Life after High Sierra support ends

[grwren]

Hi. I would guess by now that most High Sierra users are aware that security updates will end sometime in November 2020. I'd be interested in anyones advice on what options might be available to those of us who plan on continuing to use HS for the forseable future? Any ideas on how long it will be safe to continue using HS? Will we need 3rd party security programs? Should we consider changing to some other os like LINUX or something similar? Or am I worrying to much?

Any advice or questions would be appreciated & thanks in advance!

 

[sracer]

It is good to be thinking about this now, rather than on the last day of the end of the line.

Questions for self-reflection:

• How entrenched am I in the Apple ecosystem?
• What macOS-only applications do I rely on?
• How has my uses of my macOS device changed since I first bought it?
• How do I plan to use my next device (macOS or other) in the near future?

That's a sample but you get the idea. The best way to migrate off a platform, if one feels the need to, is to have short and long term plans to do it so that you aren't spending money unnecessarily, and minimizing any financial "loss" by the change.

In the short term, is updating to Mojave not an option? Are there any systems that can run High Sierra that CAN'T run Mojave? Less than a month ago, I updated my 2017 iMac from High Sierra to Mojave. Mojave is the end of the line for me... I won't be moving up beyond that.

Switching my boot drive from the internal slow physical harddrive to an external SSD has given my iMac a brand new life... it is faster (by a striking amount) than when I first unboxed it. a year ago, I bought a new-in-box i7 2017 Macbook Air.

For the foreseeable future, and unless Apple does something different, these will be the last macOS devices I will own.

Over the past 6 years, I've done a lot of experimenting. There are many, many alternatives that will offer comparable functionality for a much lower cost... and I now have a "exit plan". I really enjoy my macOS devices and I'm very productive with them, but the law of diminishing returns dictates that I can't continue on with Apple for the long term.

 

[Fishrrman]

Well... you could always "just keep on using it" with the last available update.
I've done that with my older Macs.
No problems.

 

[ian87w]

I'm in this boat as well. My plan is simple.

Browser: use Brave/Edge as primary default browser.
Apps: the Mac app store is smart enough to download the latest supported version for the OS. Eg. even now, Pages etc on High Sierra are already not the latest version.

I think that's about it. The internet browser is the most critical app as it's our main windows to the internet, so that's the one app that I really want to not be left behind. The rest, I don't think it matters much, until developers of the apps that you want stop supporting the OS. Eg some games now have Mojave as the min requirement.

If all else fails, Windows 10 it is.

 

[grwren]

Thank you all very much for your replies, they are helpful & appreciated. First, a little background, I'm pretty new to the Mac world and the machine is a late 2009 iMac I inherited from wife several months back when she got a new one (that's how we work it, she gets new stuff, I get the old stuff and keep it running for ?? years). I spent several weeks cleaning it up and learning the basics about it and High Sierra. It seems to be working very well and since I'm a pretty light user (compared to a lot of others I suspect) it is plenty fast enough for my use and most of, all like it!

As I understand it High Sierra is as high as a late 2009 (and I think up to about 2012 or so) can go because both Mojave and Catlina require considerably more power to run and anything that old or older are not really good candidates for them. I'm ok with that because I like HS but that leaves no security updates. However, I'm not so sure I really need to worry about that so much because, again, as I understand it, macos's are not as prone to security breaches as say windows 7, etc. As for browsers i'm currently I'm using Chrome, playing w/new Chrome based Egde (and I like it!) but researching other browers as well. No one mentioned 3rd party security, is it not needed?

Anyway, I went through this same thing last year with my old HP win7 laptop that wouldn't run win10 so I made it a Linux machine. And I like it! But, I'm not so sure I want or need to go that far with this imac or if I did, how I'd do it, replace HS w/Linux, dual boot, ext. drive, Virtualbox/Linux, etc.

So, as of now that's where I am. Thanks again to you all for your input!

