Quicken 2007 May Run on OS X Lion, Even With Rosetta Dead

[NERunner]

Rosetta debuted when, January 2006?

Users (the few that relied on Rosetta) have had over 5 years to upgrade their software or transition to an alternative.

5 years, people. 60 months.

That's really all that needs to be said.

Yes, this is true, but the fact remains that a robust, full-featured personal finance program still does not exist for the Mac operating system.

 

[marmotton]

$ Opportunity for smart developer out there

Instead of developing an acceptable version they want to hack a version that is almost 5 years old to work? That is ridiculous. Quicken Essentials for Mac definitely shows whats little effort they put towards developing for the Mac community. At this point I would buy Microsoft Money if it was made for the Mac before giving my money to Intuit to only be told "Go F Yourself" in return.

I think there is a huge opportunity for a smart developer to take the market for the entire Mac platform. Quicklen is so bad that it should be easy to crush.

What the new app though needs is
1. the converter to seeminglessly and reliably transfer legacy quicken files to the new format.
2. Simple, high usability data entry
3. portfolio tracking with automated EOD daily quote updates and performance tracking that works (as opposed to Quicken's which does not)

The rest is gravy. IMOO

But feel free to add/edit

 

[*LTD*]

Yes, this is true, but the fact remains that a robust, full-featured personal finance program still does not exist for the Mac operating system.

Is there enough demand for it? I'm guessing a lot depends on that, though there might be other reasons. There is certainly no shortage of development for OS X.

 

[marmotton]

I think this is a cop out.
To my experience, Rosetta never impaired Intel performance. Yes, Rosetta emulation was slower than native, but that is the price you pay. Merely having Rosetta installed made no difference.

Many utilities exist to strip out PPC code from Universal apps as well so save space.

Make it an optional install, and those us of with no legacy apps can run Lion and those who depend on legacy apps may run Lion with Rosetta.

That's very accurate: you don't even realize in Snow Leopard when you are runing legacy PPC code. Now that I am running Lion, I suddenly can see which applications were still PPC and let me tell you, I had no idea. Rosetta is totally seamless in its present implementation and that's going to create a lot of bad surprises for people who migrate to Lion without realizing they are still using these legacy applications. There is nothing in the Lion install that warns you about that, at least as of Dev Prev 4.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Is there enough demand for it? I'm guessing a lot depends on that, though there might be other reasons. There is certainly no shortage of development for OS X.

Yes, there is.

Everybody (not just here) is complaining, reviewers, people with older Quicken versions.

It seems that no developer keeps up with changing requests by users.

Because of Quicken frustration, I tested:

iBank 4
Everything you enter requires a lot of clicking. Some obstructed vieWs
requires window moving.
Apps that are too mouse happy shouldn't be out there.
Return and enter to confirm what I want to do is a MUST.
Not having to click a plus sign.

Reading reviews and consumer blogs, they promise a lot , but then don't do it!

They do have a trial version!

SeeFinance New kid on the block

First impression:

Promising, imported Quicken files easily.
Instead of a trial version you can use it , but will have a 5 second splash window delay and being asked to register until you do.

At 29.99 intro worth a try.

Steps
-------
Export Quicken file to desktop or whatever location
Import into SEE Finance

worked well and without mistakes.

No preferences enabled to view ALL transaction types in an ALL transactions list view window. Maybe not critical if autofill works.

Entering info also too mouse happy (pull down menu, but at least a lot can be done via the keyboard.

I need some more working experience with it in order to be fair to developer.

Potential good.

Again, yes, there is a market, but nobody has stepped up yet to do it right for the MAC.

 

[KnightWRX]

And this highlights why Quicken is such a terrible software company.

Why did they waste time on a custom-built database engine when there are several around that can work for them just as well?

Because that's how you did things in the 80s and 90s. A lot of these codebases dateback to darker years of IT/Programming where we (software developers, IT administrators) just didn't have access to things like SQLite, MySQL or other database engines on the cheap with a capacity to bundle them with our products or where doing so would cause serious performance penalties (remember, back then, we had computers with CPU clock speeds ranging from low single digit MHZ to low hundreds of MHZ, 1 core, less than 100 MB of RAM).

The problem is very much that Intuit sat on their laurels and never put any effort into updating the App. Moving it to Core Data, Cocoa, would have guaranteed that it would have just built for Intel back when the tools were released in 2005-2006. That would've required some work on the App though, not just shipping their outdated PPC code-base.

