Must I go to Big Sur?

[newbph]

Hello,

I have iMac with Catalina version 10.15.7

I am being told to update to Big Sur, but I looked at some information pages and I'm not feelin it. I don't think I do anything fancy enough to justify such a disorienting change.

I'm thrilled to learn new things, but not these new things. Because "If it works don't fix it." I'm familiar enough with this Catalina setup to be able to maintain workflow most of the time.

I don't want to get used to a whole new look and a bunch of different symbols. I truly do not give a fig whether the icons on the bottom bar are all the same shape.

Also, somebody said it might not work with the extra monitor I depend on, and replacing equipment is a major pain. Also, somebody said you can lose all your data.

Can I get other kinds of updates to the system while not signing up for Big Sur?

Now I'm scared of accidentally saying yes without informed consent.

 

[svanstrom]

This is just a friendly reminder that forcing black text on a website that has a dark mode can be a bit counter-productive to getting people to answer.

 

[Ritsuka]

On this forum you will see only issues. There is no way to know which % for Big Sur users are having problems. I don't have any.

Apple will continue to release security updates to 10.15 for two years, you can take your time and wait if you want.

 

[UncleMac]

If you don't like changes - don't upgrade your OS. Tons of people have upgraded when all they really wanted was keep everything as is. I don't wanna see another "everything was so much better in 10.xx"-thread.

 

[AZhappyjack]

Sooner or later you will be locked out of apps and/or app updates if you never upgrade. Big Sur is stable and adds new features over previous versions of macOS. You never have to upgrade, but eventually you will not be able to run the newer versions of apps, and they will continue to evolve to use the latest version of macOS.

 

[JonaM]

You'll continue to get updates to Catalina for at least another year so there's no pressure to upgrade immediately.
You'll just have to look for the updates underneath the main notification telling you about Big Sur as Apple hides them a bit to encourage you to carry out the upgrade to Big Sur.
I'm still on Catalina as I haven't seen anything in Big Sur to make the upgrade worthwhile for me and have applied several Catalina updates since Big Sur was released. I will upgrade at some point, but at the moment there's no real driver for me

 

[newbph]

This is just a friendly reminder that forcing black text on a website that has a dark mode can be a bit counter-productive to getting people to answer.

Sorry, I don't even know what you're talking about. I didn't attach anything.

 

[newbph]

On this forum you will see only issues. There is no way to know which % for Big Sur users are having problems. I don't have any.

Apple will continue to release security updates to 10.15 for two years, you can take your time and wait if you want.

Thank you!

 

[newbph]

You'll continue to get updates to Catalina for at least another year so there's no pressure to upgrade immediately.
You'll just have to look for the updates underneath the main notification telling you about Big Sur as Apple hides them a bit to encourage you to carry out the upgrade to Big Sur.
I'm still on Catalina as I haven't seen anything in Big Sur to make the upgrade worthwhile for me and have applied several Catalina updates since Big Sur was released. I will upgrade at some point, but at the moment there's no real driver for me

Thank you for addressing the question of whether I would get a stealth upgrade. I usually Sleep the computer, and live in terror of being ambushed the next time I need to Restart for some reason.

 

[fisherking]

Sorry, I don't even know what you're talking about. I didn't attach anything.

for those of us running our macs in dark mode, your post is, as pictured, black text on a black background... basically unreadable.

 

[Lukeit]

it is my humble opinion that Big Sur is the worst OS ever devised by Apple: it is unfinished, unpolished, bugged and all those little things that made OS a great OS are not here anymore. Unexplainable missing features, important features like being able to simply decide how long to snooze a calendar reminder and so many other annoyances I can't even start to number. All customisation software and possibilities (like changing icons) are gone: Liteicon, Candybar and many other useful piece of software are not working anymore.
And don't get me started on the user interface... amateurish, unclear, unpractical...
PLEASE DO NOT UPGRADE from Catalina... you'll regret it BIG TIME!

 

[newbph]

for those of us running our macs in dark mode, your post is, as pictured, black text on a black background... basically unreadable. View attachment 1728679

 

[fisherking]

it is my humble opinion that Big Sur is the worst OS ever devised by Apple: it is unfinished, unpolished, bugged and all those little things that made OS a great OS are not here anymore. Unexplainable missing features, important features like being able to simply decide how long to snooze a calendar reminder and so many other annoyances I can't even start to number. All customisation software and possibilities (like changing icons) are gone: Liteicon, Candybar and many other useful piece of software are not working anymore.
And don't get me started on the user interface... amateurish, unclear, unpractical...
PLEASE DO NOT UPGRADE from Catalina... you'll regret it BIG TIME!

is it 'opposite day'? 🤔

i find big sur (still a work-in-progress) to, overall, be more stable, sleeker, better than catalina (which i was fine with).

the point of all of this is: everyone has an opinion, and the OP (and anyone else) can read thru forum rants I MEAN posts, do some googling, and decide for themself whether they want to dive into the new OS or not. this has always been true, and will be true for the next OS, and so on...

 

[newbph]

Here's the thing though. I wouldn't even know how to do that. Did other people see it that way?
Doesn't the viewer choose the black background?