 

[Loyola]

I am in the same situation. The plan was to buy a new iMac this year but I want to wait for a 2nd generation ARM. The only reason I need an updated OS is to use Citrix Workspace. I have had issues running it under an unsupported OS. I have been trying to get Windows 10 to work on my 2010 iMac but I am still having issues. The other day I installed Debian (Linux) using VirtualBox. Citrix works well so far. This is my back up plan should I still have issues with Windows 10. My only concerns are that Debian under VirtualBox runs hot and I need to figure out how to use 2 monitors.

 

[Euroamerican]

I'm kind of hoping that my "out", if I decide not to buy any further "OSX/MacOS" computers, is something that runs iOS/iPadOS as a home base for my iDevice information. I, my family and relatives are all on iOS phones now, so the urge to keep the synergies of sharing activities and communication (and support tasks for the less IT-inclined) to the iOS world are strong motivators to not just jump ship. We'll see what arrives for a next "iTunes for Windows" solution.

 

[bpeeps]

I am in the same situation. The plan was to buy a new iMac this year but I want to wait for a 2nd generation ARM. The only reason I need an updated OS is to use Citrix Workspace. I have had issues running it under an unsupported OS. I have been trying to get Windows 10 to work on my 2010 iMac but I am still having issues. The other day I installed Debian (Linux) using VirtualBox. Citrix works well so far. This is my back up plan should I still have issues with Windows 10. My only concerns are that Debian under VirtualBox runs hot and I need to figure out how to use 2 monitors.

2nd gen arm is 2 to 3 years down the line. Will your 2010 make it another 3 years or should you upgrade now? Waiting for technology is a pretty bad habit to get into because tech advances at a rate far faster than our needs for new devices. Keep that in mind. There will always be something better than what you currently have.

 

[Loyola]

2nd gen arm is 2 to 3 years down the line. Will your 2010 make it another 3 years or should you upgrade now? Waiting for technology is a pretty bad habit to get into because tech advances at a rate far faster than our needs for new devices. Keep that in mind. There will always be something better than what you currently have.

Typically I don’t wait and buy when I want or need. It isn’t about waiting for something better. I don’t want a first the 1st generation of any product. Since we don’t know how long Apple will support intel computers, I am not sure if I want to get one now.

 

[grwren]

The other day I installed Debian (Linux) using VirtualBox. Citrix works well so far.

Interesting, I'm considering VirtualBox & Linux Mint! Is your 2010 imac a dual or quad core & how much ram does it have? If it's dual core was there much of a performance impact, if any? My 2009 is only dual core w/8gb and I was having some concerns about it's capability of running VituralBox 6.1 & Linux Mint. So far, from what I've been able to find out, since my usage will be pretty basic computer stuff like email, internet, music, etc., it should be able to well enough. It'd just be nice to hear from some one with something similar. Thanks.

 

[Loyola]

Interesting, I'm considering VirtualBox & Linux Mint! Is your 2010 imac a dual or quad core & how much ram does it have? If it's dual core was there much of a performance impact, if any? My 2009 is only dual core w/8gb and I was having some concerns about it's capability of running VituralBox 6.1 & Linux Mint. So far, from what I've been able to find out, since my usage will be pretty basic computer stuff like email, internet, music, etc., it should be able to well enough. It'd just be nice to hear from some one with something similar. Thanks.

My iMac processor is 3.6GHz Intel Core i5. It has 2 cores. I have 8gb.

I was surprised at how well Citrix worked in the time that I used it. Time will tell if it is a viable option. As I mentioned it did run hot. That is a concern.

 

[avz]

My Late 2008 unibody MacBook runs great with Mojave. I would not say that your iMac is much "weaker" than my MacBook. I use it with FileVault on and it is still very fast, yesterday I used it for a Skype For Business interview and it was great. The key is to be very honest about your usage, basic usage does not require much power at all.

 

[grwren]

My iMac processor is 3.6GHz Intel Core i5. It has 2 cores. I have 8gb.

I was surprised at how well Citrix worked in the time that I used it. Time will tell if it is a viable option. As I mentioned it did run hot. That is a concern.

Specs on mine says it's an E7600, 3.06ghz. I suppose that means it could be an i7 but I don't know, can't find that reference any where. In any case it seems quick enough to consider setting up VirtualBox/Linux Mint. I figure it should be at least as fast if no faster than my hp Win10 laptop w/VB & Linux Mint. It's worth a try.

