Tired of software companies making their software their last version incompatible with apple os upgrades

[calliex]

I have used Leister Productions Reunion software for years. I like the software but to be honest it has more features than I need. Their current version is 13 and I am running 12. 12 has problems running on Ventura and of course 13 does not. I either pay to upgrade or stay on Montery. I do not need the new features in 13, I just want what I have to work on Ventura. Sorry for the rant just frustrated.

 

[fisherking]

this is one company, your thread title seems to suggest a much bigger issue is being discussed.

an app you've used for years needs to be upgraded for a new OS? this happens all the time, and... developers need to live, too. if they have to do work to get their app to work on a newer OS, seems they'd have a right to charge for that. just my thoughts, of course...

 

[Nermal]

Of course the other side of the argument is that if Apple didn't keep breaking APIs then apps would happily run without modification.

 

[loby]

Adobe Photoshop Elements is like that, making you update every year, especially the last two versions…Corel too (and others). Companies will make you “pay” if you don’t want their slavery subscriptions.

It is a two sided coin. Changes in the OS each year causes developers to have to update their apps. They are the ones who make a decision to either just update to fix the current version, or pay for an update to existing versions and/or release a “new” version (with a combination of all of the possibilities) and call it “New”.

Developers have a cost to update their software, so the cost has to be allocated somewhere…so most usually will have the customer eat the update costs. Developers/companies are in business not to save the world etc. but to make money. Either to live, or gain more wealth (unless freeware etc. if it is really free-many times they will get “something”-like your email or I.P. Address etc. to sell out of their “free” software. I can trace the amount of spam and junk mail to when I sign up for a login to register for an app. Immediately after…tons of spam and junk mail..)

There is a cost to upgrade each year with a new OS. Makes the machine go around…

Apple is not innocent in this either..they train users to expect “new” and “fresh each year with hardware and OS..

It is what it is…

 

[Mr Screech]

The yearly updates from macos are the culprit combined with their bad software engineers.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

I get the annoyance when (not that old) software you've paid for, which has all the features you need, no longer works because of OS updates or similar.

In this case, though, I fear you need to bite that $49.95 bullet and upgrade to Reunion 13, because it seems Leister Pro has abandoned it, per this post on the Reunion forums:

Since Reunion 12 is a legacy app, no further updates will be released to fix the compatibility issues between macOS Ventura and Reunion 12.

In case you're curious, Reunion 12 was supported through many different macOS upgrades. It went from a 32-bit app to a 64-bit app so it would run on macOS Catalina. (This took many months of coding.) A few updates were released to fix issues with the releases of macOS Big Sur and Monterey. Shortly after Reunion 13 was released, only one minor update was released to fix an issue in Reunion 12. Since that time, our focus has been moved solely to supporting Reunion 13.

Reunion 13 runs fine on macOS Ventura.

If you would like to check out Reunion 13, please see this web page...
https://leisterpro.com/doc/v-13/upgrade.php
A listing of new features added in Reunion 13 can be found here...
https://www.leisterpro.com/doc/v-13/...13features.php

I'm sorry I don't have better news for you regarding Reunion 12.

However, I hope you find this information helpful in moving foward

 

[phrehdd]

I have used Leister Productions Reunion software for years. I like the software but to be honest it has more features than I need. Their current version is 13 and I am running 12. 12 has problems running on Ventura and of course 13 does not. I either pay to upgrade or stay on Montery. I do not need the new features in 13, I just want what I have to work on Ventura. Sorry for the rant just frustrated.

Perhaps you can check with Parallels and see if it is possible to run Ventura in a VM for that v12 of your app. I used to run Windows in a VM just for a couple of applications for many years.

 

[solq]

This is caused by the OS developer (Apple in this case) breaking API compatibility.

So a software company, when the base API changes, has the following options:

(1) update its product to the latest one
(2) keep several branches going on, with one or more legacy products plus the latest one
(3) do nothing (its product no longer works on the latest OS)

What you want is (2) but that’s expensive.

 

[ducknalddon]

This is caused by the OS developer (Apple in this case) breaking API compatibility.

Not always, I've seen some software that blocks future operating system releases in order to drive upgrade sales. A subscription in disguise.

 

[ricketysquire]

The yearly updates from macos are the culprit combined with their bad software engineers.