 

[fisherking]

Here's the thing though. I wouldn't even know how to do that. Did other people see it that way?
Doesn't the viewer choose the black background?

where did you post the original post from? because your others are fine; but it looks like you chose black text for the original post; and since dark mode just automatically shows white text... anyone on dark mode sees svanstrom showed u..

 

[Apple_Robert]

Stay on Catalina if you feel more comfortable. You don't have to upgrade.

 

[newbph]

is it 'opposite day'? 🤔

i find big sur (still a work-in-progress) to, overall, be more stable, sleeker, better than catalina (which i was fine with).

the point of all of this is: everyone has an opinion, and the OP (and anyone else) can read thru forum rants I MEAN posts, do some googling, and decide for themself whether they want to dive into the new OS or not. this has always been true, and will be true for the next OS, and so on...

Sorry, I did Google, but I wasn't finding any answer to my urgent questions:
What are the negative consequences if I don't do the upgrade to Big Sur?
Can it be foisted on me without consent, or from my not understanding, and okaying it accidentally without realizing? It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened.
I also welcome people's opinions on why they did i; didn't do it; did it and lived to regret it, etc.

 

[newbph]

where did you post the original post from? because your others are fine; but it looks like you chose black text for the original post; and since dark mode just automatically shows white text... anyone on dark mode sees svanstrom showed u..

I plead total ignorance. I don't understand what you mean by, where did I post the original post from? The same computer as the rest.
See, this is why I come here to ask questions. Because even though I'm considered smart, and even though I try to figure out answers for myself, things happen that I don't understand. Like why the black background. Not a freakin' clue. I didn't do anything to make that happen - and yet it did.
Which is why I'm so anxious to not inadvertently launch Big Sur if I don't want to. And the options are not always easy to understand. I should have taken a picture of the decision box that made me start freaking out, in order to meticulously explain why it is so confusing to someone who is not a professional computer person.

 

[fisherking]

Sorry, I did Google, but I wasn't finding any answer to my urgent questions:
What are the negative consequences if I don't do the upgrade to Big Sur?
Can it be foisted on me without consent, or from my not understanding, and okaying it accidentally without realizing? It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened.
I also welcome people's opinions on why they did i; didn't do it; did it and lived to regret it, etc.

that's fine. discussion is fine; just bear in mind that this forum is full of complainers, and does not well represent the 'real' world. people don't generally create threads like "i love big sur and have no complaints".

right now, there are no negative consequences. it's only when, one day, you go to you bank site, for example, and it tells you it needs a newer browser (that will only run on the current OS); or an app update that's important to you requires a newer OS.

if you're doing everything you need to do, you don't have to update. your mac won't update itself, it's your decision.

 

[hobowankenobi]

Wait if you like. Just know that all OS deferrals are just that...deferrals. At some point, you (we all) have to update to retain full functionality. Mac OS 11 can likely be deferred for 1-2 years, maybe 3 or a bit more. You might be ready for a new Mac before you update.

 

[haddy]

Wait if you like. Just know that all OS deferrals are just that...deferrals. At some point, you (we all) have to update to retain full functionality. Mac OS 11 can likely be deferred for 1-2 years, maybe 3 or a bit more. You might be ready for a new Mac before you update.

I'm intending to stay on 10.15.7 for at least 7 years or until I get a new iMac!!

 

[David-Brodosi]

Hello,

I have iMac with Catalina version 10.15.7

I am being told to update to Big Sur, but I looked at some information pages and I'm not feelin it. I don't think I do anything fancy enough to justify such a disorienting change.

I'm thrilled to learn new things, but not these new things. Because "If it works don't fix it." I'm familiar enough with this Catalina setup to be able to maintain workflow most of the time.

I don't want to get used to a whole new look and a bunch of different symbols. I truly do not give a fig whether the icons on the bottom bar are all the same shape.

Also, somebody said it might not work with the extra monitor I depend on, and replacing equipment is a major pain. Also, somebody said you can lose all your data.

Can I get other kinds of updates to the system while not signing up for Big Sur?

Now I'm scared of accidentally saying yes without informed consent.

My issues after upgrade. Both of my HP laser printers no longer supported. No drivers and I get message each time I try to print stating that printing will damage my computer. Also all things Microsoft takes forever to load up.

I upgraded on my iMac Pro, but not my Mac Pro laptop.

cheers, David Brodosi

 

[ian87w]

I’m still on High Sierra. My 2012 mini is no longer supported by the latest macOS. I just use Edge as my default browser instead of the outdated Safari, and so far I’m good. It boots up quickly, still supports 32 bit apps, my printers and other peripherals work fine, a great playground for me in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[w0lf]

If you're worried about updating just open system preferences > software update > advanced and uncheck all the boxes.

Bingo, now you can keep using the same OS for as long as you want. You don't even technically have to update in a few years when Catalina is discontinued for support.

While it's certainly not recommend you can use an old OS for as long as you want.

 

[svanstrom]

I plead total ignorance. I don't understand what you mean by, where did I post the original post from? The same computer as the rest.
See, this is why I come here to ask questions. Because even though I'm considered smart, and even though I try to figure out answers for myself, things happen that I don't understand. Like why the black background. Not a freakin' clue. I didn't do anything to make that happen - and yet it did.

It wasn't about the dark background, that happens automatically here when the user has set that they prefer a dark theme; it was about the text color, which you can change when you write a post.