And this is why Apple can't keep transitional technologies around. Developers are lazy. You can deprecate APIs all you want, no one will move away if you keep patching them, Q&Aing them and making sure they work.

 

[moderately]

starting to look for alternatives

I inherited my first version of Quicken and kept it years longer than I thought I should. When I finally upgraded to Q07 I was shocked at how little the feature set had improved. Don't plan on sending them anymore money. Glad I spent as little as I did with them.

 

[castlema]

Besides the many other options like moving to another application, iOS app, or using the modern Quicken Windows version, just spend $50 bucks to purchase an old iMac and run Quicken on that.

I still have a few OS 9 applications I use regularly and a slide scanner whose software only runs with 10.4. I'm still using my G5 as my main machine because I can't afford new hardware so I guess I'll just stick with it. I am using Quicken 2006 and it does what I need it to do.

 

[nennew]

Quicken is not taking care of thier Mac customers!

Quicken 2007 for Mac works quite well. I've got ~15 years worth of Quicken data, all on the Mac, and I've upgraded to every viable version that Intuit has put forth. I say "viable" because I refused to downgrade my capabilities by using that POS they call Essentials (which it's not!). So, no, Quicken is not a farce on the Mac, but you need a decent version.

C'mon, Intuit, step up and create an Intel-based, fully functional version of Quicken for Mac 2012! Enough pu55y-footing around, bite the bullet, serve your Mac customers properly, and port the code!

I agree with the guy above. Intuit needs to build a full feature Quicken for the Mac. It has been five years since they updated it. I wonder if there is a good mac substitute for Turbo Tax? Send Intuit a strong message by dumping them completely.

 

[doctor-don]

If they're not willing to update their app (with all features) for Rosetta-free Lion then they definitely don't deserve their users' money.

We are referring to people who already own Quicken and don't want to have to buy a new version to satisfy the requirements of Lion.

I have the same problem with AppleWorks since the database won't import into one of the Apple products. And what is available won't use my data. I would have to enter everything again. What a waste of time!

 

[doctor-don]

I think there is a huge opportunity for a smart developer to take the market for the entire Mac platform. Quicklen is so bad that it should be easy to crush.

What the new app though needs is
1. the converter to seeminglessly and reliably transfer legacy quicken files to the new format.
2. Simple, high usability data entry
3. portfolio tracking with automated EOD daily quote updates and performance tracking that works (as opposed to Quicken's which does not)

The rest is gravy. IMOO

But feel free to add/edit

seamlessly?

 

[NAG]

I have the same problem with AppleWorks since the database won't import into one of the Apple products. And what is available won't use my data. I would have to enter everything again. What a waste of time!

Eh?

 

[blue22]

ain't that the truth...

... And this is why Apple can't keep transitional technologies around. Developers are lazy. You can deprecate APIs all you want, no one will move away if you keep patching them, Q&Aing them and making sure they work.

Bingo!

I know it's tough to move on, but it's not like Quicken for the Mac was the best software for it's purpose, so this depreciation in OSX 10.7 is probably for the best, warts and all, and maybe, just maybe, this will force Intuit to put out a better product for the Mac platform sooner rather than later. Or at least this transition will inspire some developers to create their own software that successfully addresses a majority of the concerns/bugs/limitations of the current Quicken alternatives presently available.

*fingers crossed*

 

[ten-oak-druid]

These software companies new Rosetta wouldn't last forever. They should have been developing new versions in preparation.

 

[Thunderhawks]

I still have a few OS 9 applications I use regularly and a slide scanner whose software only runs with 10.4. I'm still using my G5 as my main machine because I can't afford new hardware so I guess I'll just stick with it. I am using Quicken 2006 and it does what I need it to do.

Did you try VUESCAN for your scanner?
Runs almost anything and if not e-mail Ed Hamrick and you get a fast response about what he can do.
You may help others.

 

[MackyMoto]

1 Programmer?

Intuit has totally ignored their Mac faithful for a decade or more. Windows users always got new versions of Quicken first and the Windows versions always had more features. I don't see Intuit changing course now. I mean really? Intuit has said for nearly 5 years that they will have a Mac upgrade soon. Then they came out with Quicken Essentials (QE)... please, what a joke. And since then they have admitted that QE is lacking features, but don't worry we're working on upgrading it. WHEN? Intuit, do you have like 1 programmer working part-time on the project?

