Software that no longer runs on Sonoma?

[Sawday]

I'm getting more than a little annoyed that with each MacOS update several of my treasured apps will no longer run or hardware is no longer recognised, so before I 'upgrade' to Sanoma I wondered if there was a list of software that ran quite happily under Ventura but not so under Sonoma.

 

[IWT]

As to my personal experience, there's not been much trouble with apps; but others have encountered some:

macOS Sonoma compatibility issues - Google Search

macOS Ventura to Sonoma update issue. - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

macOS Sonoma vs Ventura: How do they compare?

Sonoma is the latest version of the Mac operating system, but how does it compare with Ventura? Let’s find out and learn more about their key features.

macpaw.com

Best I can do; sorry.

Ian

 

[RadDave]

I'm getting more than a little annoyed that with each MacOS update several of my treasured apps will no longer run or hardware is no longer recognised, so before I 'upgrade' to Sanoma I wondered if there was a list of software that ran quite happily under Ventura but not so under Sonoma.

Hi Sawday - if not already done, take a look at RoaringApps which has a LONG compatibility table of over 9000 apps - hopefully the ones of interest to you are included? Dave
.

 

[Sawday]

Hi Sawday - if not already done, take a look at RoaringApps which has a LONG compatibility table of over 9000 apps - hopefully the ones of interest to you are included? Dave
.

View attachment 39099

Excellent! I've found such table in the past but not of late. Thanks for the link.

 

[Slydude]

@RadDave Thanks for that link. That's the site I was trying to remember. I used to use that site all the time for just this kind of situation.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

I'm getting more than a little annoyed that with each MacOS update several of my treasured apps will no longer run or hardware is no longer recognised, so before I 'upgrade' to Sanoma I wondered if there was a list of software that ran quite happily under Ventura but not so under Sonoma.

Generally if an app worked under one release, it will likely work on the next release unless the change falls into the time line between 32bit->64bit. These changes are huge and also developers are warned about it for a couple of releases to give them time to catch up.

Users are also notified well in advance and if you keep applications up to date, this is not a problem.

The issue arrises when you have some applications that aren't easy to update or aren't free to upgrade, like the Photoshop suite or other things. In those cases, folks tend to keep the older version running for longer and some OS upgrade will render the app unable to work.

This is just one of those things you have to understand as a user, that is, if you rely heavily on applications that have to stay stagnant (for whatever reason), the OS has to stay stagnant too. You can't blindly upgrade the OS and then blame the OS upgrade for the reason the app stopped working.

 

[Jimmysb]

Apps, or programmes not working on updates, or as it use to be updated hardware is not new, and neither are the complaints that go with them, it is life and things move on.

 

[Rod]

I can say that apart from some applications that suggested Sonoma specific updates (to take advantage of Sonoma features) all of the applications that worked on macOS Ventura worked on Sonoma for me.
There are some features of Sonoma though that you might want to familiarise yourself with in advance, eg, Stage Manager.

This is a tricky one to set preferences for I found, so, below are my settings FYI:


Here are Apple Support's sites on using Stage Manager:

Organise your Mac desktop with Stage Manager

On your Mac, use Stage Manager to keep the app you’re working with front and centre, while other apps are neatly arranged on the left for fast access.

support.apple.com

and Use Stage Manager on Mac - Apple Support (SG)

If it all seems a bit much to handle after Upgrading, as it was for me then using my settings above will result in you being able to access Widgets by clicking on your desktop and dismiss them again with another click. They are handy so I thought I might as well have a few, see below:



A second L click on the desktop returns you to the normal view and a R click allows you to Edit Widgets.
These settings are not intrusive but as you can see from the articles attached you can do a LOT more. I elected to postpone that learning curve until I had more time. Haven't found it yet

 

[Jimmysb]

I can say that apart from some applications that suggested Sonoma specific updates (to take advantage of Sonoma features) all of the applications that worked on macOS Ventura worked on Sonoma for me.
There are some features of Sonoma though that you might want to familiarise yourself with in advance, eg, Stage Manager.

