning projects backed up in the shop, yard and camper cleanup that is overdue, the dryer vent hose needs to be replaced, I have four new Homekit light switches/dimmers to install, I need to move the town dolly in our driveway, my wife wants me to shampoo the carpet, and the list goes on — and on — and on...

But playing with Catalina and woodturning are FUN and satisfying, so you can guess what will be at the top of the priority list. 😜


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51913 06/26/19 02:55 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Content deleted erroneously: My deepest apologies to Artie for the mis-click blush I recovered your text from an email:

I thought about beta testing, but I'm just not enough of a user to make it a worthwhile endeavor; I'll stick to beta testing my apps.

I"ve only done one woodturning project in my life (8th grade), and I enjoyed it, but I really loved machine shop back in high school; both require more patience than I've got, but woodworking of any sort is far and away the more demanding of the two (and I haven't got a single Earth sign in my chart).

Last edited by joemikeb; 06/26/19 10:27 PM. Reason: Replace deleted text
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51915 06/26/19 05:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
In answer to a frequently asked question and misunderstanding of what was said at the WWDC "Where did iTunes Content go in Catalina?" The answer is...
  • Tunes (owned or streamed) & Playlists ➡︎ Music
  • Pod Casts ➡︎ Podcasts
  • TV Shows ➡︎ Apple TV ➢ TV Shows
  • Movies ➡︎ Apple TV ➢ Movies
  • Purchased or Rented Movies & TV shows ➡︎ Apple TV ➢ Library


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
artie505 #51918 06/26/19 10:42 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: artie505
I"ve only done one woodturning project in my life (8th grade), and I enjoyed it, but I really loved machine shop back in high school; both require more patience than I've got, but woodworking of any sort is far and away the more demanding of the two (and I haven't got a single Earth sign in my chart).

I can vouch for woodworking, in my case specifically woodturning, requiring patience and these days a deep pocket for decent wood. But watching a bowl, a box, a candle holder, or even a perfectly proportioned tool handle emerge from a chunk of Mesquite, or Texas ebony can be a really soul-satisfying experience.

But lets drop this before I am forced to chastise myself for getting so far off topic.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51926 06/28/19 01:35 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Catalina Public Beta 1 Features and Bugs

I will be adding to this list as new items are encountered: NOTE: this is not intended as a comprehensive list but a list of features and bugs encountered in the day to day use of Catalina.
  1. FEATURES
    • Fingerprint recognition everywhere if your computer has a Touch Bar that is. This started in Mojave but has been greatly expanded in Catalina. One of the few places where fingerprint authentication does not work is the App Store (see Bugs ➢ App Store)
    • Lots of new permissions: xxxx wants to download a file OK? xxx wants to access Bluetooth OK? xxx wants to access this drive OK? etc. If you are security conscious you will recognize the benefit of these precautions, if not you will probably find them annoying. (I do not find them annoying.)
    • Password prompts: It seems I am being prompted for my password or fingerprint far more often in Catalina but that may just be because there are a lot of first time accesses since this is a new OS, I haven't tried to keep a list.
    • Pages and Keynote get "styles" like every other word processor. Unfortunately I haven't been able to try them out yet (see Bugs ➢ App Store below 🤬) NOTE: The new versions of Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are available in Mojave as well as Catalina. The list of new Pages features may be found here and Numbers here
  2. BUGS
    • App Store: Apple ID Password not recognized in App Store — Everywhere else it works correctly NOTE: this is just about the only place where fingerprint authentication isn't available.
    • DEVONThink 3 filenames do not appear until the file is selected. It works perfctly in Mojave. Apple and DEVON Technologies have been notified.
  3. NEITHER OF THE ABOVE
    • File/Folder Visibility ???

Last edited by joemikeb; 06/28/19 10:04 PM. Reason: Add Notes

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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51930 06/28/19 09:49 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
A bit off topic, but I am taking this opportunity to shout out a compliment to Other World Computing. I purchased an external Thunderbolt 3 Envoy Pro EX SSD from them for use with Catalina so I could have two high speed SSDs one for Mojave and the other for Catalina. Unfortunately the drive had a faulty TB3 cable and was unusable for any purpose. An online chat with OWC tech support in which I described all of the troubleshooting steps I had gone through to eliminate my MBP as the source of the problem immediately and without question resulted in an RMA and free UPS return shipping label. I dropped the drive at a UPS store on Tuesday, OWC received it Thursday and the replacement drive shipped that same day. It could arrive this evening, but I expect delivery Monday.

