Mac users today began experiencing unexpected issues that included apps taking minutes to launch, stuttering and non-responsiveness throughout macOS, and other problems. The issues seemed to begin close to the time when Apple began rolling out the new version of macOS, Big Sur—but it affected users of other versions of macOS, like Catalina and Mojave.
Other Apple services faced slowdowns, outages, and odd behavior, too, including Apple Pay, Messages, and even Apple TV devices.
It didn’t take long for some Mac users to note that
trustd—a macOS process responsible for checking with Apple’s servers to confirm that an app is notarized—was attempting to contact a host namedoscp.apple.combut failing repeatedly. This resulted in systemwide slowdowns as apps attempted to launch, among other things.
What a brave new world – some server goes down, and you can’t use your applications anymore.
Thom Holwerda,
Indeed. While I’m not privy to what caused this glitch on apple servers, the fact that have this level of micromanaging control over local software is in and of itself very concerning. I remember debating this many years ago, arguing that it’s only a matter of time before IOS restrictions would migrate to computers as well. This is the future that both apple and microsoft want, it’s only a matter of getting typical consumers to accept it and forget about the old days when we weren’t dependent on them. Slowly but surely remote control over our local software is becoming normalized.
Yeah, I broke out of both ecosystems because I could see it going that way. Glad I did, but not everyone (maybe even most people) is in a position to do that.
I was going crazy yesterday evening, believing my HD was dying …. but strangely enough, all apple own apps launched instantly, while VLC would take minutes to start. I turned off the network interfaces and voila’ all apps start immediately.
It’s quite annoying and i do not like that at all. but there is no way out; and no, Linux to me is not a way out, it’s just another rabbit hole where it would take months of configuration just to get a less than ideal computing environment – i need a pc that does what I need, not an ideology manifesto.
enryfox,
Linux isn’t for everyone. Although I don’t think it’s as bad as some people make it out to be, most people don’t like change and I totally get that. Everyone can and should use the platform that works best for them. However the elephant in the room is that a lot of the “innovation” in recent years hasn’t been serving user needs so much as adding dependencies and giving OS makers increasing control over us. And therein lies the big question: how much of this self-serving are you going to tolerate? The choice is obviously up to you, but if you never put your feet down in defense of owner and developer independence, then it doesn’t take a crystal ball to see where the platforms headed in the next decade. If consumers don’t push back, you know these companies will only continue pushing self-serving changes for their benefit, where will you fit in the picture?
The reality is some consumers are truly oblivious. Some consumers aren’t oblivious but really don’t care. Some do care but don’t act. Here’s the thing, corporations are going to take advantage of all of these consumers. Those in the first two groups may be in bliss regardless of how much independence they loose, whatever floats their boats I suppose. But it really sucks to be in the later group where you just keep taking it in spite of the fact that you don’t like the direction of the platform. It doesn’t get better and you end up becoming an enabler during the transitions that increase control over users.
When you say “i need a pc that does what I need, not an ideology manifesto”, I totally understand that feeling, it even resonates with me in principal. But in practice the line can become blurry. If I may be so bold as to use a political analogy: many of conservative republican voters defend trump on a similar basis that “I need a candidate that does what I need, not an ideology manifesto”. They like that he’s reshaped the courts in their favor. However this approach of completely ignoring ideology comes with a substantial risk of trump destroying democratic norms themselves. If we ignore ideology, then to what end?
I am honestly with you on many points, but i think it is a hopeless battle. As much as i don’t like the control big company are extending to the device we (or they ?) own, i like it even less to loose all the services they offer. I could go the FOSS way regarding pc, software and phone, but how many things should i give up just to feel “free” ? Would i make a difference ? No, Would i be able to convince someone to follow my steps ? Maybe other computer buffs, but if I explain to an average user all the things he/she should give up just to fight back the big companies, they would look at me as if i was one of those preaching to live only of what you can harvest in your backyard.
So it would be just me and another niche of users who would live in this world of free and open software; big companies could not care less of us because we are just a very minor niche of users and beside not having made a dent in the big companies income, i should not use services i personally like using.