Just curious, when you say yours runs "hot", how do you determine that? Do you mean physically to the touch or does it fail in some way or shut down?
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My Late 2008 unibody MacBook runs great with Mojave. I would not say that your iMac is much "weaker" than my MacBook. I use it with FileVault on and it is still very fast, yesterday I used it for a Skype For Business interview and it was great. The key is to be very honest about your usage, basic usage does not require much power at all.

I'm glad yours works but being honest about my usage, I don't need to take the chance so I'm going to play it safe and follow what Apples says here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT210190

Thanks.

 

[greenmeanie]

Just use UbuntuMate with the
Cupertino Layout

Choosing and Changing Panel Layouts: Ubuntu MATE 18.04

One of the quickest ways to change the look and feel of Ubuntu MATE is to select a different panel layout using MATE Tweak which is found in the Ubuntu MATE menus at Menu ▸ Control Center ▸ MATE Tweak. Each panel layout is distinctive and provides a different desktop workflow. From the main...

ubuntu-mate.community

It is the closest you will come to running MacOS on linux.

Interesting, I'm considering VirtualBox & Linux Mint! Is your 2010 imac a dual or quad core & how much ram does it have? If it's dual core was there much of a performance impact, if any? My 2009 is only dual core w/8gb and I was having some concerns about it's capability of running VituralBox 6.1 & Linux Mint. So far, from what I've been able to find out, since my usage will be pretty basic computer stuff like email, internet, music, etc., it should be able to well enough. It'd just be nice to hear from some one with something similar. Thanks.

 

[Lankyman]

2nd gen arm is 2 to 3 years down the line. Will your 2010 make it another 3 years or should you upgrade now? Waiting for technology is a pretty bad habit to get into because tech advances at a rate far faster than our needs for new devices. Keep that in mind. There will always be something better than what you currently have.

Given it’s been reported there will be two more Intel iterations of the iMac, I suspect a second generation ARM iMac to be at least 5/6 years away.

 

[pldelisle]

I would simply use Linux on it. Ubuntu 20.04 or CentOS. I don’t like Mint interface. ElementaryOS and ZorinOS very macOS-like. Maybe you will check them out. These OS will be more secure than an old, unsupported version of macOS.

No need to wait for 2nd gen ARM I think. 2nd gen ARM as appeared with A7, first 64 bit at Apple. 3rd gen was A10 with big.LITTLE architecture. Apple is well established in ARM cpus since a long time.

 

[Loyola]

I would simply use Linux on it. Ubuntu 20.04 or CentOS. I don’t like Mint interface. ElementaryOS and ZorinOS very macOS-like. Maybe you will check them out. These OS will be more secure than an old, unsupported version of macOS.

I tried Ubuntu 20.04 before I selected Debian. Ubuntu kept crashing and I couldn’t figure out how to install Citrix Workspace.
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Specs on mine says it's an E7600, 3.06ghz. I suppose that means it could be an i7 but I don't know, can't find that reference any where. In any case it seems quick enough to consider setting up VirtualBox/Linux Mint. I figure it should be at least as fast if no faster than my hp Win10 laptop w/VB & Linux Mint. It's worth a try.

Just curious, when you say yours runs "hot", how do you determine that? Do you mean physically to the touch or does it fail in some way or shut down?

Based on a google search it looks like you have a late 2009 iMac with a 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.

I started using Macs Fan Control earlier this year because Citrix Workspace runs warm. When I use Debian it gets to 65 to 70 C if I don’t run the program.

I try to use the program only when necessary.

 

[Lankyman]

Given that Microsoft can support Windows XP for twenty years, Windows 7 eleven years, then Apple’s quite frankly paltry three years support for High Sierra is just plain embarrassing.

 

[pldelisle]

Given that Microsoft can support Windows XP for twenty years, Windows 7 eleven years, then Apple’s quite frankly paltry three years support for High Sierra is just plain embarrassing.

