1Password 8 for Mac Released With New Design and Features

[WeatherWeasel]

It surely matters a lot that the Electron part is merely the user interface and the rest of the application is written in a robust, high performance, modern programming language.


Is this some deficiency of Electron peculiar to MacOS? Neither Visual Studio Code nor Slack spawn large numbers of processes nor do they need to be restarted regularly on Windows. I don't recall any issues with Visual Studio Code on MacOS either.


To log into the vault from the site you need your e-mail, secret key and master password. Based on the information available the data is decrypted the same way whether you do it in the separate application or the web browser. The only additional risk I can see is the possibility that the browser itself is compromised. But then a compromised browser could probably be used to replicate the local copy of your vault along with the keys to open it.


If they copy and store everything you send over the internet then it really doesn't matter where you store your password database. They'll already have every password in a nice searchable database. Unless of course you've managed to never use a password on the internet. Then you're safe.

So those people you know presumably don't really use the internet. They certainly don't use internet banking or even banks for that matter. They don't need a password manager because they simply have no use for passwords.


Keeping everything client side means never sending any information, including your passwords over the internet. In other words not using the internet.


I doubt it matters since the data is encrypted. Frankly I don't care if they have the data if they have no means to decrypt it. And frankly if they have the resources needed to crack it then they'd be able to get at my data even if I had it stored locally. Under those circumstances I'm sure they'd simply physically break in if they had to.

As for what happens if you cancel your subscription you simply lose access to online storage. You can still export your passwords if you wish. They never have sole possession of your data because you always have a local copy on each device. That's why the product continues to be usable even when offline. Literally the only circumstance in which I could actually lose all my password data is if all my devices died and 1Password went offline permanently at the same time.

Back up your passwords anyway on your computer, I assume someone would want to do that, I do that, just incase something happens to 1password or that I find something else I might care for a bit better. I use idrive off site backup, icloud and my external drive. Anyway, it has been enjoyable reading this thread, but I am getting bored and heading else where, be safe

 

[chrfr]

There is this. Are you on an Intel Mac? If so, your time is going to be limited to when Apple drops Rosetta 2 support. When they do, you'll be either stuck on the last Rosetta 2 supported version of MacOS just to keep 1Password 7 going, or having to get a new Mac altogether. So at this point, one may be on borrowed time.

BL.

1Password 7 is a universal app, not Intel.

 

[MacHeritage]

If they copy and store everything you send over the internet then it really doesn't matter where you store your password database. They'll already have every password in a nice searchable database. Unless of course you've managed to never use a password on the internet. Then you're safe.

So those people you know presumably don't really use the internet. They certainly don't use internet banking or even banks for that matter. They don't need a password manager because they simply have no use for passwords.


Keeping everything client side means never sending any information, including your passwords over the internet. In other words not using the internet.

I am fully aware of that. But there can be more in 1Password then just passwords to Internet accounts or things that travel over the Internet. Those are what are at risk the most. Since we are no longer allowed with 1P8 to have local and only Cloud, that becomes a security issue.

Second of all, sending the whole database up to the cloud, is serving up everything you have at once, when first transferring it. If the NSA etc. didn't have some things (they don't have 100% that we know of yet but we are having to assume 100% collection), they certainly would have it all then. Plus, whatever else never travelled over the Internet that resided in 1Password.

Those people do use the Internet alright but they just don't go transferring everything over the Internet, like most people these days do. All computers are not necessarily connected to the Internet either. Controlling where your data goes, as much as possible, is important. I also know people who do not use online banking at all but that is another topic.

That is just one reason why AgileBits and I will be going different ways. There are many others with 1P8. Other developers who do care, will reap the rewards. And it appears there are several to choose from.

 

[parameter]

I am fully aware of that. But there can be more in 1Password then just passwords to Internet accounts or things that travel over the Internet. Those are what are at risk the most. Since we are no longer allowed with 1P8 to have local and only Cloud, that becomes a security issue.

Second of all, sending the whole database up to the cloud, is serving up everything you have at once, when first transferring it. If the NSA etc. didn't have some things (they don't have 100% that we know of yet but we are having to assume 100% collection), they certainly would have it all then. Plus, whatever else never travelled over the Internet that resided in 1Password.

