A note on macOS Catalina

For Mac users, we wanted to share a note about the recently released macOS Catalina update.

Catalina brings about a number of significant changes to the system which affect how software developers can run their software. In the long run, these changes will lead to a significant improvement in software security and modernization. In the immediate term, these changes are the sort of big step which inevitably introduces bugs and odd behaviors which soon after are quickly fixed in updates.

While we generally advise waiting to install major macOS and Windows updates for 1-3 months until the initial bugs have been worked out, this update has the potential to be particularly problematic out of the gate when it comes to third party software. It is more likely than in the past that not all software developers have properly updated their software for Catalina. Software that isn’t properly prepared may fail run properly or even launch. There have also been some reports of a higher number of minor bugs than normal in this initial release of macOS.

Your Mac may already have invited you to update to Catalina, and if it hasn’t it likely will soon. To ensure that you can continue to function productively in your work we recommend that you wait to update to Catalina until at least January of 2020. In particular, if you use third party applications such as graphic design tools, banking programs, or accounting software, we recommend that you check with the vendor of that software to verify compatibility with Catalina before upgrading.

Having said that, if you’ve already upgraded to Catalina and your programs are working fine there is no reason to panic and you can continue to use it. While there may be some quirks with the new system, there are no dangerous issues that we’re aware of. Our recommendation to wait is simply out of an abundance of caution.

If you have any questions about Catalina please don't hesitate to contact us! NorthSky Technology