My hat is off to OWC for their outstanding customer service and unbeatable product return policy.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51931 06/28/19 11:23 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Originally Posted By: joemikeb
My hat is off to OWC for their outstanding customer service and unbeatable product return policy.

Truth be told, I've always been far more impressed by their customer support than by their products.


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: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51932 06/29/19 10:19 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
HMMM? This is interesting and perhaps an indication of the parallel code development between iOS/iPadOS/MacOS and Apple's code once, run everywhere development platform.

My Apple ID Password so far has worked everywhere I have tried it (including Music, iCloud, and Mail) in all three OS variants except in App Store on any of my beta running devices. As a reality check it still works in App Store if I reboot my MBP into Mojave. This is why early beta testing is not for everyone. 😜


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51935 06/30/19 10:01 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Random Observations:
  1. I cannot change the name of the boot drive: 👋
    • I wanted to change the name of the boot drive from Macintosh SSD to Catalina to differentiate it from my other boot volume Mojave. (Notice the clever naming scheme? 🤡). It was easy to do with the Mojave volume but so far Macintosh SSD has resisted every effort to change its name.
    • I thought of changing the name while booted into Mojave, but given Macintosh SSD mounts in Mojave as two separate volumes since installing Catalina on it I have been VERY reluctant to attempt that.
    • I can't determine if this is a Catalina quirk or a quirk of encrypting the entire drive. Any thoughts?
  2. Display Crispness and Clarity: 👍
    • It may be my imagination or it may be different default fonts, but it seems to me the display under Catalina is noticeably crisper than under Mojave.
    • I know there has been a lot of tweaking of the graphics engine in Catalina so it may be more than just my imagination.
  3. Third Party Software Updates
    • Tinkertool and TinkerTool System: 👍 Marcel Bresink's very useful utilities have been updated to run under Catalina although there are features TBD in Catalina that are available in Mojave.
    • Graphic Converter 11: 👍 the latest iteration of Lemke Software's perennial macOS graphics standby is an upgrade an has some nice new and improved features. The first new feature I noticed is that it recognizes the Retina display and offers appropriate scaling options when opening a file.
  4. The App Store Logon Still Does Not work: 👎👎👎


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51941 07/01/19 03:41 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
NEW PREFERENCE PANES:

  1. Apple ID: All the functions necessary to manage your Apple Account including:
    • Name, Phone, & email
    • Password & Security
    • iTunes Store, App Store, & Book Store purchases
    • What apps can use iCloud
    • Managing iCloud Storage
    • Touch ID for purchases
  2. have been moved to System Preferences > Apple ID which appears at the top right of the System Preferences window
  3. FAMILY SHARING: all of the functions for setting up Family Sharing including:
    • Purchases from iTunes Store, App Store, Book Store
    • iCloud Storage
    • Location sharing
    • Screen Time
    • Apple Music
    • Apple News+
    • TV Channels
  4. has been placed in this preference pane found at the top right of the System Preferences window.
  5. COMMENT: This is a huge improvement over the previous practice of scattering these function over iTunes, Sharing pref pane, and other usually obscure locations. 👌


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51955 07/02/19 02:10 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
DISK UTILITY— DMGs

Disk Utility in Catalina allows the creation of disk image, sparse disk image and sparse bundle disk image files formatted APFS and those images may be partitioned and/or have multiple APFS volumes.

I don't envision needing that ability very often, but it could be invaluable.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51978 07/03/19 05:44 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 8
Offline

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 8
Without re-reading all of the above posts, have you found the following (posted on MacInTouch) to be the case:

"Mike Bombich, whose company makes Carbon Copy Cloner has stated in this podcast… that external backup drives in Catalina can no longer be HFS+ but must become APFS."

And does it really matter, or in what cases would it matter?


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: Santa Catalina is running for me...
Ira L #51980 07/04/19 12:16 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: Ira L
Without re-reading all of the above posts, have you found the following (posted on MacInTouch) to be the case:

"Mike Bombich, whose company makes Carbon Copy Cloner has stated in this podcast… that external backup drives in Catalina can no longer be HFS+ but must become APFS."

And does it really matter, or in what cases would it matter?

As far as I can discern it all depends on the definition of a "backup drive". Time Machine only works on drives formatted HFS+ and that is true in Mojave as well as Catalina.

