The more I read, the more I'm put off!

[cheddar-caveman]

The more I read the Big Slur threads the more I'm put off updating to it from my comfortable Mojave 1918 15" MacBook Pro.
Never had a problem, know it inside out so why change?

Is there an argument for this, should I "update"? At 82yo I really don't want to get into a "no computer" situation!

 

[Wando64]

Catalina is quite stable now.
I have recently updated both my Macs from Mojave to Catalina and I am am happy.

 

[Phil77354]

The threads here tend to highlight problems and give the impression that there are more issues than most folks really experience.

I updated to Big Sur when it was first released and always keep my computers current with latest software. I have had zero issues with Big Sur.

Reasons for updating and staying current are not just to obtain new features and bells and whistles. There are bug fixes and security updates:

What's new in the updates for macOS Big Sur - Apple Support

macOS Big Sur updates improve the stability, performance, or compatibility of your Mac and are recommended for all macOS Big Sur users.

support.apple.com

If you remain with one of the older software releases, either Mojave or Catalina, make sure to keep it updated with the latest software releases:

Apple security releases - Apple Support

This document lists security updates and Rapid Security Responses for Apple software.

support.apple.com

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Thanks guys. I appreciate that the onely things that appear on here are problems and probably very few considering the number who have updated with no problems.
Think I'll creep up to Catalina (my son used to fly one) and see what happens - maybe🥴🥴🥴

 

[velocityg4]

I've been running Big Sur since the first Public Beta. I've had no complaints. One minor bug with Firefox in the early betas. But Mozilla fixed it before the full release.

The riskiest part is always the upgrade itself. Be it Catalina or Big Sur or any other release. So, have an up to date backup just in case you are one of the unlucky few. At any rate, I think your risks are the same going with Catalina or Big Sur.

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Something else I have to think about is disk space. This computer only has a 250Gb HD and I only have 48Gb free. Doing astrophotography uses a huge amount of memory during the processing and even now I find myself having to delete stuff as I go along.
I believe Big Sur needs quite a lot of additional space.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Something else I have to think about is disk space. This computer only has a 250Gb HD and I only have 48Gb free. Doing astrophotography uses a huge amount of memory during the processing and even now I find myself having to delete stuff as I go along.
I believe Big Sur needs quite a lot of additional space.

No, it doesn't need more space long-term. As with any update, you need space during the download/upgrade process (that 48 GB will be enough). After the upgrade is finished storage usage will likely be quite similar to what it is now.

On my work iMac running Big Sur the System and Library folders (which are effectively the OS) total 29.48 GB
On my home iMac running Catalina the System and Library folders total 30.4 GB

One interesting tidbit is that even though the totals are nearly identical, the distribution between System and Library is quite different - on my work machine (Big Sur) the vast majority of the usage is in System (25.62 GB System/3.86 GB Library), while the usage on my home machine (Catalina) is closer to being evenly split between System and Library (17.69 GB System/12.71 Library).

 

[Wando64]

Thanks guys. I appreciate that the onely things that appear on here are problems and probably very few considering the number who have updated with no problems.
Think I'll creep up to Catalina (my son used to fly one) and see what happens - maybe🥴🥴🥴

Keep in mind that neither Catalina nor Big Sur will run 32bits Apps, so make sure that you don’t have any old 32bits programs that are essential to you.

 

[Partron22]

I was running High Sierra on a 2014 mini. That Mac died. Went to an M1 mini, which forced APFS and Big Sur on me.
I'm irritated, but after a couple months, am getting most of the wrinkles ironed out. -Still need to finish my script to drag iTunes play-count and likes over to Music. The new player is underwhelming.
If I had a 2018 instead, I'd take her up to Catalina, then wait until the security updates run out before considering going to a new, Apple Silicon, Big Sur Mac. That'll be a couple years during which good, or bad, things could happen. Should it be the later, I've be playing with Ubuntu.

 

[George Dawes]

I agree , I'm on Mojave and the only way I'm getting Big Sur is buying a new mac , so many bad stories about big sur smh

Hopefully on an apple silicon iMac that doesn't look like a toy ( M1X iMac Pro ? )

 

[Freeangel1]

buy an external HD. an SSD if your lucky
and install Big Sur on it.
Set it as your boot drive.

Use it this way and when you're ready format your laptop and go for a permanent installation.
keep in mind Big Sur boots best on an SSD and not a regular mechanical HD especially an APPLE fusion drive.

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Keep in mind that neither Catalina nor Big Sur will run 32bits Apps, so make sure that you don’t have any old 32bits programs that are essential to you.

Really appreciate all the info and advice but bear with this 82 year old please - how do I find out whether an App is 32 bit or not please? The main program I use is Photos for my photo editing and that';s built in so shouldn't be affected.
Also, I do have a 1Tb external HD so how does one install Big Sur onto that please?

 

[Wando64]

First of all, if you are not feeling confident with tinkering with your Mac I would suggest you should steer away from installing MacOS on external disks just to try things out. This could potentially get you in a very confusing situation.
Only you can decide your level of confidence.

As for checking which Apps are 32 bits, just follow these instructions:

How to Find All 32-Bit Apps on a Mac

MacOS High Sierra is the last macOS release to support 32-bit apps “without compromise” (presumably meaning without performance degradation, and with maximum compatibility), and betas o…

osxdaily.com

Don‘t forget to make a full backup (with time machine) before you go ahead with the upgrade.