This. I don't know why we need yearly MacOS updates. Same with Windows and their major yearly/twice yearly releases. I understand if its a new product type or the hardware is evolving rapidly (for example Smartphones from 2007 to like 2013ish), it makes sense for yearly releases for the OS software to "Catch-up" to the hardware.
All they are doing now is introducing new bugs, additional incompatibilities in your case OP, and dropping support to get us to buy new products.

Through I'll say Apple is the best when it comes to software support, but when they want to stop supporting it, they'll stop supporting it, age be damned. Case in point, the Intel Macs, with each release Im worried they'll drop support for my 2017 MacBook Pro. I don't necessarily care about new features, it more about bug fixes and security updates. Not everyone has money to constantly buy new MacBooks at Apple's whim. It's great that the Apple Silicon has better performance + battery life, but is it necessarily worth the cost right now?

I wish we'd go back to OS releases every 3-5 years. I'd rather install a polished OS ready for primetime rather than them constantly pushing out new code to us with little if any QA.

 

[maflynn]

Their current version is 13 and I am running 12. 12 has problems running on Ventura

This isn't a publisher issue but an Apple problem.

How can you blame publishers when the software ran with the current version? Apple was the one that changed things up

 

[fisherking]

This isn't a publisher issue but an Apple problem.

How can you blame publishers when the software ran with the current version? Apple was the one that changed things up

i don't get it. apple updates their OSes yearly; we don't have to do that, it's a choice (unless of course, you're buying a new mac).

and there's the beta program, so developers (and peons like myself) can test out new features, and the needs, of a new OS.

if a developer chooses to not test the betas, to not work on updating their apps for the new OS... that's on them. and we see this all the time; a new OS comes out, and developers scramble (often in very slow-motion 🙄) to catch up.

it's been this way for years; seems (to me) that the developers need to stay on top of things.

 

[maflynn]

and there's the beta program, so developers (and peons like myself) can test out new features, and the needs, of a new OS.

if a developer chooses to not test the betas, to not work on updating their apps for the new OS... that's on them. and we see this all the time; a new OS comes out, and developers scramble (often in very slow-motion 🙄) to catch up.

I don't think that's the issue

The OP has version 12 of Leister Productions Reunion app It ran fine on Monterey, he upgraded to Ventura and version 12 does not work. Version 13 of that app does work, the publisher released an upgrade/upgrade that is compatible for the latest version of macOS BUT its a paid version that the OP does not want to pay.

To me the OP is blaming Leister Productions for version 12 not working on Ventura when the publisher released a newer version. I'm of the opinion that we shouldn't expect publishers to patch older software whenever apple updates their OS. They're already addressing it with latest version.

 

[chrfr]

I get the annoyance when (not that old) software you've paid for, which has all the features you need, no longer works because of OS updates or similar.

In this case, though, I fear you need to bite that $49.95 bullet and upgrade to Reunion 13, because it seems Leister Pro has abandoned it, per this post on the Reunion forums:

It sounds like version 12 of Reunion is more than 4 years old. That seems like a reasonable length of support for a $49.95 app to me, compared to subscription apps or apps that say you get a permanent license but stop working after a major macOS update in a year.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

It sounds like version 12 of Reunion is more than 4 years old. That seems like a reasonable length of support for a $49.95 app to me, compared to subscription apps or apps that say you get a permanent license but stop working after a major macOS update in a year.

You're kind of right (although $49.90 is the _upgrade_ price, not the full price).

Reunion 12 came out in 2018, and had excellent backwards compability om OSs, but "stops" at macOS Monterey.

Reunion 13 came out in 2020, and was the first version to (natively) support the M-chips, and supports Ventura (and at least Monterey).

So, it's not _unreasonable_ that the older version is no longer supported, but still a bit annoying...

 

[sracer]

this is one company, your thread title seems to suggest a much bigger issue is being discussed.

an app you've used for years needs to be upgraded for a new OS? this happens all the time, and... developers need to live, too. if they have to do work to get their app to work on a newer OS, seems they'd have a right to charge for that. just my thoughts, of course...

Yes, the OP mentions one company, but there IS a much bigger issue... and it is how Apple goes about a "forced march" toward upgrading the OS... using software as the "stick" to make that happen. Apple prides itself in reducing fragmentation of OS versions installed.

