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If it ends up being possible to install Catalina on a cMP, would you do so?

PowerMac G4 MDD

PowerMac G4 MDD

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 13, 2014
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I'm really disappointed in Catalina: I thought it would introduce better window-management features. The only new things are Sidecar and a few new applications / updated applications.

For me, the only reason I would ever care to update to Catalina is if it's reported to be much faster than macOS Slo-jave. A massive performance decrease was offered with Slo-jave, so an update that changes things a bit under the hood is good enough for me. Otherwise, I'm not biting.
 
I'm doing it today, just needed to get my hands on a 2014 Mac Mini in order to be the "host" installer.

Can you do it through Target Disk Mode and a Firewire cable, or do you need to attach the target HDD to the host computer?


Cataline will be great for the Mac when we get great apps like Apollo brought to the desktop.

I considered initially selling my cMP and moving to a new Mac Mini & eGPU, but from what benchmarks I've seen playing video games should be faster in the cMP with my current video card (the bandwidth bottleneck is worse than the cpu bottleneck), and if Catalina works (or even just the previews) then I can get another year and hope some 2020 mac has features I want.
 
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PowerMac G4 MDD said:
I'm really disappointed in Catalina: I thought it would introduce better window-management features. The only new things are Sidecar and a few new applications / updated applications.

For me, the only reason I would ever care to update to Catalina is if it's reported to be much faster than macOS Slo-jave. A massive performance decrease was offered with Slo-jave, so an update that changes things a bit under the hood is good enough for me. Otherwise, I'm not biting.
Click to expand...
slo-jave? Mojave is the fastest and most well rounded os I’ve used, HS and Sierra don’t even step close to the optimisations and performance improvement I’ve seen in Mojave.
 
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Well sierra on a 3,1 (dosdude) seems like a real winner to me. No issues really so, if the catalina experience turns out the same on my 5,1s , why not ? However I think I will refrain from binning 32 bit apps and paying for any upgrades until its clear that catalina has no drawbacks. Certainly mojave is running very well so there is no rush.
 
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Potentially will dual or triple boot 10.13/10.14/10.15 if possible without major 3rd party hacks. Intel basically EOL'd the CPUs and because of that it's clear this machine realistically has 12-18 months of real life before it needs to be seriously complemented or supplemented by something newer, if not entirely replaced with the guts going to another tower. Even changing the OS to non-macOS based will not fix Intel's lack of security vulnerability patches. Makes even donating to a school or institution more difficult.
 
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Never have installed closed-source root-level shims from unknown pseudonymous sources, and never will!

The degree to which that is promoted on MR forums is irresponsible.
 
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^^^^Me Too thumbsdown.gif

Lou
 
PowerMac G4 MDD said:
I'm really disappointed in Catalina: I thought it would introduce better window-management features. The only new things are Sidecar and a few new applications / updated applications.

For me, the only reason I would ever care to update to Catalina is if it's reported to be much faster than macOS Slo-jave. A massive performance decrease was offered with Slo-jave, so an update that changes things a bit under the hood is good enough for me. Otherwise, I'm not biting.
Click to expand...
Probably yes, waiting for the right time to buy an iMac i9...
 
crjackson2134 said:
I agree...

And to the OP... Yes, I will probably install CAT eventually.
Click to expand...


Mojave has been heavy, for me—both graphically-intensive and complete with a login screen that takes a couple seconds to detect my keyboard input. For me, Sierra was the quickest in recent memory (post-Yosemite). Mojave is ridiculous. Catalina doesn't excite me in the slightest, but I may update if it means that the OS simply runs better.

Someone who installed the beta of Catalina on his MacBook said that it's running several degrees cooler.
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eksu said:
I'm doing it today, just needed to get my hands on a 2014 Mac Mini in order to be the "host" installer.

Can you do it through Target Disk Mode and a Firewire cable, or do you need to attach the target HDD to the host computer?


Cataline will be great for the Mac when we get great apps like Apollo brought to the desktop.