I know this is exactly how we ended-up the way we are now, but i do not feel there is a single chance a very minor group of users can make a difference. You can choose the lesser evil (i personally avoid facebook and amazon services like alexa) but in 2020 you can’t live without any evil.
enryfox,
Well, with mobile, I honestly feel we’re so far along this duopoly path that the battle is mostly lost. I tried diligently to avoid google dependencies with a custom android firmware. Not only is it an uphill battle as more and more of the world mandates the use of google / apple products & services, but for me it came to a point where my work deployed a “cloud VPN” with a hard dependency on google services. I complained, but ultimately they forced me to get a phone with google services. It’s the end of the line for alternatives when you have no choice in the matter. I am infuriated about this, but given that I’ve failed, I have no reasonable expectation that you or anyone else would do better.
I’d like to offer an alternative viewpoint. When it comes to desktop computing we aren’t there yet! Alternatives are viable especially for home users who don’t have specific software requirements tying them down. I’m not here to deny that there are things that are nice about windows and macos, but I feel linux has a lot of nice things too. My kids and my wife don’t have trouble with linux and we aren’t deprived running linux. Most things these days are web based for which linux is totally a viable option. I’m cautiously optimistic that it will continue to gain momentum. More people are leaving other platforms for linux than the other way around, albeit very slowly.
I find that a lot of the resistance to linux actually stems from it being different rather than it being more difficult. You’re right that it may take you a while to become truly accustomed to it. The first couple days you are tinkering with it, a week in you can do more productive things, but it can take longer to gain the experience needed to become really proficient. Obviously it helps that I’m technically savvy, but this is true of windows and macos too. Friends and family often ask for help with their computers, the point is that there’s a learning curve for all the platforms. IMHO the real question is whether it’s worth spending the time becoming proficient at a new platform, for some the answer is yes, for others the answer is no. I was in the windows camp and I have no regrets moving to linux, although I’ll admit the transition had a few false starts and it wasn’t always easy. Most people are inclined to stick to what they’re used to unless there’s an external force that compels them to change. If you lack this force then in all likelihood you probably won’t change. But I would say this: if you don’t like the direction things are headed in and believe that they will continue to head in that direction, you’d probably be better off acting on it sooner rather than waiting until the corporations responsible have more control over the market.
Well, some of us require advanced accessibility tools you can only find on MacOS or Windows. What GNOME offers for a screen reader, Orca, is a bloody joke compared to VoiceOver on MacOS or the options I have on Windows. KDE has no tool of this kind whatsoever. Should I, then, settle for something that reduces my productivity due to functionality it simply does not have and its instability, just to make a statement? Is Linux an option for me, and those like me, in such cases? My contention is that it is, for all practical purposes, not an option, no matter how much I might wish this were not the case. This is the downside of open source software: when the very few developers who care about a niche market give up, the software rots and dies. I don’t have the time to write my own, and taking the time off my regular job to chase down this dream won’t put food on the table nor will it pay the bills.
darknexus,
To be fair though, have I been pushy or asked anybody to do anything “just to make a statement”? Quite the contrary I was direct in saying “Linux isn’t for everyone.” and “Everyone can and should use the platform that works best for them”. If linux isn’t for you, that’s fine. Linux absolutely has room for improvement! If you have more work leads with windows, then I won’t judge you for it, I’ve been there too. I will say it’s getting easier to find linux work than it used to be, but nobody’s experiences are universal. Everyone has their own reasons for what they do and there’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to platform preferences.
I appreciate you sharing your experience and concerns. I don’t use accessibility tools. You are right to point out areas of deficiency, I for one could learn from your experience.