Lion is now just around the corner and it will not include Rosetta, therefore Quicken 2007 will not run. So what is Intuit's solution? To patch Q2007!! What's the deal? Are you guys on the verge of bankruptcy and just can't afford programmers or is it that you never have cared about your loyal Mac user base and never will? Seems to me you only do the bare minimum to keep us all hanging on for that distant point in the future when (if you have some spare time to work on it) you release a legitimate Mac upgrade.

Financial software is not an easy thing to change, it's a time consuming hassle. That's why I (and apparently lots of others) have hung on so long - waiting, and waiting.

When Lion comes out I'm moving over to iBank4 and I won't be looking back.

Intuit, if you REALLY care about the Mac market, you better get your act together, NOW!

 

[xraydoc]

Intuit, if you REALLY care about the Mac market, you better get your act together, NOW!

They don't.

 

[Swift]

I haven't used any version since 2003

The bank web sites began to be competent. You can pay bills from the bank's site, and used a tool like mint.com to keep track of all your accounts and budgeting. I used to use Quicken to balance my check book. Ho-hum.

 

[Plutonius]

So if Apple can build in Rosetta to a single application why not just leave it system wide?

Seems like it's creating issues for absolutely no real benefit.

Read the story again. Intuit is trying to modify their code using help (i.e. consultation) from Apple. Intuit is also unsure if their code changes will work in the end.

I agree with many posters. Intuit should just re-write / compile the code for the Intel processor instead of trying this bandaid approach.

 

[mac9000]

Hack Rosetta onto Lion? CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Ok not really, I'm staying at 10.5.8 Leopard.

 

[Fraaaa]

What is wrong with you people? This may in fact be the only option Intuit has that makes any kind of business sense. It's called legacy software, and it's expensive to maintain. They're not going to make any new money off this product, and the conversion costs could very well be insane.

They have a path going forward with a new code base. It may not be going well enough for you, but it's nice they're coming up with a solution for the old software at all.

I'm sorry but whatever businness supports legacy software are just developing their own future dead software.

 

[neuromajor]

Gee, thanks Intiut...

At least there is discussion of options. Porting the Windows version over is probably a better choice - at least the feature set will be the same...

 

[blue22]

Speaking of Quicken alternatives...

Personally, I'm still on the fence on which of the following Mac-based "Quicken killers" to use, though I'm currently leaning between choosing iBank4 or MoneyWell to give a good go with soon.

I haven't found a solid comprehensive list online yet addressing the issue so I wanted to ask MacRumors folks what they think are the main pros & cons for each of the following software listed below?

SIDE NOTE: I saw that a few of you have already posted some pros/cons of a few Quicken alternatives and I'd like to take that a set further and get some more feedback on using those finance applications; and hopefully as a result of all of this will help all of us to each individually determine what's the best software to use (currently) for each of our individual personal finance needs. And ideally you have first-hand experience using the particular software you're commenting on to make your shared /insights.

So, here's the current list I'm looking to get the Pros vs. Cons feedback on (in alphabetical order) but feel free to add any other notable finance software that has been overlooked:


- iBank4 (specifically this version)
- Liquid Ledger
- MoneyDance
- MoneyWell
- SEE Finance
- YNAB

Try to keep the following in mind when sharing your assessment:

1) How user friendly is the GUI?
2) How reliable is the reconcile feature of the application?
3) How well does it import .QIF's, and importing data in general?
4) How flexible are the tools? (i.e. does it offer good features such as split transfers, investment tracking, multiple accounts management, check printing, etc...)
5) Does it have a mobile app version? How well does it work overall?
6) How robust is the reporting?
7) How good is it's customer support?
8) Overall quality using the software? Main Pro vs. Con?


Even if you only just have personal experience with one or two of the software listed above (or one that's been overlooked) the info/insight you share would be invaluable to everyone as a worthwhile alternative to using Quicken for the Mac. Many thanks in advance!

 

[ten-oak-druid]

Intuit had no intuition that Rosetta was on its way out?

Time for a name change.

 

[ULFoaf]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

I was able to import 19 years of Quicken data into iBank. It went well. It was from Quicken for Windows 2008. So far, so good. The iBank app for iPhone is excellent for syncing on the go transactions, but no scheduled transactions. Still good.