What have you done with an obsolete OSX Mojave Today?

[m4v3r1ck]

I built a Monterey virtual machine in Parallels to play around with.

Random thoughts: I figure eventually Apple will release the final macOS that supports Intel and then we’ll have three years of software support from that date from folks like Microsoft and Intuit as they appear to now be following Apple’s standard macOS support window (and probably hundreds of other vendors), so let’s say this year’s macOS is the last Intel compatible, October-ish 2025 all Intel macs finally out in the cold. Maybe we get one more in 2023, so October-ish 2026. That puts my fully loaded 2019 MBP at 7 years old when all Intel support stops (for me). All in all not the worst, wouldn’t mind having longer support. I usually replace machines every 5 years or so, but with no more Intel MBPs, I’ll have to decide if I move to an AS MBP or keep what I have and run windows in bootcamp or possibly Linux (if drivers for touchbar and T2 ever get made). Or just get a Windows machine which at this point is the least desirable option for me.

So what was my point? Uh… lol… oh, so to continue using Mojave as the main OS on my MBP and use Parallels to run whatever is the last macOS supporting Intel for purposes of extending life of laptop without upgrading Mojave. Or could bite the bullet now and jump to Big Sur (Monterey still looking like a work in progress, what with memory leaks and other issues). But what does that buy me besides some extra OS updates and maybe the occasional app requiring a newer OS (looking at you Microsoft 365 and TurboTax)? As I’ve played around with BS and Monterey, there aren’t really any features since Catalina that I would use. So BS and Monterey for me would just be a new UI and intro of some AS-only features that Intel won’t get. And this and next year’s OS probably won’t be different in that every OS from Monterey onward really will be tuned/crafted for AS as it should be (not really complaining about that).

So if I leave Mojave behind, here are the advantages in my use case (in addition to extended support and app compatibility):

Catalina: In addition to saying goodbye to my handful of 32-bit games and one or two apps, I do appreciated the separate write-only system partition and Activation lock as additional security features starting in Catalina. I also like better iCloud integration/feature layout in Preferences, a dedicated Find My app to track family members (put the booze away before wife gets home, etc), and I like that Reminders works/syncs with iCloud/iPhone which doesn’t work on Mojave depending on whether or not you upgraded your Notes back when iOS 13 came out. And it’s the same UI I’ve become used to the past 12+ years. That’s really it for Catalina advantages for me.

Big Sur: Same benefits as Catalina but with an extra year of support and new UI. The new UI could be seen as a disadvantage depending on your preference (I still prefer Mojave/Catalina UI). As I’ve played around with Big Sur I also realize the widgets are a lot less useful than the Catalina widgets. For instance, I follow about 25 stocks on iPhone stock app. I can see the first 12 (that’s how I’ve set it) in the macOS widget and can scroll inside the widget. Same with weather, I can click on the widget and get 7-day and hourly forecasts. In Big Sur/Monterey, I can only see a max of six stocks and if I click the widget anywhere it goes to the Stocks app. Same with weather. Not sure why the widgets aren’t interactive in the Notification Center anymore but this seems like going backward in terms of functionality. I actually do like the top right menu bar with time/date right justified, I can hide spotlight icon, and in general I like the more iOS like functionality with drop down menu for audio, connections, etc. So based on these items, it seems like Big Sur is a step backward from Catalina. UI some hits mostly misses. So not sure Big Sur is the answer other than knowing it’s the last macOS that has feature parity between AS and Intel models.

Monterey: Same benefits as Catalina, same drawbacks as Big Sur, but longer support window given it’s the current macOS. The only thing I’ve come across that I like so far is the ability to finally export Keychain/Safari logins/passwords. The password management is a definite advantage over Catalina/Big Sur. And as we all know some features were introduced that don’t work on our Intel MBPs. So other than password mgmt, nothing enticing me to install Monterey. And I know everyone had their preference, but the startup background is horrible. Much prefer Big Sur background or a landscape or how about an option to just select a solid color or gradient? Seeing the pinkishpurpleishewhite background just starts things off on a bad footing… ;-)

Ok so that’s my Mojave stream-of-consciousness. Ha! Anyone else grappling with the decision to hold on to Mojave at all costs, or just throw in the towel and embrace Apple’s vision of the future with Big Sur/Monterey?

Stay strong, fellow Mojavians!

Thanks for this very nice write up. Cheers for that, it gave me some food for thought.

Have a peaceful week!

 

[MBAir2010]

Random thoughts: I figure eventually Apple will release the final macOS that supports Intel and then we’ll have three years of software support from that date from folks like Microsoft and Intuit as they appear to now be following Apple’s standard macOS support window

to continue using Mojave as the main OS on my MBP and use Parallels to run whatever is the last macOS supporting Intel for purposes of extending life of laptop without upgrading Mojave.

So if I leave Mojave behind, here are the advantages in my use case (in addition to extended support and app compatibility):

Catalina: (put the booze away before wife gets home, etc)

Big Sur: Same benefits as Catalina but with an extra year of support and new UI.

Monterey: other than password mgmt, nothing enticing me to install Monterey.