Those people do use the Internet alright but they just don't go transferring everything over the Internet, like most people these days do. All computers are not necessarily connected to the Internet either. Controlling where your data goes, as much as possible, is important. I also know people who do not use online banking at all but that is another topic.

That is just one reason why AgileBits and I will be going different ways. There are many others with 1P8. Other developers who do care, will reap the rewards. And it appears there are several to choose from.

I agree wholeheartedly. Though the whole NSA topic in here is a bit overboard for most users. I'd bet that the vast majority of even 1Password users, who are users that use a password manager and probably know a bit more than the average keychain type of user (I'm not saying that is good or bad or one type is better than the other, so please don't take that the wrong way). And if they are doing 100% collection and don't have everything of ours already, like you said, they will with a full-package upload in a tidy bundle.

I am a pretty security conscious user. Not enough to be disconnected from the net all the time of never share files, but do take standard security measures, planning and thought into how I set things up. Anyway moving on.....

I used my "other" Mac Mini M1 16GB (my wife's) who doesn't care so much about details. So that's where I first installed 1Password 8 to see how it went. She does use 1P, just not a ton but definitely multiple times a day. She's more of the basic-browser and email type of user for the most part. She's also an artist and uses Adobe apps mainly. Just to clarify, she is not on the "artist" side, but more on the very early prototype part of a team. We installed 1P 8 on her machine, and she did not know what I did, about it being a major new version.

After install, she noticed the UI changes immediately. Quite literally within 1 second of opening the menu. She also commented about it being slow to respond and most of the other complaints in this thread along with my own. I then used her computer to do some basic browsing for a few hours, browsing where I had to use 1P to get into sites and accounts that I use --- just to get some of my own realworld use experience.

After those 2 hours, keeping an eye on Activity Monitor throughout the entire time. To answer of the past posts where someone replied to me and said that on Windows they don't see Electron being a problem or memory hog. Well, I'd say to that poster to try Electron apps on Mac. "Full" blown Electron apps like Slack and VS Code should show you pretty quickly what happens. Every new window you open, or even every new pane you add in say VS Code - that's another process with multiple sub-processes used. So yes, watch Activity Monitor or through Terminal (using say, top) throughout your day, and keep those apps open.

Unless your Mac has some serious voodoo going on, you should see a continually declining overall system responsiveness as time goes on. Again this depends on if you're just opening VS Code and not really doing what a "normal" user would do, which is opening/closing tons of files and using multiple extensions, which also spawn their own separate, additional processes --- many of which depending on the extension --- will take significant memory and stay there.

Honestly I do not know if it's a huge garbage collection issue that Electron apps have, or something else other than just using those frameworks, which are "optimized for nothing" apps. They're made to work "everywhere" which means, almost always, that to make things work in lots of environments, no environment is very optimized due to huge libraries that have to be used to make things cross-platform without much work from the developers (This is where experience comes in, on the developer's side). It doesn't matter how experienced they are, once a super cross-platform tool (i.e. Electron) is chosen as the library for distribution, the mere fact that things are so easy for developers to use is what makes things so annoyingly bulky and runs-anywhere but runs nowhere, well.

I'm too lazy to search for the post that commented about this after my previous post, but there's my answer. So yes, just watch the resource usage - especially for apps that you have open for longer periods of time. 1P would fit into almost a new category, which would place it in the top portion of the list for running-length time, as it's running all the time in the background. Which is needed.
1P 7 did the same, but it's resource usage was consistent and efficient. With 1P 8, that's absolutely not the case. Again, watch your activity monitor to see what I'm talking about.

I briefly touched on the UI topic above, but to say again, 1P is just clunky and ugly --- yes, this is partly opinion, but no all of it. There are Human Interface Guidelines from Apple that explain in detail and give examples of what to-do and not-do. 1P 8 violates a huge portion of the "do not do, or your app won't be very Mac-like" list. Using Electron for their UI layer is yes, still loading Electron frameworks/libs and still contribute to resource management issues.