The issue is much less significant on Windows. Nearly all of the Windows software that I used on Windows XP and 7 still works well on Windows 11. I've since replaced some with newer and better alternatives that won't run on those older OSes, but the stuff I still use, still works.

Of course the other side of the argument is that if Apple didn't keep breaking APIs then apps would happily run without modification.

👍 Thank you. It's not just broken APIs but the way that Apple will push OS-level functionality into the API such that apps need to be recompiled, and then dependent on, that newer version of the OS.

 

[fisherking]

Yes, the OP mentions one company, but there IS a much bigger issue... and it is how Apple goes about a "forced march" toward upgrading the OS... using software as the "stick" to make that happen. Apple prides itself in reducing fragmentation of OS versions installed.

"forced march'? huh? not getting that at all...

apple keeps the tech (hardware, software) moving forward, and i, for one, am grateful for it. 👍

 

[sracer]

"forced march'? huh? not getting that at all...

apple keeps the tech (hardware, software) moving forward, and i, for one, am grateful for it. 👍

yes, moving tech forward is a good thing. forcing app developers to move their apps to newer APIs that in turn require newer versions of the OS is not.

 

[maflynn]

it stands to reason they would charge for that.

That's the bottom line, fugitively and literally.

It costs money to pay programmers, and if they have to spend their time re-working their apps because Apple changed things up, then its not unreasonable to pass those costs on to the consumer.

Also I think its a bit unreasonable to expect older software to continually be patched for future OS versions. As mentioned above, we're talking about 5 year old application that was replaced 3 years go.

 

[fisherking]

yes, moving tech forward is a good thing. forcing app developers to move their apps to newer APIs that in turn require newer versions of the OS is not.

didn't you suggest the opposite? that newer versions of the OS force developers to adapt? 🤔

anyway, this is how it works, and we adapt (or don't). and there are always internet forums to complain (and often, sigh, whine and rant) on 😎

 

[ignatius345]

I have used Leister Productions Reunion software for years. I like the software but to be honest it has more features than I need. Their current version is 13 and I am running 12. 12 has problems running on Ventura and of course 13 does not. I either pay to upgrade or stay on Montery. I do not need the new features in 13, I just want what I have to work on Ventura. Sorry for the rant just frustrated.

You put the solution right in your post: either pay to upgrade the software, or don't update the OS. Sometimes you get lucky and an older application keeps chugging along for years, and sometimes you don't.

This has been the case for the entire history of the Mac, and is the reason you sometimes find professionals running years-old MacOS software and even hardware so as to not break compatibility with specialized applications. In the world of graphics, I've come across shops running incredibly crusty old machines because upgrading them would break a whole chain of stuff leading to some super high-end printer or something.

If it makes it any easier, remember the MacOS updates used to cost a fair bit of money when they came out. Now they're totally free, so you could consider that as money you put toward updating incompatible apps.

 

[calliex]

I did not think that Reunion 13 was native to the M1. I switched to the m1 MBP about year ago after using the 2012 retina MPB. I guess I will upgrade. I retired a few years ago and my computer needs have diminished. I no longer need Ms Office for example. I understand developers need to make money. The problem is some of the current software packages have all the features I need. For example Ms Word ver 1 would probably serve all my needs but it doesn't exist. Of course other solutions are avail but as compatible with the world.

 

[maflynn]

. For example Ms Word ver 1 would probably serve all my needs but it doesn't exist. Of course other solutions are avail but as compatible with the world.

Check out LibreOffice Its free and gives you everything you'll need.

 

[calliex]

I did try it. Had hard time installing it. I could not get java to work.

 

[cateye]

Hardware + OS + Software is an interrelated system. None of those pieces work independent of the other. When one changes one of those items, its relationship to the other items change. Examples:

New Hardware -> New minimum OS version -> Software updates required for compatibility with hardware + OS combination

New OS -> Support for older hardware dropped -> Some older software no longer supported due to API changes

New Software -> Support for older OS dropped due to changed/removed APIs, or to take advantage of new APIs

And so on, and so forth. As others have suggested: The only way to not have to pay attention to these relationships is to arrive at a stable arrangement of all three then stop upgrading all three. This, however, comes with its own set of trade-offs and risks in terms security and having no "plan B" if the hardware you're using fails.