Ok so that’s my Mojave stream-of-consciousness. Ha! Anyone else grappling with the decision to hold on to Mojave at all costs, or just throw in the towel and embrace Apple’s vision of the future with Big Sur/Monterey?

Stay strong, fellow Mojavians!

Great post!
this message was very thorough and entertaining.
sorry to pick up my favorite aspects of the message
and good luck with that Monterrey project.

we all know  makes annual OS releases to keep us.
everyone says in September,
"oooh, what is new in Monterey, i need to find out"
bug or no bugs.
which is why I'm sticking with Mojave.

i might get a extra ssd drive for the mini and figure out that "open core thingeee" jargon.
after doing some research, i read that only one OS can run but that doe snot make any sense.
since there are options in that start up disk.

but for today all my , that iPad drawing app and CS4 with wifi an diploid are in perfect sync.
which is why i hav these computer anyways.

 

[InuNacho]

Today I kicked back with some Unreal Tournament 2004. It started life as a PPC game and was later updated to Universal for Intel support. Pretty sure it won't see M support.
Kinda hard to take a decent screenshot while playing an arena shooter.

 

[Heindijs]

Yesterday I installed Mojave on my 2012 Mac mini which was already running Monterey. Thanks to the wonders of APFS, dual booting is easier than ever. I honestly did not know that it's now so much better than it was before. No more needing to specify a partition size you'll be stuck with. Now it just takes whatever storage it needs.

I needed Mojave for the few 32bit apps I still occasionally want to run. Thanks to the SSD in my Mac and thanks to Opencore, rebooting into Mojave is easy. No need to hold any buttons, just select Mojave and if I press nothing, it'll boot into Monterey.

It just works

 

[MBAir2010]

Yesterday I installed Mojave on my 2012 Mac mini which was already running Monterey. Thanks to the wonders of APFS, dual booting is easier than ever. I honestly did not know that it's now so much better than it was before. No more needing to specify a partition size you'll be stuck with. Now it just takes whatever storage it needs.


I needed Mojave for the few 32bit apps I still occasionally want to run. Thanks to the SSD in my Mac and thanks to Opencore, rebooting into Mojave is easy. No need to hold any buttons, just select Mojave and if I press nothing, it'll boot into Monterey.

It just works

Did you install Mojave from the apple store, or a USB source?
im looking into a double ssd drive, but they are now $20 more than January.

Mojave is a great system, but I'm discovering some kinks or small things mostly visually that never happened before.
most streaming services won't run on Safari 14, or even waterford, but everything else is solid.

 

[maxoakland]

Nothing other than watch TV, Youtube, and Browse the internet

But tomorrow I plan to develop a gameboy color game I’m making, mix music in Logic Pro X, and probably do some more TV watching

 

[MBAir2010]

Yesterday I installed Mojave on my 2012 Mac mini which was already running Monterey. Thanks to the wonders of APFS, dual booting is easier than ever. I honestly did not know that it's now so much better than it was before. No more needing to specify a partition size you'll be stuck with. Now it just takes whatever storage it needs.

View attachment 1982498
I needed Mojave for the few 32bit apps I still occasionally want to run. Thanks to the SSD in my Mac and thanks to Opencore, rebooting into Mojave is easy. No need to hold any buttons, just select Mojave and if I press nothing, it'll boot into Monterey.

It just works

this a a beautiful desktop screen saver!

 

[MBAir2010]

Yesterday I installed Mojave on my 2012 Mac mini which was already running Monterey. Thanks to the wonders of APFS, dual booting is easier than ever. I honestly did not know that it's now so much better than it was before. No more needing to specify a partition size you'll be stuck with. Now it just takes whatever storage it needs.

View attachment 1982498
I needed Mojave for the few 32bit apps I still occasionally want to run. Thanks to the SSD in my Mac and thanks to Opencore, rebooting into Mojave is easy. No need to hold any buttons, just select Mojave and if I press nothing, it'll boot into Monterey.

It just works

WOW!

open core Montery, the install Mojave?
is this as simple as just installing an OS

 

[Heindijs]

WOW!

open core Montery, the install Mojave?
is this as simple as just installing an OS

Yes it is! All you have to do is create a new APFS container and install Mojave on there. Then you can pick it from the boot picker once installed.

 

[MBAir2010]

Yes it is! All you have to do is create a new APFS container and install Mojave on there. Then you can pick it from the boot picker once installed.

thank you for this info
is there a source online that guided you through this procedure?
recently I'm undestangin how GitHub is doing wonders for recent MacBooks and minis.

 

[Heindijs]

thank you for this info
is there a source online that guided you through this procedure?
recently I'm undestangin how GitHub is doing wonders for recent MacBooks and minis.

It only really works when you have a Mac Mini which supports Mojave natively, like the 2012 Mac Mini. This is the guide for installing Monterey. I installed Monterey first via Opencore and Mojave afterwards but I think you can do it the other way around as well. It's just like installing regular Mac OS, the only difference is that you have to install Monterey via the OCLP application and install post install patches after installing.