Back to my reply for the post this is about:
I am exactly where you are. I'd love to support a great native Mac developer who actually cares about making a native, fast, efficient and very-usable interface wise. But, not sure which to go to. I'll keep using 1P 7 for the time being, but am actively looking and trying alternatives --- but please @MacHeritage --- if you have finalized your pick for a replacement, I'd love to know which you decided on.

So far, I've tried LastPass (probably the next best competitor app, but that is based solely off of the UI, not performance --- which at this point cannot say anything about first-hand. I also just tried Secrets, but while a nice native Mac app, it's a fairly small developer I believe. That's not always bad, but I'm also looking for a new stable app, as well as with Secrets, it has to load up the entire app when just using the button via plugin in the browser, which kind of eliminates it from my list. Again, I'm looking at UI/usage viability as well as obviously security and then how resource intensive they are. I must say that Secrets is pretty memory efficient. But for me, it just lacks some of the features I'm looking for.

So back to the idea and testing board. This thread is getting pretty long and too many back and forths about the same thing (I'm guilty as well, as I've replied multiple times explaining why I personally don't like 1P 8 and won't be using it). That's what this discussion board is for.
I don't think either side is swaying the other with anything that has been mentioned in here.

I need a replacement app. One that provides the best functionality and feature-parity as 1P 7 as possible, and runs natively. Even with a subscription, now that my options are limited to well, nothing really that I know of --- I wouldn't really have a problem paying twice the 1P subscription fee if it went to an app and developer that was providing an app like this currently and actively updating and upgrading it consistently. And yes, I really would be fine paying that much, ongoing for a replacement, I do use it that-much and the value for me would be 10-fold or more.

There's a massive opportunity right now for Mac developers who are in this space. If the right product was released, they could easily have an almost overnight blowout success with 1P 7 users migrating over to them in hordes.

SO PLEASE MAC DEVELOPERS ---- I'M WAITING, PLEASE COME TAKE MY MONEY, AND A LOT OF OTHERS AS WELL!

 

[SalisburySam]

Simple: It's no longer a native Mac app with a native UI. It's now an Electron app with an electron UI. It doesn't look, feel, operate, or function like a native Mac app - they've abandoned their largest and most loyal customer base.

It's also a bloated unstable mess. I have slack lockup hard a couple of times a week, requiring a force quit, and sometimes even a reboot. Memory usage is 10x what it is for a native app too.

Thanks, this helps a bit, though I’m still not sure what effect it has on me as an end user. The instability is a huge issue for certain especially with the Force Quit and reboot. Not sure memory usage affects me much in that macOS is pretty good at managing memory, and hasn’t impacted other apps I use. But good info, thanks.

 

[jb-net]

You have been uploading sensitive data for VERY LONG TIME with Apple, including iCloud Keychain.

No, I'm not. I use local sync (the data never leaves my local network). I don't upload to any Cloud services. Not 1Password's, not Apple's Cloud. That option has now been removed with 1Password 8 in order to force all users to use their Cloud Service.

So I will stay on 1Password 7 for now and then probably move on to Bitwarden, which still allow full ownership and control over my passwords.

 

[xyz01]

No.. quite the opposite. Should you get a new Mac that is running Silicon, you're on borrowed time because when Apple drops Rosetta, the Intel binary will fail.

Ahh, I see. I messed up in that post. What I was meaning was that when Apple drops ALL INTEL SUPPORT from MacOS, the user on the Intel Mac will be stuck on the last version of MacOS that supports Intel CPUs. At that point, the only options are to remain on that version of MacOS, or get a new Mac and visit either going to 1Password 8 and their subscription model, or migrating off of 1Password altogether.

BL.

1Password 7 runs on Apple Silicon.

Also, while I dread the day Apple drops support for Intel and most of my games become unplayable (MS is waaay better than Apple here), chances are 1password 7 will have stopped being very useful a long time before this as browsers and OSes are no longer compatible.

 

[xyz01]

Thanks, this helps a bit, though I’m still not sure what effect it has on me as an end user. The instability is a huge issue for certain especially with the Force Quit and reboot. Not sure memory usage affects me much in that macOS is pretty good at managing memory, and hasn’t impacted other apps I use. But good info, thanks.