 

[haddy]

Thanks guys. I appreciate that the onely things that appear on here are problems and probably very few considering the number who have updated with no problems.
Think I'll creep up to Catalina (my son used to fly one) and see what happens - maybe🥴🥴🥴

Well after going down the beta road for years I have come to the conclusion to keep the OS my machine came with and "if it ain't broke don't fix it". My wife's 21"iMac 2013 running High Sierra runs all the latest apps she needs for her work.....Professor at the local university. So my experience is that old old MacOSs will run new new apps just fine!!
My 2020 27" iMac came with 10.15.7 (Catalina) and I have absolutely no reason to change the OS for the life of this machine......hopefully for my lifetime as well......being 80 and in very good health touch wood!!

 

[Freeangel1]

probably the easiest way is to download this software for Mac. super duper. and install it. make a duplicate of your internal drive onto the 1TB external. when that is done boot from it either by shutting down your Mac and holding down the option key. this will allow you to choose your external 1TB drive to boot from. OR open up system preferences and go to startup disk. switch it from your internal drive to the 1 TB external. For best results use an external SSD. they are very fast.

SuperDuper!

A reliable disk copying program for Mac

superduper.en.softonic.com

once booted to the external drive download Big Sur and upgrade your external drive by following the prompts.

PS. Big Sur comes with APPLE photos APP which is 64 bit. Your picture library will automatically be converted to the new 64 bit photo APP

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Please bear with this 82yo
As suggested, I've just downloaded SuperDuper (whatever that is).
Can I "install" Big Sur onto my external 1Tb hard drive (not SSD) so that I can "try it out" by booting from there, leaving my Mac on Mojave?

 

[Wando64]

Please bear with this 82yo
As suggested, I've just downloaded SuperDuper (whatever that is).
Can I "install" Big Sur onto my external 1Tb hard drive (not SSD) so that I can "try it out" by booting from there, leaving my Mac on Mojave?

Big Sur (or any modern version of MacOS) would run terrible from a traditional spinning hard drive, internal or external.

So, to answer your question, yes it would work but it would give you a terrible experience (as in, almost unusable) and nowhere close to the the performance you would get from an SSD.

So ask yourself, what are you trying to prove?
If you are concerned about compatibility of a specific App, probably Google would give you the answer within seconds.

 

[allan.nyholm]

Please bear with this 82yo
As suggested, I've just downloaded SuperDuper (whatever that is).
Can I "install" Big Sur onto my external 1Tb hard drive (not SSD) so that I can "try it out" by booting from there, leaving my Mac on Mojave?

yes, macOS is very forgiving about this approach.
But, as someone who's on Big Sur I'm almost constantly wanting to get back down to Mojave - my iMac can handle El Capitan as the earliest.
I've noticed that Big Sur is slower - very noticeable even - at opening apps as opposed to Mojave.
I've tested Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo on the same SSD and it's night and day in terms of system overhead.
Mojave has the least for sure. What to do, what to do.
PS.. I know I should just revert - in my heart. Great talk

one last edit... Big Sur on mechanical drives is so-so. It can certainly be installed and used - it's just that Big Sur is such a huge install overall. It will take a rather long time to proceed. Also, I would be a bit vary in case Big Sur has firmware updates for your MacBook Pro that doesn't go well with a return to Mojave or overall experiences going forward.
I can't say which, if any, firmware will be installed. I've had a few firmware updates myself. No issues, but I wonder what Apple has done that I'm not familiar with and that I can't un-firmware install.

 

[cheddar-caveman]

Thanks again guys, all most helpful information, and I still think I'll stay on Mojave for the foreseeable future. It works beautifully, runs my favourite Apps, Affinity, Siril, Stellarium etc. so why muck with something that works.
PLUS, at 82 can I really be bothered learning a whole new system? NO😎

 

[Freeangel1]

you can upgrade to Catalina. It is better than Big Sur I think
You can even install it on your external drive
you will be future proofing your machine if you just bumped it up to Catalina.
Just stay away from Big Sur.

 

[randolorian]

Is this the 1918 MacBook Pro you are referring to? It should run Big Sur just fine.

 

[MisterSavage]

In my opinion you're fine for now if you want to stay where you are. Eventually when Apple stops providing security updates to Mojave I would upgrade. You can keep an eye on that by keeping an eye on this page and see when Mojave drops off.

Apple security releases - Apple Support

This document lists security updates and Rapid Security Responses for Apple software.

support.apple.com

A few years ago I did have a problem after attempting to upgrade to a major release and did have to take my Mac to the Apple Store. They ended up wiping it and I had to restore my machine with my Time Machine backup. I upgraded the same Mac to Mojave with no issues.

 

[hanser]

In my opinion you're fine for now if you want to stay where you are. Eventually when Apple stops providing security updates to Mojave I would upgrade. You can keep an eye on that by keeping an eye on this page and see when Mojave drops off.

That will be most probably around October 2021.

 

[cheddar-caveman]

👍👍 will do! I have read of people;e having issues with Photos after upgrading and as a wildlife photographer that is my main usage on my MBP, can't afford to lose it or have "issues"🙄