 

[MBAir2010]

It only really works when you have a Mac Mini which supports Mojave natively, like the 2012 Mac Mini. This is the guide for installing Monterey. I installed Monterey first via Opencore and Mojave afterwards but I think you can do it the other way around as well. It's just like installing regular Mac OS, the only difference is that you have to install Monterey via the OCLP application and install post install patches after installing.

thank you very much!
luckily this willl work on my Macmini
this weekend i saw a video on how to install Monterey and add patches.
supposedly, Monterey is worth these efforts!

 

[Heindijs]

thank you very much!
luckily this willl work on my Macmini
this weekend i saw a video on how to install Monterey and add patches.
supposedly, Monterey is worth these efforts!

For me it was well worth it as it's running just as smooth as Mojave

 

[rin67630]

I just wonder, what's so much better with newer versions, excepted that they supports newer hardware.
I feel macOS is becoming more restrictive and fatty with every new version.

I need Mojave to run my 32 bit software, and Wine.
I will keep using it (with FF as a browser) until it really becomes unusable.
For now, nothing harms me.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

Watched the very exciting F3 and F2 Feature Races at Imola - F1TV Pro. F1 I will be watching @ 3 screen setup.

 

[rin67630]

For me it was well worth it as it's running just as smooth as Mojave

But... what did you get more, excepted a patched system with potential more problems?

 

[Heindijs]

But... what did you get more, excepted a patched system with potential more problems?

I haven’t had a single problem at all running Monterey. The only thing that needed to be patched was the graphics drivers, which Apple had removed. In Big Sur they still exist so you can actually run it on that Mac Mini without any patches at all.

I really like a lot of the newer features of Monterey and especially Universal Control, which works great. For me there aren’ any downsides. Mojave just lives on a second apfs container and it does its job well too.

 

[MBAir2010]

But... what did you get more, excepted a patched system with potential more problems?

Their Macmini supports Mojave natively so their should not be any problems with running both OS.
i am so tempted to try this, but everything is working perfectly on my Mini

what mac system do you have?
you are correct about apple making newer operating systems
that do the same as ones from 6 years ago,
but wont receive any updates.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

Watched the very exciting F3 and F2 Feature Races at Imola - F1TV Pro. F1 I will be watching @ 3 screen setup.

1 lapped 44! What a fenomanol degradation for Mercedes-AMGF1…

Now working on my Mojave cMP, installing smart plugs / energymeters 3650W into my Plugwise energy metering system.

Cheers and have a nice week y’all.

 

[rin67630]

Their Macmini supports Mojave natively so their should not be any problems with running both OS.
i am so tempted to try this, but everything is working perfectly on my Mini

what mac system do you have?
you are correct about apple making newer operating systems
that do the same as ones from 6 years ago,
but wont receive any updates.

I am on a MacBook Air2012.

Nice and reliable machine, just upgraded the SSD to 512GB.
It is fast enough to compile my sketches in 1-3 minutes, to run everything I need.
And my eyes aren't good enough to make the difference between my current 1440 x 900 display resolution and a super exaqualigenentic Retina display running at 2880 x 1800 subscaled to 1440 x 900 as well.


Beside, I have 23" WQHD display, that runs only when I really need the additional real estate.

I got stuck at Mojave, that runs some 32 bits Apps I need and Wine.
But i go more and more back to Windows on the same machine, since I feel too constrained with Apples increasing pressure to purchase additional services/renew devices, again and again.
That company just puts too much energy in trying to prevent me to use my computer in a way that does not permanently generate revenues for them.

 

[Idgit]

I am on a MacBook Air2012.

Nice and reliable machine, just upgraded the SSD to 512GB.

The SSD in the 2012 MacBook Air is upgradeable? I had no idea. What drive did you put in it?

 

[rin67630]

The SSD in the 2012 MacBook Air is upgradeable? I had no idea. What drive did you put in it?

With an adapter to M.2, yes. I have put a 512GB WS Blue M.2 2280 SSD in it.

 

[Idgit]

With an adapter to M.2, yes. I have put a 512GB WS Blue M.2 2280 SSD in it.

Do you have a link to the M.2 adapter you used?

 

[rin67630]

Do you have a link to the M.2 adapter you used?

I ordered that Chinese crap.

M.2 NGFF SATA SSD-Konverter-Adapterkarte für 2012 MacBook Air A1465 A1466 | eBay

Entdecken Sie M.2 NGFF SATA SSD-Konverter-Adapterkarte für 2012 MacBook Air A1465 A1466 in der großen Auswahl bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!

www.ebay.de

It took 6 weeks to arrive, but it worked like a charm.

 

[Idgit]

I ordered that Chinese crap.

M.2 NGFF SATA SSD-Konverter-Adapterkarte für 2012 MacBook Air A1465 A1466 | eBay

Entdecken Sie M.2 NGFF SATA SSD-Konverter-Adapterkarte für 2012 MacBook Air A1465 A1466 in der großen Auswahl bei eBay. Kostenlose Lieferung für viele Artikel!

www.ebay.de

It took 6 weeks to arrive, but it worked like a charm.

Wow. I'm surprised that macOS doesn't throw errors or cause crashes using M.2 adapter and especially a cheap one. I think I'll have to try this out with my 2012 MacBook Air.