I have an experimental version of Mike Bombich's Carbon Copy Cloner that has not been thoroughly vetted with Catalina but appears to work satisfactorily. The Note that accompanies it reads
Originally Posted By: CCC
  • The current build of CCC will not make a proper backup of a macOS Catalina startup disk. Don't attempt to back up the startup disk, and ignore any suggestions to reformat the destination as HFS+.
  • Your Catalina startup disk will not appear in CCC's sidebar.
  • If you would like to make a backup of your user data on a Catalina volume (not that you should be using it in production!), you may drag the /System/Volumes/Data folder onto CCC's Source selector to specify the Data volume as the source for a backup task.
  • Stay tuned for another beta release that will address most of the "backing up the Catalina startup disk" issues.
  • No, we don't have a timeline. The changes in Catalina that affect backup processes are more significant than any previous macOS release. CCC can make a bootable backup of Catalina (we had a proof of concept just days after Apple's announcement), and we will be ready for Catalina before it is released in the Fall. We will post another beta when we have addressed the bulk of the known issues. It's a long list, we appreciate your patience!

OBSERVATI0N: Mike Bombich has never been a fan of APFS so I tend to take his comments in light of that.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51981 07/04/19 12:33 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
PUBLIC BETA 2
  • App Store still does not accept my Apple ID password 👎
  • App Store is the only app I have found so far that does not recognize fingerprint authentication. 👎
  • Safari appears to be more unstable. It crashed three times as I was writing the previous post, but when relaunched nothing was lost so I just started where it crashed. 🤷‍♂️
  • It now appears that the two volume structure of the boot drive (Macintosh SSD & Macintosh SSD - Data) may be a feature? at least for now it is a fixture. 🤷‍♂️
  • DEVONThink 3 still does not show filenames but I suspect that is not Apple's Problem 🙅‍♂️


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51985 07/04/19 05:23 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
MORE CCC DISCOVERIES

This morning I tried using CCC (Carbon Copy Cloner 6.1.10.b1 (5741) to clone my Catalina volume to a sparse disk image bundle file, a common operation. In the attempt I discovered...
  • CCC would not create a disk image of any variety. Click on the option to create a new disk image file and nothing happens. 👎
  • Catalina's Disk Utility will happily create a disk image, sparse disk image, sparse disk imagebundle, and they may be encrypted with either HFS+ or APFS formatting. 👍
  • No matter what name I entered for the created disk image in Disk Utility it ended up named "untitled" 👎
  • When I selected the boot drive as the CCC source drive…
    • If I selected "all files" it would immediately switch "some files" 👎
    • Some files turn out to be what appears to be the Recovery Drive 👎
    • I could find no way to see, much less select, the boot drive - Data volume which is the system files applications and all the user accounts and files. 👎
  • CONCLUSION: In its present form CCC cannot create a clone of the boot drive. I cannot determine without a LOT of work whether this is a function of...
    • Catalina
    • APFS
    • or both
  • 🤷‍♂️
  • For now I will forego cloning Catalina 😡, but I will be particularly careful to keep good Time Machine Backups. 😀

Last edited by joemikeb; 07/04/19 05:27 PM.

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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #51998 07/05/19 01:49 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS

