Macos Catalina - Finder/Screendump change

[Dave2002]

For a long while I have used the Finder in MacOS to create screendumps, which can then be edited using Preview, or other graphics tools.

Catalina and Finder seem to have changed during the last few months, and this causes problems.

The screen capture approach does produce files, but they don't open in Preview, and they seem to open in some sort of Annotate mode, which means that pointing at the screen window leads to squiggly red lines, and the file is useless.

Has anyone else seen this, and if so can they figure out what is going on? It is not at all apparent what application is opening the file, nor how to use it.

[Anastasius]

Mine did. png format. How are you capturing the screen ? What key commands ?

[Dave2002]

Mine did. png format. How are you capturing the screen ? What key commands ?

Hi - I missed this comment. I usually do CMD+3 or 4. The problem seems to be that what then appears may be opens in what may be a Utility "Screenshot" - which I can see in the Utilities folder but the files then don't load up in Preview as before, and this seems to mess things up. It is a bit confusing - and annoying.

However, I may be homing in on this. There is an extra step - a panel appears, and the file only gets put onto the desktop (or wherever) if this is activated and the Done button at the top RHS is then clicked on. So Apple have succeeded in making a short operation somewhat longer - clever!

[french frank]

Hi - I missed this comment. I usually do CMD+3 or 4.

I'm still on Mojave and plan to jump to Big Sur in a few weeks, if there are good reviews. I make screenshots with Shift +Cmd + 3 or 4. As Anastasius says, it dumps a png on the desktop which can then be edited however you edit (I use GIMP to do various graphic manipulations). Does Catalina no longer do this?

[Dave2002]

I'm still on Mojave and plan to jump to Big Sur in a few weeks, if there are good reviews. I make screenshots with Shift +Cmd + 3 or 4. As Anastasius says, it dumps a png on the desktop which can then be edited however you edit (I use GIMP to do various graphic manipulations). Does Catalina no longer do this?

Until not too long ago Macos behaved as you and Anastasius mentioned, but things seemed to change a few weeks ago, hence this thread. Post 3 explains my latest findings.

I have put out a request for info about Big Sur. If I don't get any dire warnings about that I might just go for that, as I think the biggest change was to Catalina, which was disruptive.

I have recently installed GIMP on Catalina - but I've not tested it thoroughly. If there's anything you'd particularly like me to check out, let me know before you modify your system.

There were some warnings about Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements - but the warnings seemed to be about the install process. There is an element of clunkiness about those now, but most features may still be working. However I largely use Affinity software now for image and graphics processing, and Final Cut for video - which is a bit quirky, but does the job.

Re moving on from Mojave, I think you use Office 2016 or 2019, so you'll probably be OK, but earlier versions do not work with Catalina and hence probably not with Big Sur either. It is worth checking the lists of things which don't work, or won't carry over before committing to an upgrade. I suspect that your apps and pattern of use won't cause you any problems, but some people might really regret moving towards Catalina - at least in the short term, and I do know people who have reverted back to a previous version - which is a really painful process.

Having actually moved on I'm now accepting the "hit", and trying to work round it. The biggest losses are (a) my early version of Office - and I'm not paying Microsoft any more for a new version - or a subscription - so I'll use Open Office, and if I really need to have Word or Excel I'll transfer the files over to another machine which still has working versions - though it is a complete pain, and (b) some instrument files for Logic and/or other DAWs which Apple now won't let me use, either because they are 32 bit or because they have not been approved by Apple. I do notice, however, that Apple have relented slightly re the exorbitant charges to some developers creating software for sale in the App Store. Apple will now "only" take a 15% cut, rather than 30% for small developers, which at least gets the software or data approved.

[french frank]

I have recently installed GIMP on Catalina - but I've not tested it thoroughly. If there's anything you'd particularly like me to check out, let me know before you modify your system.

Reviews says it doesn't work with Big Sur, and I'd already junked GIMP 2.10.14 and gone back to GIMP 2.8.22 because I preferred it.

Mojave, I think you use Office 2016 or 2019, so you'll probably be OK, but earlier versions do not work with Catalina and hence probably not with Big Sur either. It is worth checking the lists of things which don't work, or won't carry over before committing to an upgrade.

Yes Office 2016 - and Apple have given up notifying me that support will be/has been ended. I'm going nowhere. I think Audio Hijack Pro has been updated but several smaller apps certainly won't have been so I don't plan to move even one of my machines yet. I do keep meaning to practise on Pages but never seem to get round to it The biggest risk is one or both of my machines conking out and having to upgrade though I could probably find someone to revert it/them to Mojave where I'm SAFE!

[Dave2002]

I'd forgotten that you still have more than one machine. That can help - up to the point when it becomes too much of a faff.
I'm not so bothered about Word, but I do quite like Excel in preference to Apple Numbers or other possible substitutes.

Keynote can do a better job than Powerpoint, but requires a bit of effort, and most of us know Powerpoint already. I have seen some lovely presentations in Keynote.
I don't think Pages is too bad, but since too many people still send out documents in Word, and most of the non MS alternatives don't do a very good job of importing, there is still a problem to be solved there.