It’s not the samething at all. Apple is a rolling release. Microsoft was more waterfall release. Even the firsts windows 10 release are not supported anymore and must be upgraded to latest build.

And this way Apple can concentrate more devs on newer software.

 

[Lankyman]

It’s not the samething at all. Apple is a rolling release. Microsoft was more waterfall release. Even the firsts windows 10 release are not supported anymore and must be upgraded to latest build.

And this way Apple can concentrate more devs on newer software.

Yes, and you can install the latest build of Windows 10 on pretty ancient hardware. Back to you.

 

[USB3foriMac]

Specs on mine says it's an E7600, 3.06ghz. I suppose that means it could be an i7 but I don't know, can't find that reference any where.

Not sure what you mean by "anywhere"??? Ever tried using Google? Google search E7600

So it's a Core 2 Duo, 2 core (2 thread).
I have an old Lenovo thinkpad with that, running both Windows 10 and Linux Mint 20, both systems run perfectly fine with 3GB RAM (Max for this machine) and a 256GB SSD. Once again, the SSD makes a difference, in case you don't have one.

The fist of my 2011 iMacs is now also running Linux Mint 20, since the release end last month. 8GB RAM, i7. Running Catalina in VirtualBox, haha. No need to upgrade graphics ;-) Some issues still under VirtualBox 6.1.10, but 6.1.12 alreaddy released, haven't updated yet. Since I only need MacOS for my picture collection, this might be the way to go for me.

 

[grwren]

Not sure what you mean by "anywhere"??? Ever tried using Google? Google search E7600

I did google it, some. That'show I found this site, https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...uo-3.06-27-inch-aluminum-late-2009-specs.html. I didn't see an i7 reference "anywhere" in there. Admittedly, I didn't look much but frankly I don't really care if it's an i5 or i7, it works, it works pretty well, it's fast enough for me (except for initial boot up can be a little slow, but I just go get more coffee) and that's all that matters to me.

I'm just trying to keep it running for a while longer and as long as it's running the way it is I'm going to leave it alone except for, as I mentioned earlier, possibly exploring the best method for me to run Linux Mint. I've considered just dual booting, using refind or booting from an ext. usb hdd, which I occasionally do now. I'm now considering VirtualBox as I have some experience running VB/Linux on an hp Win 10 laptop and other than it being a little slow sometimes it's ok too. I may one day look into replacing the hdd with an ssd but we'll see.

I any case, as it seems we've gotten a bit off track here, my initial intent of asking about "Life after High Sierra" was just to try and determine if there might be any significant increase security risk if I continue to use High Sierra. As of now I'm not going to worry too much about it!

Anyway, thanks for your input!

 

[TwoH]

I did google it, some. That'show I found this site, https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...uo-3.06-27-inch-aluminum-late-2009-specs.html. I didn't see an i7 reference "anywhere" in there. Admittedly, I didn't look much but frankly I don't really care if it's an i5 or i7, it works, it works pretty well, it's fast enough for me (except for initial boot up can be a little slow, but I just go get more coffee) and that's all that matters to me.

There are two models of 2009 27" - a C2D model, and an i5/i7 model.
With the pins being different on these model CPUs too - you can't swap a C2D for an i5/i7 and vice versa.

 

[||\||]

Security concerns are mainly overblown on Macs. They don't really get viruses. Malware is pretty easy to avoid. Just use your head and keep moving forward on HS. Hardware will likely begin to fail in the next couple of years anyway.

 

[grwren]

There are two models of 2009 27" - a C2D model, and an i5/i7 model.
With the pins being different on these model CPUs too - you can't swap a C2D for an i5/i7 and vice versa.

Well, I guess I've just got a plain old run-of-the-mill C2D and I'll just have to live continue to with it! 😊 As I said earlier, I don't really care, it seems to be working just fine and is plenty fast enough for my limited needs. Thanks for the clarification.
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Security concerns are mainly overblown on Macs. They don't really get viruses. Malware is pretty easy to avoid. Just use your head and keep moving forward on HS. Hardware will likely begin to fail in the next couple of years anyway.

That's about the conclusion I've come too, I'm just going to move on and not worry about it too much! Thanks.