  1. Updating the Environment: I am not sure what to call this, but I have noticed in Catalina that when something changes, a shared volume/file name on a server, Launchpad when an app is deleted, etc. that change is not reflected in Catalina until I log out of my account and back on again. Whether this is a permanent change of behavior or just a bug in the 2nd public/3rd Developer beta I don't know. Hopefully it is the latter. 🤞
  2. Time Machine: Not sure what is going on here, but the first Time Machine backup of the Catalina drive has been stuck at "Preparing Backup" for two days now. 🤷‍♂️
  3. iCloud Drive similarly uploading to the iCloud Drive remains hung. I suspect this may be related to the Apple ID password issue although the password works to logon to iCloud through Safari and I can access iCloud through the Finder. 🤬😡
  4. In the meantime something is accessing the drive that I was previously using for Time Machine backups — a LOT. Is this another case of not recognizing changes? ❓
  5. DEVONThink under Catalina is a curiously mixed bag…
    1. DEVONThink Pro Office 2.11 works well in Catalina and as far as I can tell is fully functional 👌
    2. DEVONThink 3 beta (functionally and visually a huge improvement over DEVONThink Pro Office 2.11) works flawlessly in Mojave but display issues make it essentially unusable in Catalina 🤬
  6. Drive Renaming: I was finally successful in changing the boot drive name from Macintosh SSD to Catalina by making the changes while booted into Mojave. To make it stick I had to change two names Macintosh SSD and Macintosh SSD - Data. Both of those names appear in Disk Utility or while booted from another drive (🤦🏻‍♂️), but if that is the boot drive only Catalina (nee. Macintosh SSD) appears in Finder 🤷‍♂️
  7. COMMENT I have participated in a lot of Public Beta tests going all the way back to the OS X 10.0 pre-release. The first two or three beta releases typically have some significant functional problem(s), but Catalina seems to have more issues than most. Certainly it has presented me with more challenges that either High Sierra or Mojave‼️ At the WWDC the keynote focused on Catalina's new features and there are a bunch of them. I suspect had I attended some of the Developer sessions I would have discovered those new features are merely the tip of the iceberg and there are a number of perhaps more significant changes "under the hood". Suffice it to say I bought a high speed Thunderbolt 3 external drive so I can easily switch back and forth between Catalina and Mojave without sacrificing performance. This is the first time since the OS X 10.0 beta I have had the need to do that.


AFTERNOON FOLLOW UP

The App Store and iCloud issues are fixed thanks to a hint gleaned from the Release Notes. 👏 The solution was to log completely out of the App Store account and my Apple account then log back in to both.

The GOTCHA' In both cased typing in the password refused to work and it had to be pasted in from 1Password 🤦🏻‍♂️ (It is more convenient than Keychain Access). That same password can be typed in successfully in Mojave, it is only the Apple ID password in System Preferences > Apple ID and App Store > Account > Sign In that it doesn't work❓ Weird 🤷‍♂️‼️

NOTE: Although App Store downloads are working they are for whatever reason painfully slow and I am on a really fast (400 Mbps+) network connection. 🙄

NOTE 2: After reformatting the Time Machine target drive one more time now Time Machine is in the process of completing its first backup. 👏

EVENING EDITI0N

Vuescan released a Catalina approved version yesterday, July 4. Just in time because buy Fujitsu ScanSnap software cannot "see" the scanner but Vuescan can.

Last edited by joemikeb; 07/06/19 12:12 AM. Reason: evening edition

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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #52009 07/06/19 01:58 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
SECURITY FEATURES

For those of you concerned that you may be losing control of your Mac, that is hardly the case in Catalina. In fact it borders on going the user too much control. Unless an app is "sandboxed" almost everything you do requires granting the app specific permission or access. I just attempted to save a screen shot I had edited in Graphic Convertor 11 to the Desktop only to be told the app did not have permission to do that. The fix:
  1. quit GC 11
  2. Open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy
  3. Select Full Disk Access
  4. Enter the admin password (or fingerprint)
  5. Add Graphic Converter 11 to the list of apps
  6. Check the checkbox next to GC 11
  7. Close System Preferences
  8. in a couple of cases a reboot was required at this point
  9. Reopen GC 11
  10. Re-edit the screen shot
  11. Save the Screen Shot to the desktop where it had been in the first place
NOTE: Access to Files and folders on removable volumes is a separate checkbox for some apps.

There are 15 different OS functions that apps have to be individually granted access to. (I have denied two games request for "access to the keyboard in other apps" — which appears as input monitoring in System Preferences > Security & Privacy — because I cannot imagine a legitimate reason for such access.)

Opening a non-Apple validated dmg requires a trip to System Preferences > Security & Privacy because
Quote:
Apple cannot see inside to verify the dmg does not contain malware
Apple will happily validate the dmg for developers but it must be sent to Apple for testing before they will validate it.

Turn on automatic login and Catalina will automatically remove Apple Wallet and all stored credit card data from your system — but only after giving fair warning.

I find I am spending more time in System Preferences > Security and Privacy than just about any other app in Catalina except Safari and Airmail granting permissions of one sort or another. Of course this is all in the name of SECURITY and should slow down as Catalina is used. Rather than taking control away from users this puts far more precise control in the hands of the user, but I have to think it is going to be annoying for a LOT of non-technical or security-complacent (that's you Artie 😉) users.


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #52010 07/06/19 02:34 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 5
Moderator
Online
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 5
I can just imagine the background conversations that are taking place within Apple as they are making their adjustments to the user interface to accommodate the security policies that they are trying to mechanize......