Another word of possible warning - not sure about this one - but I have a suspicion ..... You might think, as I did, that making a bootable backup (CCC or Superduper) with your versions of Word etc. in (say) Mojave or even HIgh Sierra would work if you boot up from those, but my feeling is that maybe MS detects that the environment has changed and won't load up the software from such a boot up disc. I'd love it if someone could tell me otherwise.

That's yet another thing I dislike about MS. I once changed the video on a PC from the standard monitor to an HDMI TV for a test, and after that the MS software wouldn't work any more, even when I changed the display back. Screwed the licence up. Yuk!

[Anastasius]

I'm really chary about Big Sur. Catalina has shown the direction that Apple are going with security...getting to the point whereby they've taken away the option to ruin a program that's 'not approved'. From what I've read, Big Sur reinforces this ...I can';t recall the exact details but remember enough to think 'Maybe I'll just stop with Catalina'.

I do get a sense that with all the bells and whistles that Apple are coming up with/have come up with...such as Air Drop..are highly dependent on versions of OSX on the two machines being very close to each other in version. I can't get Air Drop to work between Catalina and High Sierra.

Safari cookies have been locked down. You no longer have those three options in Privacy. What Apple says goes. My sense is that MS is/has gone the same way. "Nanny knows best".

[Frances_iom]

... My sense is that MS is/has gone the same way. "Nanny knows best".

It's just the walled garden taken to next level - a barred gate with high tolls to pass thru + higher wall to keep you away from the big bad world - suggest start looking at Linux machines

[Dave2002]

I'm really chary about Big Sur. Catalina has shown the direction that Apple are going with security...getting to the point whereby they've taken away the option to ruin a program that's 'not approved'. From what I've read, Big Sur reinforces this ...I can';t recall the exact details but remember enough to think 'Maybe I'll just stop with Catalina'.

Have you been bitten by Apple preventing you from using progams and/or data which worked fine in previous versions? On the face of it they're trying to improve security, but the reality may be different. IMO some design decisions Apple has made re the user interface - particularly in iOS with which MacOS is now converging, have been totally crass - but what do I know? As for the notion that Apple keeps user data secure and private - sorry I don't believe it, though they may try to.

[Stunsworth]

I'm really chary about Big Sur. Catalina has shown the direction that Apple are going with security...getting to the point whereby they've taken away the option to ruin a program that's 'not approved'. From what I've read, Big Sur reinforces this ...I can';t recall the exact details but remember enough to think 'Maybe I'll just stop with Catalina'.

You can still run a program in Catalina that’s not approved, you need to go into System Preferences and approve it. Details here...

https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Software-from-Unsigned-Developers-on-a-Mac

[Dave2002]

You can still run a program in Catalina that’s not approved, you need to go into System Preferences and approve it. Details here...

https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Soft...opers-on-a-Mac

Indeed, though Apple seems to have taken a multi-pronged attack, and also prevented any software which has a whiff of 32 bit processing out of action. This means that any such program which was previously working on a machine will not now work.

Apple would argue that developers and users have had long enough to adapt to this change, but the consequences are not quite as simple as that because of the adoption of different business models, including subscription models.

Sometimes even quite old programs are very useful, and one might argue that in some cases their longevity indicates how viable they are. I have friends who are still using emacs!

End users may be very reluctant to be bumped into paying more for new versions of programs which were working, or being tied into a a subscription licence. Sure - I can buy a subscription which gives me 6 or so copies of a program for a year, but if realistically I only want or need just one, then I and others like me perhaps don't want to be turned into a cash cow for a comany with aggressive marketing. It's not as if Apple is among the poor companies in the commercial arena.

Other technical ways round might be to use virtual environments, perhaps with a speed penalty, but that may be bearable if it works. One nuisance about virtual environments is that sometimes software may not work because although it is technically feasible, the software detects an environment change and invalidates any previous licence - or that is my understanding.

[french frank]

Indeed, though Apple seems to have taken a multi-pronged attack, and also prevented any software which has a whiff of 32 bit processing out of action. This means that any such program which was previously working on a machine will not now work.

Do you actually have any apps which are still 32-bit? Last time I looked (just now) there were only two which were, and I'd never heard of either of them. No idea what they do.

[Dave2002]

Do you actually have any apps which are still 32-bit? Last time I looked (just now) there were only two which were, and I'd never heard of either of them. No idea what they do.

I think my version of MS Office might have been in that category. I also have some plug-ins for virtual instruments for DAWs including Logic which don't load any more - though whether that's because they're 32 bit or because Apple hasn't "approved" them, I don't know. It's a real pain, as (a) they were working before, (b) they still work on MacOS systems I've not "upgraded", and (c) the start up for DAWS such as Logic takes longer as Apple tries to persuade me to delete them all.

If you use the About This Mac > Storage -> Manage option you may eventually discover a list of Unsupported or No longer supported apps on your machine. Obviously this won't affect people who don't have many progams they use regularly, or who haven't installed a lot of possibly experimental programs.

[Anastasius]

You can still run a program in Catalina that’s not approved, you need to go into System Preferences and approve it. Details here...

https://www.wikihow.com/Install-Soft...opers-on-a-Mac

Thank you for that link. I must have had a senior moment (again !)