This is a tricky one to set preferences for I found, so, below are my settings FYI:
View attachment 39104

Here are Apple Support's sites on using Stage Manager:

Organise your Mac desktop with Stage Manager

On your Mac, use Stage Manager to keep the app you’re working with front and centre, while other apps are neatly arranged on the left for fast access.

support.apple.com

and Use Stage Manager on Mac - Apple Support (SG)

If it all seems a bit much to handle after Upgrading, as it was for me then using my settings above will result in you being able to access Widgets by clicking on your desktop and dismiss them again with another click. They are handy so I thought I might as well have a few, see below:

View attachment 39105

A second L click on the desktop returns you to the normal view and a R click allows you to Edit Widgets.
These settings are not intrusive but as you can see from the articles attached you can do a LOT more. I elected to postpone that learning curve until I had more time. Haven't found it yet

There are a number of feature on my Mac even a year after having it, I have not tried, some because I feel they may not benefit me, others because I do not fully understand what they do. Stage Manager is one of the latter.

 

[IWT]

Rod, I'm indebted to you because, like you and others, I found these settings a bit confusing. But, using your settings above, has changed things for me in a most agreeable manner.

I may change things again in the future, but thanks for the picture of your settings which I have copied with a screenshot.

Ian

 

[IWT]

others because I do not fully understand what they do. Stage Manager is one of the latter.

I, for one, completely understand your "confusion" re Stage Manager.

My personal view is that it is best suited to those with small screens (iPad, MacBooks etc) where screen space is limited. In that situation, you can manage several apps in a more workable manner.

For larger screens (mine is 27 inch), I find that I've enough space to play around with multiple apps. Having said that, I know of friends who take the opposite view, one having a 30 inch screen where he uses Stage Manager all the time.

So don't fret Jim B, just pick the things you like and forego the others, as long as you know the others exist.

Ian

 

[Jimmysb]

So don't fret Jim B, just pick the things you like and forego the others, as long as you know the others exist.

Ian

As Mrs. B has often told me over the years "it's only a computer" life is to short to fret over these type of things.

 

[hughvane]

The OP's issue is exactly why I have retained my 2018 Mini with Mojave.

I have games and activities that are 32-bit specific, and I knew well in advance that they were not going to function under 64-bit. The choice for me was narrowed, and resulted in the purchase of a 2023 Mini. It cost me plenty, and I have sympathy for those who have complained about the redundancy factor.

 

[hughvane]

Hi Sawday - if not already done, take a look at RoaringApps which has a LONG compatibility table of over 9000 apps - hopefully the ones of interest to you are included? Dave

The Roaring Apps site will not open, just a blank page, tho a Google search shows it to be in existence still. Any updated advice about it?

 

[Rod]

hughvane, despite an exhaustive search for an alternate web address, I got the same, a blank white page, UNTIL I turned off Shields on Brave Browser.
With Shields down I get this;


My guess is that this site checks compatability of software on your device which is blocked by Brave in my case. I still have my VPN on.

I submitted the Broken Site form to Brave;

 

[hughvane]

Despite an exhaustive search for an alternate web address, I got the same, a blank white page, UNTIL I turned off Shields on Brave Browser.

I have done likewise, thank you, but did you 'discover' that it you turned Shields back on while the Roaring Apps site was active, it remained (after a brief hiccup); but then subsequent searches for app examples did not work. More trialling called for.

I've (Bravely ) left it to others to report the issue to Brave.

 

[Rod]

I think the function of the site calls for scanning of the device used which probably falls into Brave's idea of tracking or worse. So, Brave probably can't "fix" this site. If you trust the site and then for the purposes of finding compatible apps I'm pretty sure it would be okay to just leave shields down for the site or use less critical settings in Brave security settings.