I considered initially selling my cMP and moving to a new Mac Mini & eGPU, but from what benchmarks I've seen playing video games should be faster in the cMP with my current video card (the bandwidth bottleneck is worse than the cpu bottleneck), and if Catalina works (or even just the previews) then I can get another year and hope some 2020 mac has features I want.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I heard that benchmarks were slightly better. Maybe Catalina has optimizations that Mojave lacks. I'm not excited for Catalina in and of itself, but, if the OS is simply more efficient than Mojave is, I'm down to give it a try. I'll do so first on my 2012 MacBook Pro, since it's just a machine work light work. I'll bet it'll run cooler, at the least.
 
InuNacho said:
Nope. I have too much hardware and software still in 32 bit land.
Click to expand...
LOL. I think that I've finally updated all of my 16-bit apps at this point. When I first moved to x64 Windows, I found that I had a lot of 16-bit apps from the very early 1990's.

(x64 Windows dropped 16-bit support - basically the mechanism to run 16-bit apps on 32-bit Windows was modified to run 32-bit apps on 64-bit Windows, and 16-bit support was dropped)
 
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InuNacho said:
Nope. I have too much hardware and software still in 32 bit land.
Click to expand...
I have a question---are 32 bit applications security risks? I'm hesitant about bumping my dad to Catalina, as he's 82 years old and is very comfortable with 2008 office. Updating will kill that app and I don't want to become tech support for Office 365 plus...(let alone the cost, but the real issue is the time to explain the new UI...).
 
I would chart the quickest possible path to eWaste the cMP and move to a newer Apple, or jump to Windows.

Apple changing one compiler option while building Apple OSX would turn your cMP into a boat anchor. And, (although it's a stretch based on the actual risk), Apple could argue that by disabling all cMP systems they've mostly eliminated some of the recently discovered security risks.

Abandon the cMP before Apple disables it.
 
I think one thing is for certain. If you proceed with Catalina in any way, make sure you have a complete/bootable clone before proceeding. Keep that CCC license (or equivalent) up to date!
 
frou said:
Never have installed closed-source root-level shims from unknown pseudonymous sources, and never will!

The degree to which that is promoted on MR forums is irresponsible.
Click to expand...

I don't disagree, but the Catalina DP apparently only requires editing one line out of a text file an nvram argument to boot.

e: and if that holds true through to release I'll install it for sure.
 
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I upgraded to the beta on a separate Boot disk (internal - 1TB SSD.) Got it working by installing on a MacBook Pro. With some fiddling it is running ok. I am looking to graft iTunes back on, not happy with the Music app. I have an upgraded WiFi/BLE board, so I was able to keep Continuity. But I lost Watch Unlock. I am running with SIP, but have the Bootargs set to bypass the version check.
I am not sure I will change from Mojave. The biggest reason for longer term use of Catalina is the loss of Xcode once it gets past v11.2. However, I also just set up a VMware Fusion Guest, which solves that issue.
I have wasted way too much time on this...
 
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My cMPs will almost certainly remain on Mojave. My use (audio composing, recording and mixing) doesn't require a newer OS or computer. I have two 12 core cMPs now, so a backup is always at the ready in case my primary machine fails.

I work within a only a couple of applications, and Mojave is running really well for me. I just migrated from Sierra a couple of months ago, so it is not a stretch that Mojave will serve satisfactorily for at least several years to come.
 
I plan to if there doesn't turn out to be a significant reason not too. I try to keep all my Macs running the same version. This will probably be the last OS version I can do that with the cMP...
 
No. I have a MacBookPro 2015 and an iMac 2017. That will be the Catalina machines. My 3,1 will stay on Mojave for my leisure time work and possible 32bit apps.
 
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I’m using a hackintosh so I’m fairly experienced meddling with efi. Given that, I wouldn’t install a new version of Mac OS if it’s not natively supported by it. The reason we go with a real mac is for unmatched stability and reliability compared to a hackintosh. Why try to hack through it? I’d rather go a hackintosh route.

Of course, Apple’s not offering a true headless mac with expendability for prosumers. A sole reason I’ve went a hackintosh.
 
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Most likely will not be putting Catalina on my 4,1 flashed to 5,1. I still use a couple 32-bit apps. I don’t see a single feature in Catalina that I need or want. Lastly, Mojave is fully supported on this Mac, and I don’t feel like dealing with any unexpected problems on a daily production machine.
 
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