Even on Apple Silicon, teams and slack (two main reasons why electron is dreaded) are fully capable of consuming all the memory, cpu and battery you've got.

 

[JamesScheller]

So I will stay on 1Password 7 for now and then probably move on to Bitwarden, which still allow full ownership and control over my passwords.

Have been running a single user license for 1Password, had been on version 7, but zero interest in adding yet another subscription plan.

I made the switch to BitWarden... Took about half an hour to export/import from 1Password and install the apps and browser extensions everywhere.

The UI isn't quite as polished and it's an Electron app so it's (also) a bit of a resource hog relatively speaking, but realistically it works great and it's been a zero hassle experience for me.

 

[bradl]

1Password 7 runs on Apple Silicon.

Also, while I dread the day Apple drops support for Intel and most of my games become unplayable (MS is waaay better than Apple here), chances are 1password 7 will have stopped being very useful a long time before this as browsers and OSes are no longer compatible.

Running on it and compiled on it are two different things. While it is a universal binary, when Apple drops Intel support, that binary will have to be recompiled to support only M1 going forward, should AgileBits continue to support it. If they don't, you're stuck with either upgrading to 1Password 8, staying on 1Password 7 forever (unless AgileBits develops a way to prevent 1Password 7 users from accessing their vaults), or migrating off of 1Password.

Being a universal binary doesn't eliminate the issue of support for it on Intel Macs going away when Apple drops Intel support.

BL.

 

[TriBruin]

Running on it and compiled on it are two different things. While it is a universal binary, when Apple drops Intel support, that binary will have to be recompiled to support only M1 going forward, should AgileBits continue to support it. If they don't, you're stuck with either upgrading to 1Password 8, staying on 1Password 7 forever (unless AgileBits develops a way to prevent 1Password 7 users from accessing their vaults), or migrating off of 1Password.

Being a universal binary doesn't eliminate the issue of support for it on Intel Macs going away when Apple drops Intel support.

BL.

Please explain the bolded section. If 1P7 is currently a universal binary, there is no reason it won't run when Apple stops supporting Intel. And Apple will not stop support Intel computer for at least several more years as they still sell an Intel based computer (Mac Pro.)

if you mean, stop supporting Rosetta, it doesn't matter. If the application is a universal binary, then it will run without Rosetta installed.

In theory, 1P7 should be able to run for a number of years, unless Apple introduces a something that breaks it in a future OS version and AgileBits does not push an upgrade.

 

[MacHeritage]

Back to my reply for the post this is about:
I am exactly where you are. I'd love to support a great native Mac developer who actually cares about making a native, fast, efficient and very-usable interface wise. But, not sure which to go to. I'll keep using 1P 7 for the time being, but am actively looking and trying alternatives --- but please @MacHeritage --- if you have finalized your pick for a replacement, I'd love to know which you decided on.

Loved your post but I will focus on the above part since I am short on time. I am currently using 1P7 while I look through my options but I will share with you my current replacement choice. I too am looking for something that mimics 1P7 as close as possible. I don't think there can be 100% but close is close enough. There is only one in the running for me currently: Stongbox (https://strongboxsafe.com)

I haven' t had the time to try it out yet (way too busy, so far, this year!) but I just narrowed down with research to this option.

The boxes it checks for me:
• No subscriptions! Free option available with less features.

• Offline Local Database available!

• Mac and iOS device apps!

• Local Backups

• Good security backend, from reading about the options.

• Special Strongbox Zero iOS app for only local databases, for us Security conscience users! Love this idea. No networking code built in. For those who need it, everything stays on the device itself.

• Some options for local syncing to iOS devices if desired (yes, it my not be super convenient but at least there are options unlike other apps) (https://strongboxsafe.com/support/#...atabases-be-set-to-sync-between-ios-and-macos)

• No lock-in, since it is based on KeePass.

