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macOS 10.12.2 Users Urged to Avoid Using 'Work-in-Progress' Preview App to Edit PDFs

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Mac users running macOS Sierra 10.12.2 are being urged to avoid using Preview to edit PDFs until Apple fixes several bugs in the app that can cause corruption issues in the document format.

The recommendation comes from TidBITS publisher Adam Engst. Writing on the online Apple newsletter website, Engst backs up fellow developer Craig Landrup's claim that Apple's decision to rewrite the PDFKit framework for macOS 10.12 has broken basic functionality that PDF-related developers rely on, such as compatibility with ScanSnap and Doxie scanners.
It pains me to say this, speaking as the co-author of "Take Control of Preview," but I have to recommend that Sierra users avoid using Preview to edit PDF documents until Apple fixes these bugs. If editing a PDF in Preview in unavoidable, be sure to work only on a copy of the file and retain the original in case editing introduces corruption of any sort.
Click to expand...
As to why issues have arisen in Apple's native Preview application, Engst quotes approvingly the DEVONthink developer Christian Grunenberg, who characterizes the rewritten version of PDFKit in Sierra as a "work in progress":
Apple wants to use a common foundation for both iOS and macOS. However, it was released way too early, and for the first time (at least in my experience) Apple deprecated several features without caring about compatibility. And to make things worse, lots of former features are now broken or not implemented at all, meaning that we had to add lots of workarounds or implement stuff on our own. And there's still work left to be done.

10.12.2 introduces new issues (it seems that Apple wants to fix at least the broken compatibility now) and of course fixed almost none of the other issues. It's not only DEVONthink -- a lot of other applications (such as EndNote, Skim, Bookends, and EagleFiler) are also affected.
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Apple previously removed functionality in its iWork suite for Mac to conform with iOS, but re-introduced most of the missing features in a later version. Whether Apple plans to do the same with an update to Preview is still unclear. Meanwhile, until Apple fixes the issues with the native Mac app, Engst recommends Smile's PDFpen as an alternative for PDF manipulation of all sorts, with Adobe's Acrobat DC being a more expensive option.

Article Link: macOS 10.12.2 Users Urged to Avoid Using 'Work-in-Progress' Preview App to Edit PDFs
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/01/03/macos-sierra-users-avoid-broken-preview-edit-pdfs/
MakeAppleAwesomeAgain

MakeAppleAwesomeAgain

macrumors regular
Nov 21, 2016
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They really don't give a **** about macOS anymore. I think they even won't make any major upgrades in the near feature. They changed the name so it feels right with the other products, copied everything from iOS that makes you stick to iCloud and that's it. What was the last time you were really impressed by a new macOS feature? Now even those features start to become buggy and non-working.
 
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ike1707

ike1707

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Jan 20, 2009
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MakeAppleAwesomeAgain said:
They really don't give a **** about macOS anymore. I think they even won't make any major upgrades in the near feature. They changed the name so it feels right with the other products, copied everything from iOS that makes you stick to iCloud and that's it. What was the last time you were really impressed by a new macOS feature? Now even those features start to become buggy and non-working.
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I've stopped at El Capitan for the time being. I have very little invested in cloud services, and sadly nothing else Sierra offers interests me.
 
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CarpalMac

macrumors 68000
Nov 19, 2012
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MakeAppleAwesomeAgain said:
They really don't give a **** about macOS anymore. I think they even won't make any major upgrades in the near feature. They changed the name so it feels right with the other products, copied everything from iOS that makes you stick to iCloud and that's it. What was the last time you were really impressed by a new macOS feature? Now even those features start to become buggy and non-working.
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Give them a break!! I mean, they've got both developers working on it.
 
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jezbd1997

jezbd1997

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peter2

macrumors 6502
May 15, 2007
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Well, typical Apple way... at least since some time: Release half-baked software, screwing up things that worked just fine for ages, and then debug "live" during very long periods of time. More and more, MacOS cannot be trusted as a production system, nor can anyone count/base his business on "reasonable" continuity assumptions :-(((
 
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dysamoria

dysamoria

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Dec 8, 2011
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No, Apple did NOT put the missing features back into the iWork suite. Correct your article!!!

Also, this is another example of Mac OS suffering for the benefit of the iOS roadmap. Apple need to get their collective heads out of their leadership's asses.

Stop releasing broken software!!!
 
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nohill

macrumors newbie
Jun 30, 2009
3
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Wondering what those 110,000 Apple people actually do.
If they fail to see that macOS is their non-neglectable base of all the things they do, they will be running for their money soon.
Just waiting for more rebate crap like with the dongle mess.
Look out for the warning signs: More rebate = more problems = more rebate.
Can’t believe that they actually use their own increasingly crappy stuff.
 
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autrefois

autrefois

macrumors 65816
Oct 22, 2003
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I’m autrefois+, the same as autrefois but with a +
MacRumors said:
Apple previously removed functionality in its iWork suite for Mac to conform with iOS, but eventually re-introduced the missing features in a later version
Click to expand...

Has Macrumors also abandoned the Mac? ;) Can you please correct this (here is a suggested correction, or something similar):

Apple previously removed functionality in its iWork suite for Mac to conform with iOS, but eventually re-introduced some missing features in later versions.

Thank you. As for Preview, I'm glad I haven't upgraded to Sierra, thanks for the warning; Preview is one of my most-used apps. I hope Apple actually fixes what it's broken and what's missing now. Preview has long been one of their best apps IMO.
 
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