Not too happy with Sequoia (15.5)

[Levina]

I updated my Mac Mini M2pro from Ventura to Sequoia and I'm not exactly happy with the upgrade.

Here are just three of the things I ran into so far (I just did this).

A major problem is permissions for an external disk that won't allow me to delete files from it from within the Canon DPP app (I opened a thread for that here).

Notifications. I play games sometimes, simple games. I have disabled Game Centre but apparently there is now a "Game Mode" when a game is played in full screen. So when I opened a game I got this notification that I was now in Game Mode with a brief description of what it does. Okay, fine. But then I got the same notification every time I open a game and I was getting really tired of it. I really don't like for an OS to constantly be in my face. Telling me once is quite enough. So I went looking and found a way to disable Game Mode. A sigh of relief. And then I opened a game and got a notification that Game Mode was disabled and that I could enable in the menu. So now I get this notification each and every time I open a game. 😡 If anybody knows a way to disable this I'd be grateful!

I also hate how they buried permission to open software not from Apple or trusted sources in System Preferences. Until now I could open everything from within the warning window, clicking the "open anyway" button. In Sequoia I have to go into System Preferences where that option now resides. Why?! Does Apple think that by burying the option in System Preferences, is going to stop people from opening it?! All it does is adding more steps! 😡

Search within a folder is slower and with external drives connected it literally takes forever. E.g. I export my photos as jpegs to a folder on my internal SSD from where I then upload an image to my forum. There are about 6000 images in that folder. The folder is called "Greens". When I select the folder and then do a search for "birds" it first searches My Mac as it has always done and shows me everything tagged "birds". But I want images in the folder "Greens" so I then select the folder Greens from the window's menu and it shows me a list of images tagged with "birds". Until I updated to Sequoia the list would appear instantly, both on This Mac, as in the folder "Greens". Now it takes 20 seconds to search This Mac on "birds". However, this is without any external disks connected. If I connect the disk with all my photos then the search on This Mac never ends. Or actually , I don't know, I gave up after a minute and a half and clicked on the "Greens" folder. After that the list appeared fairly quickly. Here's what I mean:

So, is it possible to go back to Ventura?

 

[Honza1]

You can control notifications from any application, including Game center, in exhaustively granular way in Notifications in System settings. I assume you can disable even the ones you are seeing. I do not use Game center. But when I am bombarded by any app too much, I disable all notifications from that app and it stops nagging me.

You can give access to any folder/drive to various application in Privacy & Security in Systems settings and if you give write access to your app to the external drive, it will be able to delete the file.

Opening non-Apple, non-App store, non-trusted source software is getting more and more difficult and yes, Apple hopes to prevent users from using it "for our own good". The idea may be that adding enough friction will force authors to get proper certificates and sign properly the software or people will stop using their software. I see the benefit, but there will be edge cases where it is not worth the effort for just few users and these extremely useful tools may disappear. Argument for Apple approach is safety, argument against is user productivity. To be fair, I see this fight happening in business environments where our computers are being more and more limited in the name of security in what these are allowed to do to level when one wonders if business computer is actually worth having.

All of these annoyances we see are added to macOS to tighten controls and prevent abuse and viruses. Apps are allowed only minimum necessary permissions and if you need more, you need to enable more permissions. Thank hackers and virus producers who abuse any opening which is created to do bad things - and which OS companies try to stop. Is it convenient? No. Is it necessary? No idea. Is it here to stay? Yes, likely, very likely...

***

The search you have is broken. You need to rebuild the Spotlight database on the drive. Google how to reset the Spotlight database and do it. I used OnyX to reset mine, but there is easier way which requires no tool. Then leave on long enough to rebuild the index and it should fix the issues you are having. Unluckily, Spotlight does not seem to be too smart to figure out that it needs to rebuild the database on its own. I find it useful to rebuild Spotlight database occasionally, may be every 2-3 months. Takes time, so I do it when convenient not when necessary.

***
Can you downgrade? I do not know, likely. Is it worth it? Not sure, eventually you will need to upgrade and the security is not going to relax. So may be better to deal with it now.

 

[Levina]

You can control notifications from any application, including Game center, in exhaustively granular way in Notifications in System settings. I assume you can disable even the ones you are seeing. I do not use Game center. But when I am bombarded by any app too much, I disable all notifications from that app and it stops nagging me.

I have Game Center disabled altogether, and notifications in System settings are also set to OFF.

But starting a game of chess just now Game Center came calling. I was given a choice: "Choose a different account" or "Use this account". I couldn't even quit the game. So I clicked "Use this account" after which a message appeared, welcoming me to Game Center. There was a logout button and I clicked it. I could then play the game. Question is why Game Center bothers me at all since I have disabled it in System Settings. Before Sequoia you just turned it off and you never saw it again.

The Game mode seems to be something separate though. And you can only turn it off one game at a time.