• Decent importing of 1Password databases, which is not an easy thing to do on the developers side (https://strongboxsafe.com/updates/welcome-1password/)

• What I like is there are options available with this app all over. Don't want Internet syncing, no problem. Want Internet syncing via iCloud or other option, no problem. Several options for the Cryptography side of the app. You are not stuck with just one way of doing it with pros and cons. There are many more examples but the point is is that it is a flexible app with options! You are not told what to do, you tell the app what you want done, kind of thing.

• For those who want Internet syncing and all those features, you can have that too with the regular apps.

Now, if anyone knows of a better option that has no subscription, can import 1P databases and can do everything local, I'm all ears!

 

[chrfr]

Running on it and compiled on it are two different things. While it is a universal binary, when Apple drops Intel support, that binary will have to be recompiled to support only M1…

That’s not true. Even today, an app can be compiled for PowerPC, 32 bit Intel, 64 bit Intel, and Apple Silicon simultaneously even though the OS doesn’t support PowerPC or 32 bit Intel.

 

[bradl]

That’s not true. Even today, an app can be compiled for PowerPC, 32 bit Intel, 64 bit Intel, and Apple Silicon simultaneously even though the OS doesn’t support PowerPC or 32 bit Intel.

If compiled statically, that is correct. However, if dynamic libraries are used, then those library calls are made at the time the binary is executed. If those dynamic libraries are dropped in the versions of MacOS that only will support M1, then the binary is in trouble. Again, this all would come down to if the libraries used to compile 1Password are not only available, but if AgileBits will compile and link 1Password against those libraries, building the FAT binary. If they don't (and judging by their latest progression, they aren't looking to do so), we would all still be on borrowed time.

I'm hoping I'm wrong and that 1Password 7 can be used ad infinitum; I'm screwed anyway, because I was on 1Password 6, with no way to get to 1Password 7 and purchase a license for a standalone vault. Because of that, I'd be on borrowed time with getting a new Mac, as well as Apple dropping Intel support. I'm keeping 1Password 6 on my mid-2011 MBA until that Mac dies, but I'm basically cutting my losses now since I won't put data such as my passwords, PCI, PHI, and PII data up into a SaaS where I basically wouldn't have much control on it.

BL.

 

[agregson]

I love 1Password, it is an essential app for me. I can access all my passwords on any device that supports it with almost no config.

The whole Electron v native discussion is so worn out. Some Electron apps are good, while most are terrible. If you're like VS Code or 1Password, you barely notice a difference (at least on M1). If it's Teams, that is junk. YMMV.

It is and has been an essential app for me. Been with it for so many years I can't even remember. Electron app is a total no go though. I just cannot accept any Electron app. I do not use any. The memory and process usage is simply unacceptable for an app.

Everyone raved about VS Code. I tried it and was appalled. Discord similar. 100s of MB for a password manager along with numerous tasks and "helpers" will be a no go. VS Code would regularly exceed 1000MB for a few files. Only JetBrains could rival this for incredible waste. My VIM in terminal is less than 20MB and even MacVIM is often less than 30MB - and one task.

Move to Electron will be my queue to leave 1Password. With considerable regret but principles trump convenience for me. As long as users accept poor software it will persist.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

It is and has been an essential app for me. Been with it for so many years I can't even remember. Electron app is a total no go though. I just cannot accept any Electron app. I do not use any. The memory and process usage is simply unacceptable for an app.

Everyone raved about VS Code. I tried it and was appalled. Discord similar. 100s of MB for a password manager along with numerous tasks and "helpers" will be a no go. VS Code would regularly exceed 1000MB for a few files. Only JetBrains could rival this for incredible waste. My VIM in terminal is less than 20MB and even MacVIM is often less than 30MB - and one task.

Move to Electron will be my queue to leave 1Password. With considerable regret but principles trump convenience for me. As long as users accept poor software it will persist.

Have you seen people post how little the app actually uses? Have you tried it to see for yourself, or assume because it’s Electron?