Actually I’m very familiar with linux, I use it every day at work, I have two linux VM’s (Debian and Red Hat Enterprise Linux), which are definitely required to do my job. I am not afraid of the change, I have tried many times to use Linux as my primary OS at work (where indeed the transition would be simpler) but then there is always something missing (apps mandated by my company) or compatibility issue (Outlook 365…). It’s not the learning curve that frighten me, is the hard concrete wall you hit when something is missing and/or you depend on a piece of software that is maintained by a programmer in his/her spare time as he need a “real” job to pay the bills. It is at least since 1999 that I hear that Linux will eventually be the OS everyone will use; things have surely changed in 20 years and today’s linux is definitely more user friendly than what it was in the early 2000’s. But, love or hate it, there are feature in current apple ecosystem that I’m not so willing to give up (as an example sharing of music/photos/notes/calendar/… across all my devices and the deep and seamless integration of cloud services).
enryfox,
Not for nothing, but every time I hear variants of “linux will eventually be the OS everyone will use”, it’s always seems to be in the context of a strawman argument with nobody having claimed that linux will be the OS everyone will use. I’m trying to remember the last time I’ve heard that and I’m coming up blank. Do you have any evidence of anyone here saying that? I’m sure it must happen, but it’s rare. I honestly think there are more people complaining about the year of the linux desktop than proclaiming the year of the linux desktop. Can we put this one to bed?
Well, I do understand your frustration. Ironically I face similar frustrations in the exact opposite direction. For so many years I’ve been griping about the inability to use/install network file systems on IOS/android. Having to email myself or upload to a 3rd party provider is such a stupid thing to have to do, and yet both apple and google are guilty of limiting user options.
I completely agree with you that vendor locking situations suck, but I think your grudge against FOSS is a bit misplaced. Usually it is the proprietary products & services that intentionally won’t play nice with others. Obviously apple could provide more openness and compatibility if it wanted to, but companies use vendor locking because it strongly discourages attempts to migrate to alternatives, which ultimately increases the odds you’ll remain their customer for the long term.
Man, you anti-Linux folks love to say your piece, don’t you?
I switched to Linux desktop for a few years now, and even after a short love affair with OS X (Snow Leopard and a couple releases after), I can say there’s nothing a Mac can do that a good Linux distro can’t nowadays. The love affair is over.
Only advantage I see in MacBooks are better displays than is the norm on laptops, but if you’re willing to shell out the obscene amount you would pay for a MacBook (whichever version), you can find a manufacturer than makes also good laptops with good displays, probably cheaper. I’m writing this on a recent Dell Latitude 5500 which has good display, good keyboard, good battery and good Linux compatibility. Macs just aren’t worth it anymore for advanced users/IT professionals, imho.
I’m the same way, I adored Mac OS X in the Tiger through Snow Leopard days, but as the OS became more iOS-like I went back to Linux as my daily driver. These days I’m back and forth between Slackware, Void, and OpenBSD depending on which machine I’m in front of.
Today despite my intense curiosity about Apple’s move away from Intel, you couldn’t pay me to use a modern Mac. I have settled on a Thinkpad X1 Carbon for my laptop and its (matte!) screen, amazing keyboard, and balance of lightness and performance suits me just fine. I have my workstation for the heavy lifting, and I’ve gone back to Android (with as little Google dependence as possible) for mobile.
I’m extremely happy to see Apple pushing boundaries and innovating again with the M1 chip, but I have absolutely no use for their OS today.
Morgan,
I’m also interested in the progress of ARM laptops. I like that new ARM CPUs are pushing boundaries, but I’m not interested in mac os either. I suspect apple may block linux & BSD from running on apple’s new ARM laptops. We’ll see.
viton found that geekbench has some benchmarks, which we started to discuss here:
http://www.osnews.com/story/132564/apple-unveils-first-arm-based-macs/
M1’s single core performance is fantastic, but the multicore performance is rather slow. There are no GPU benchmarks yet, but considering it’s an integrated GPU I don’t have the highest expectations.
While I’d consider getting a laptop with M1 CPU, obviously I’m not in the market for laptop that ties me to macos and cannot run linux. Ideally I really want to be able to adapt my own distro to run on it. Also I’d wait for v2 to see if they can improve multicore performance and memory limits. My own preference is laptops with more ports and no damn dongles. Also, not having cuda/opencl is a bummer. I’m not biased against the M1 CPU, but given my requirements, I honestly don’t think apple will ever make a laptop suited for my needs. I don’t want any of the flare, in fact I even avoid it when I can, I just care about the specs. So hopefully the competition catches up to apple in delivering better ARM products.