These games are not listed in System Settings > Notifications

You can give access to any folder/drive to various application in Privacy & Security in Systems settings and if you give write access to your app to the external drive, it will be able to delete the file.

DPP has full disk access but still can't delete any of the images on the external disk. And I have full write and read permissions for the app. Makes no difference.

Opening non-Apple, non-App store, non-trusted source software is getting more and more difficult and yes, Apple hopes to prevent users from using it "for our own good". The idea may be that adding enough friction will force authors to get proper certificates and sign properly the software or people will stop using their software. I see the benefit, but there will be edge cases where it is not worth the effort for just few users and these extremely useful tools may disappear. Argument for Apple approach is safety, argument against is user productivity. To be fair, I see this fight happening in business environments where our computers are being more and more limited in the name of security in what these are allowed to do to level when one wonders if business computer is actually worth having.

All of these annoyances we see are added to macOS to tighten controls and prevent abuse and viruses. Apps are allowed only minimum necessary permissions and if you need more, you need to enable more permissions. Thank hackers and virus producers who abuse any opening which is created to do bad things - and which OS companies try to stop. Is it convenient? No. Is it necessary? No idea. Is it here to stay? Yes, likely, very likely...

To me it's like big brother deciding what's good for me. I don't like it.

***

The search you have is broken. You need to rebuild the Spotlight database on the drive. Google how to reset the Spotlight database and do it. I used OnyX to reset mine, but there is easier way which requires no tool. Then leave on long enough to rebuild the index and it should fix the issues you are having. Unluckily, Spotlight does not seem to be too smart to figure out that it needs to rebuild the database on its own. I find it useful to rebuild Spotlight database occasionally, may be every 2-3 months. Takes time, so I do it when convenient not when necessary.

That's a good suggestion. Thanks.

***
Can you downgrade? I do not know, likely. Is it worth it? Not sure, eventually you will need to upgrade and the security is not going to relax. So may be better to deal with it now.

You can get the security updates without updating the OS itself. But the files of my new camera can't be read by Ventura, which is why I decided to upgrade but I wish I hadn't. AFAIK you could always go back to the OS that was originally installed on your device. Unless that changed, a downgrade should be possible I think.

 

[Honza1]

As far as I can say Game center requires association with Apple account to properly function. If you logged out, it will keep asking you to log in or associate with account. My wife does not seem to be nagged by anything after she logged in. It uses account info to keep your history and sync among devices. Fight this at your own peril.

With respect to installing unsigned apps, Apple is in difficult position. Majority of users are happy to be in "protected" environment where Apple defends them against nasty dangerous internet. Loud minority feels that they should be able to do everything with hardware they own and hates being babysit. I remember times when antivirus was not word we would know or use... System working for both groups is likely impossible to create and manage. Apple chose to be on secure side and we are paying the price and cannot do what we want with our own hardware. I hate that - but man, I myself was happy about the same Apple protections when I gave my children Macs - after they managed to install nasty viruses on their Windows boxes... And they got through high school and university without any more issues!

Big brother is today everywhere. Time of anonymity on line is disappearing, due to companies choice or in some countries laws. You are welcome to fight it and I will hope you succeed. Good luck.

 

[Homy]

I can understand your frustration but the notification for Game Mode disappears by itself after 4-5 seconds so for me it's not more annoying than a regular game logo or startup screen. It disappears before the game itself is even loaded so I haven't even been thinking of disabling it.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Search within a folder is slower and with external drives connected it literally takes forever."

OK, here's some of the best advice you're ever going to get:
Forget about the finder's search function or spotlight. And then...

If you want search tools that WORK, get these two, small, FREE apps:
- EasyFind
and
- Find Any File
(there's really nothing more to be said)

 

[Levina]

"Search within a folder is slower and with external drives connected it literally takes forever."

OK, here's some of the best advice you're ever going to get:
Forget about the finder's search function or spotlight. And then...

If you want search tools that WORK, get these two, small, FREE apps:
- EasyFind
and
- Find Any File
(there's really nothing more to be said)

😂 ❤️

You're so great, Fishrrman. Thank you very much. I will check out the apps!

 

[Levina]

Something else. My disks, both internal and external, are hotter with Sequoia than they have ever been under Ventura.

I had a 2TB connected to the Mac Mini M2Pro but set to inactive. When I came back to the Mac I was surprised that it was hot to the touch. Checking temps in Mac Fans Control, it was 50ºC:

I dread to think what it will rise to under workload.

On Ventura I have never seen that Samsung exceed 38ºC, never. The internal SSD is also hotter under Sequoia.

 

[Levina]

"Search within a folder is slower and with external drives connected it literally takes forever."

OK, here's some of the best advice you're ever going to get:
Forget about the finder's search function or spotlight. And then...

If you want search tools that WORK, get these two, small, FREE apps:
- EasyFind
and
- Find Any File
(there's really nothing more to be said)

I bought Find Any File. Brilliant little app. Thanks again!