I have it now also and the next time I get in my MacBook, I’ll check it myself. So far the app is nice, smooth, and it’s way better than I thought it would be.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Loved your post but I will focus on the above part since I am short on time. I am currently using 1P7 while I look through my options but I will share with you my current replacement choice. I too am looking for something that mimics 1P7 as close as possible. I don't think there can be 100% but close is close enough. There is only one in the running for me currently: Stongbox (https://strongboxsafe.com)

I haven' t had the time to try it out yet (way too busy, so far, this year!) but I just narrowed down with research to this option.

The boxes it checks for me:
• No subscriptions! Free option available with less features.

• Offline Local Database available!

• Mac and iOS device apps!

• Local Backups

• Good security backend, from reading about the options.

• Special Strongbox Zero iOS app for only local databases, for us Security conscience users! Love this idea. No networking code built in. For those who need it, everything stays on the device itself.

• Some options for local syncing to iOS devices if desired (yes, it my not be super convenient but at least there are options unlike other apps) (https://strongboxsafe.com/support/#...atabases-be-set-to-sync-between-ios-and-macos)

• No lock-in, since it is based on KeePass.

• Decent importing of 1Password databases, which is not an easy thing to do on the developers side (https://strongboxsafe.com/updates/welcome-1password/)

• What I like is there are options available with this app all over. Don't want Internet syncing, no problem. Want Internet syncing via iCloud or other option, no problem. Several options for the Cryptography side of the app. You are not stuck with just one way of doing it with pros and cons. There are many more examples but the point is is that it is a flexible app with options! You are not told what to do, you tell the app what you want done, kind of thing.

• For those who want Internet syncing and all those features, you can have that too with the regular apps.

Now, if anyone knows of a better option that has no subscription, can import 1P databases and can do everything local, I'm all ears!

I use Strongbox as well and found it to be top notch.

 

[agregson]

Have you seen people post how little the app actually uses? Have you tried it to see for yourself, or assume because it’s Electron?

I have it now also and the next time I get in my MacBook, I’ll check it myself. So far the app is nice, smooth, and it’s way better than I thought it would be.

I have tried it. I switched back to 1password7. I quite liked the look of 8 but I looked at the number of tasks and resources. While minor compared to some apps and Electron apps I just was not happy to run it.

I have found the same with recent move on Arduino from Java based (which I never liked) to Electron (which is truly awful). Arduino is worse as there is no Apple build so it is Electron on Rosetta - I like neither! The issue with Apple silicon builds I can appreciate as GitHub have no automated build for Apple silicon unlike Linux and ARM builds. Thankfully I was able to build (via Homebrew) the CLI tools for Apple silicon and add a few of my own scripts to use from VIM.

Maybe it is me - probably it is me. I just cannot accept apps taking hundreds of MB for simple tasks. My first word processor was 16KB and I can still use it to create reasonably useful work. The Borland IDE and compiler for Turbo Pascal 4 was 38KBV and it compiled at lightning speed. Of course things move on but if those tasks could be achieved in minimal, well focused code surely something more efficient can be produced today? I just feel that by accepting these things the provision of native, properly written and machine specific apps and code will diminish.

I have always liked 1Password. I still like it.

 

[Paradoxally]

It is and has been an essential app for me. Been with it for so many years I can't even remember. Electron app is a total no go though. I just cannot accept any Electron app. I do not use any. The memory and process usage is simply unacceptable for an app.

Everyone raved about VS Code. I tried it and was appalled. Discord similar. 100s of MB for a password manager along with numerous tasks and "helpers" will be a no go. VS Code would regularly exceed 1000MB for a few files. Only JetBrains could rival this for incredible waste. My VIM in terminal is less than 20MB and even MacVIM is often less than 30MB - and one task.

Move to Electron will be my queue to leave 1Password. With considerable regret but principles trump convenience for me. As long as users accept poor software it will persist.

I'm not concerned about memory usage. If you have 32 GB or more, you're laughing at a few hundreds of MBs for some Electron apps. Even 16 GB is plenty unless you're running tons of them.

For me:
- 1Password is taking up 100 MBs
- VS Code around 1.4 GBs
- Discord around 700 MBs


That's less than 2.5 GB for 3 apps. In contrast, Brave with a few tabs open is consuming 9 GB. But I still have other 10 GB free with a lots of apps I never close unless they get buggy. macOS has bugs but memory management has always been top tier with Apple.

With M1 I don't even notice slowdown on any AS Mac on Electron apps unless they are running under Rosetta.

 

[Abazigal]

I am a paying subscriber for 1password, and my main use for it is because I have a windows work laptop, and so use the Apple Watch app to retrieve related passwords when I need them.

If Apple ever comes out with a standalone keychain app that allows me to access my account passwords more easily without having to dive into the settings app every time, I can probably afford to drop 1password.

But as with quite a number of apps I am currently subscribed to, I find it’s really more for the convenience. Welcome to adulthood, I guess.

 

[LV426]

I am a paying subscriber for 1password, and my main use for it is because I have a windows work laptop, and so use the Apple Watch app to retrieve related passwords when I need them.

If Apple ever comes out with a standalone keychain app that allows me to access my account passwords more easily without having to dive into the settings app every time, I can probably afford to drop 1password.

But as with quite a number of apps I am currently subscribed to, I find it’s really more for the convenience. Welcome to adulthood, I guess.

To my mind, cross-platform compatibility is 1Password’s killer feature. For those of us who have ditched Windows completely and don’t want to share passwords with anyone, you can probably get by just using keychain. A bit rough around the edges at times, e.g. some sites have obscure password requirement, but mostly ok.

Whenever I subscribe to a new site, I normally just accept Safari’s random password generator and be done with it. I use 1Password to store things like driving licence numbers, passport scans, things like that. If I didn’t have the perpetual license I bought many years ago (thus, no subscription fees) I’d have surely dropped 1Password by now.

For a long time I wondered why Apple just didn’t buy the company, as it’s a pretty successful app. But Apple’s long term strategy is to get rid of passwords, as the world moves to biometric authentication.

 

[Abazigal]

To my mind, cross-platform compatibility is 1Password’s killer feature. For those of us who have ditched Windows completely and don’t want to share passwords with anyone, you can probably get by just using keychain. A bit rough around the edges at times, e.g. some sites have obscure password requirement, but mostly ok.

Whenever I subscribe to a new site, I normally just accept Safari’s random password generator and be done with it. I use 1Password to store things like driving licence numbers, passport scans, things like that. If I didn’t have the perpetual license I bought many years ago (thus, no subscription fees) I’d have surely dropped 1Password by now.

For a long time I wondered why Apple just didn’t buy the company, as it’s a pretty successful app. But Apple’s long term strategy is to get rid of passwords, as the world moves to biometric authentication.

Ah, you reminded me of another reason I have stuck with 1Password. Work used to require me to reset my password every few months (with some conditions like minimum number of letters, mix of letters and numbers etc). I would just rely on 1Password to generate a new password that met the criteria each time and save it for me.

My guess is that Apple has little interest in supporting keychain outside of Apple devices. Buying a company like 1Password with an already pretty established user base, only to then retire the app and / or make it Apple only would be fairly disruptive. I am glad they didn’t go down that route either.

 

[agregson]

I'm not concerned about memory usage. If you have 32 GB or more, you're laughing at a few hundreds of MBs for some Electron apps. Even 16 GB is plenty unless you're running tons of them.

For me:
- 1Password is taking up 100 MBs
- VS Code around 1.4 GBs
- Discord around 700 MBs


That's less than 2.5 GB for 3 apps. In contrast, Brave with a few tabs open is consuming 9 GB. But I still have other 10 GB free with a lots of apps I never close unless they get buggy. macOS has bugs but memory management has always been top tier with Apple.

With M1 I don't even notice slowdown on any AS Mac on Electron apps unless they are running under Rosetta.

I would say I am less concerned about memory usage more dismayed. Websites are incredibly wasteful of resources and I just cannot reconcile their resource consumption with good design or principles. It is more the principle and general direction as opposed to the daily reality.

I still use apps that strip things down and put me in control. VIM over a larger GUI editor - and I can generally outperform most people on a GUI app. LaTeX was always preferred for documents which may come from my extended period in academia. It brings one benefit though - all the code, documents and data I generated even 40+ years ago is still readable and can still be accessed. Reports and documents at school and university even those in 8/16-bit word processors are still accessible as are all the LaTeX docs from university. I can't imagine that will be so easy to say in 30-40 years time for data in myriad modern apps.

Maybe I am just too locked in the past where I had to work inside tight constraints. Every feature was considered on merits and resource availability. I often had to work to get code to fit within available memory and processor resources. I do think software was more considered and planned.

I suppose my more theoretical background also plays a part. I guess formal methods, proof and design are less applicable now when everything is a collection of libraries.

Looking at programs (they were not apps in those days ;-)) those I value and remember most were always lightweight, fast and focused. I am not against cross-platform apps - in fact I use and prefer them. VIM, LaTex and numerous others are examples. I am just against bulky, cumbersome and hungry libraries.

Clearly my thinking, and it is just my personal opinion and perspective, does not fit well with modern direction and development. I never try to say one way or another is right or wrong just offer my perspective into the wider debate. Thankfully we all remain free (within the confines of locked down hardware, operating systems and others but that is another gripe and story for another debate) to make our own decisions and choices.

One thought that frequently comes to mind is how much valuable resources are deployed supporting increasingly bloated and hungry code. The current shortages of semiconductor assets and energy sources and effects on climate make me wonder how much code with expanding demands due to lack of focus on efficiency places on resources.

On a final note, 1Password is and always has been a great service and app. I do not think it has been properly rivalled. I am not yet decided on a move to 8 or even if I will stay on 1P if 7 becomes deprecated.

 

[svenmany]

I suppose my more theoretical background also plays a part. I guess formal methods, proof and design are less applicable now when everything is a collection of libraries.

I think this is the crux of the problem. Developers (including me) will use a library when they only need a small portion of that library's functionality. Library developers do the same when they use other libraries. Unless there is some tree shaking done, the delivered application, which is the transitive closure of the dependencies, has a lot of code that is never used.

But, building on the efforts of others is a massive advantage.

 

[bradl]

I would say I am less concerned about memory usage more dismayed. Websites are incredibly wasteful of resources and I just cannot reconcile their resource consumption with good design or principles. It is more the principle and general direction as opposed to the daily reality.

I still use apps that strip things down and put me in control. VIM over a larger GUI editor - and I can generally outperform most people on a GUI app. LaTeX was always preferred for documents which may come from my extended period in academia. It brings one benefit though - all the code, documents and data I generated even 40+ years ago is still readable and can still be accessed. Reports and documents at school and university even those in 8/16-bit word processors are still accessible as are all the LaTeX docs from university. I can't imagine that will be so easy to say in 30-40 years time for data in myriad modern apps.

Maybe I am just too locked in the past where I had to work inside tight constraints. Every feature was considered on merits and resource availability. I often had to work to get code to fit within available memory and processor resources. I do think software was more considered and planned.

I suppose my more theoretical background also plays a part. I guess formal methods, proof and design are less applicable now when everything is a collection of libraries.

Looking at programs (they were not apps in those days ;-)) those I value and remember most were always lightweight, fast and focused. I am not against cross-platform apps - in fact I use and prefer them. VIM, LaTex and numerous others are examples. I am just against bulky, cumbersome and hungry libraries.

Clearly my thinking, and it is just my personal opinion and perspective, does not fit well with modern direction and development. I never try to say one way or another is right or wrong just offer my perspective into the wider debate. Thankfully we all remain free (within the confines of locked down hardware, operating systems and others but that is another gripe and story for another debate) to make our own decisions and choices.

One thought that frequently comes to mind is how much valuable resources are deployed supporting increasingly bloated and hungry code. The current shortages of semiconductor assets and energy sources and effects on climate make me wonder how much code with expanding demands due to lack of focus on efficiency places on resources.

On a final note, 1Password is and always has been a great service and app. I do not think it has been properly rivalled. I am not yet decided on a move to 8 or even if I will stay on 1P if 7 becomes deprecated.

The good thing here is that 7 won’t refuse to work; it will just go to being unsupported. Now, how that will affect subscriptions is a different story, but my copy of 1PW 6 still works and will work until that Mac dies.

BL.