"So, Ollie, THIS is another fine fix you've gotten us into!"

...."So what do you think? Shouldn't we just make ALL the security decisions for ALL of our user-base? After all, we're so much smarter than ALL of them are!!! Wait, is that being too much like that OTHER OS from those OTHER guys?"...as I recall, that didn't end all that well.



Freedom is never free....thank a Service member today.
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
MacManiac #52012 07/06/19 03:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: macmaniac
...."So what do you think? Shouldn't we just make ALL the security decisions for ALL of our user-base? After all, we're so much smarter than ALL of them are!!! Wait, is that being too much like that OTHER OS from those OTHER guys?"...as I recall, that didn't end all that well.

I don't see it that way at all. On the contrary it seems to me Apple is adding lots of security policies, which in today's environment does not seem unreasonable, but ameliorating the effect by allowing the user to choose which apps can do what. I have denied a lot of apps access to a lot of Catalina features while permitting other apps access to those same features when it seems appropriate. Apple provides the opportunity to have more control, but it is up to the user when to exercise that control.

This is annoying because initially there are a LOT of decisions to be made and as per my example often involve many steps to accomplish. My concern is how may users are well enough informed to make those decisions. At least the uninformed user will have to pause and think about their decisions which is better than nothing, but I suspect results will be mixed. My wife is properly cautious and if she doesn't know is more likely to deny access (or ask me). My friend, who thinks of himself as a power user (he is actually whatever is farthest from that), is more likely to say "yes" and I will end up walking him through yet another session with the Recovery Drive and reloading from a badly out of date clone or a Time Machine backup that he runs only irregularly.

It occurs to me a case of one of us being the glass as half-empty while the other sees it as half-full. Generally I tend to be on the half-empty side but perhaps not this time. 😇


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

— Albert Einstein
Re: Santa Catalina is running for me...
joemikeb #52028 07/09/19 07:50 AM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Online

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 15
Originally Posted By: joemikeb
I find I am spending more time in System Preferences > Security and Privacy than just about any other app in Catalina except Safari and Airmail granting permissions of one sort or another. Of course this is all in the name of SECURITY and should slow down as Catalina is used. Rather than taking control away from users this puts far more precise control in the hands of the user, but I have to think it is going to be annoying for a LOT of non-technical or security-complacent (that's you Artie 😉) users.

I've been dealing with Accessibility and Full Disk Access for several versions of macOS already, my apps that have required one or the other have all requested it in advance of their actually needing it, and I'm surprised that Graphic Converter doesn't do the same. My biggest culprit in the sandboxing area will be Butler; I wonder how it will address the issue?

As for other features, I hope there'll be a means to turn off those we deem unnecessary, as can be done with Gatekeeper and SIP.

And what I can't avoid, I'll deal with, but as you've suggested, much, if not most, of it will be one time only.

And as for my "security complacence," I suspect that aside from Gatekeeper and SIP it refers to my password scheme, so I'll make you an offer: Call it bartender's instinct or stupidity, but I trust you implicitly, and I'll be happy to send you my list of innocuous sites, login IDs, and my universal password for you to take a swing at to see if you can hit a home run...if you've ever got time for such an endeavor between beta testing.


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: Santa Catalina is running for me...
artie505 #52036 07/09/19 03:56 PM
Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Moderator
OP Offline
Moderator

Joined: Aug 2009
Likes: 16
Originally Posted By: artie505
And as for my "security complacence," I suspect that aside from Gatekeeper and SIP it refers to my password scheme, so I'll make you an offer: Call it bartender's instinct or stupidity, but I trust you implicitly, and I'll be happy to send you my list of innocuous sites, login IDs, and my universal password for you to take a swing at to see if you can hit a home run...if you've ever got time for such an endeavor between beta testing.

I appreciate your trust in my integrity, but I don't have the time, talent, tools, or desire to take on your challenge. However, I am confident that there are those out there that would be glad to do that and in return could easily wind up owning your entire worldly goods and collecting your Social Security and other retirement benefits. If you want to test your security try placing an add in a Ukrainian or Russian newspaper 😄


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

— Albert Einstein
Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  alternaut, dkmarsh, joemikeb 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.039s Queries: 66 (0.031s) Memory: 0.7381 MB (Peak: 0.9411 MB) Data Comp: Zlib Server Time: 2024-03-28 09:31:56 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS