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It's fall so I just heard the rumor that a new OS is coming this week. What's this one called?
So far not much discussion. Of course, there is the annual concern if it will break the legacy programs like
FCP 7 and DVD Studio Pro.
Anyone hear anything?

macOS (this is what Apple now calls MacOSX) will be released tomorrow Sept 20th, it is called 'Sierra' version 10.12
Have seen some reports that FCP7 works fine in beta versions, just like current El Capitan (10.11)
Haven't seen anyone reporting on DVDSP but assume will be the level of functionality as current OS.
As always, make sure you are in the middle of your greatest and most expensive movie ever, don't bother with any back-ups and hit the update as soon as possible. (sarcasm)
My guess is that when the new Apple File System (APFS) becomes required, that may break lots of legacy apps. Time to learn FCPX
Hope this helps, Greg

Have pretty much transitioned to FCP X. The legacy that would really be a loss for me is DVDSP4. I have Toast 14 but it doesn't compare.
When does the new Apple File System (APFS) happen?
Thanks for the info.

Oops guess I should have also included that Sierra will drop support for a few older mac models.
Here is Apple's info on Sierra… [www.apple.com]
This is the official support, not what is actually possible with some hacks. (I was running Maverick on MP1.1 (2006) after upgrades and hacks, not supported by Apple but ran fine till MP logic board died)
Also last couple of years it has been OS X not MacOSX (was that too at one time) Sorry old school, remember when it was System Software 2 and up.
Apple will be introducing the new file system APFS most likely in macOS 10.13 in 2017, but not clear if it will be required to switch file system as part of OS upgrade, or if Apple will continue optional support for older HFS+ for several years.
I actually like what I have read about the new APFS and believe it will open up new abilities on Apple products. APFS will unify much of the file system between all Apple OSs; macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS.
Way too much info on the Web if you are interested.
Of course FCP Suite legacy apps are all now not supported, so some things/features/whole apps are breaking under newer OS.
Hope this helps, Greg

Well, Greg, I have a mid-2011 iMac so it appears that I'll be OK in that regard.
As far as legacy apps, I'll just ask around over the next couple of months.
Thanks again,
Phil

I'll Google exactly what it is after I write this post, but why does APFS even need to be a thing? I don't need to unify my watch/phone etc. And even if I did, what does the file system have to do with it? If the OS can be programmed to read and write mounted discs in a bunch of different formats (NTFS, HFS+, FAT32, exFAT etc etc etc) I think that would be all it needs to do. APFS would need to help the actual structure of the disc and the operating sstem that resided on it. I am not impressed with the iOS and despite using both a Mac and an iPhone I am not an Apple fanboy. I have the iPhone because that's what my girlfriend has and I get her hand-me-downs. There's nothing impressive about the iOS or the phones themselves and I don't feel the need to merge them with my desktop OS. The biggest feature I appreciate, though, is being able to text from my desktop. I think I can make phone calls from it as well (haven't investigated yet). I don't really see what more unification could do for me. I don't do any work on my phone (ug). Importing any videos I may take on the phone into FCPX is already stupid easy. About the only thing I would like is using iOS apps on my Mac with a mouse instead of a touch screen interface. But does the entire file system need to be updated for that?
OK now I'll Google exactly what APFS brings to the table. I just had to write an uninformed post about it before I did such a thing. Because this is the internet after all. :)

Hi Joe
Hope you do read up on APFS. I think it is a vast improvement over HFS+ a 30 year old file system built in the era or floppy drives.
Ever see a spinning beach ball of death? APFS may end that altogether.
Ever run out of storage space on a drive because you divided it into partitions and one of the partitions ran out of space but the other partitions still have plenty of empty space, not with APFS which supports dynamic allocation of space.
Want to save enormous amounts of space while making a snapshot or clone (much like FCPX does but system wide) that is part of APFS.
Ever loose files due to a crash or power issue while writing/saving a document/video/quiting an application? No longer with APFS write on copy process.
Want to collaborate with others with nanosecond accuracy? Yep should be possible.
Fast and easy encryption? O yeah!
This is only part of what APFS promises. I remember when Apple was supporting ZFS around the PPC to Intel changes. At that time the hdds were just too slow to take advantage of what ZFS could do. APFS brings the advantages of ZFS to the modern age.
As far as unifying the file system between various Apple OSs it is more about data integrity, not getting messed up files and vastly reducing the overhead while translating files from one device to another. This will also improve iCloud syncing and Handoff. Should make all platforms faster and better.
Lots of other goodies which relate to new underlying frameworks and libraries already being built into Apple's eco-system.
Here are some fairly good articles to start with. The overall unifying theme is that almost everyone involved in providing Mac services is supportive.
A simple overview… [www.cultofmac.com]
A slightly better simple overview… [www.pcmag.com]
Back Blaze's is an internet back-up service take on this…
[www.backblaze.com] They run lots of servers!! This is very good for them.
A very in depth article by Adam Leventhal and recreated by ArsTechnica…[arstechnica.com]
Lots of other info.
What more can I say? The biggest downfall will be incompatibility if you try to open files created under APFS in older OSs that will not support APFS. I also wonder if old unsupported apps will be compatible, I think not. Maybe good bye legacy apps. Don't know for sure, but so many things will change and older apps often have code that restricts file/library structure that I can easily see issues. But what do I know?
Still I look forward to a faster, more secure Mac that won't mess up my files.
Happy computing!
Greg

Greg,
Maybe a naive question but will access to the media WD storage drives I use be adversely affected? To boil it down to the simplest level: not being able to access media in an FCP timeline?
Thanks,
Phil

Hi Phil
Assume here you mean will Sierra be able to access files on WD external drives(?)
There are some threads about Sierra having some issues with recognizing USB drives. Seagate seems more affected, but have seen some WD drive issues as well. Might be related to WD 'Turbo' driver software. Most have been able to resolve the issue by removing the Turbo driver and relaunching. WD also is supposed to have new firmware available on their website that is Sierra compatible.
Haven't checked or heard about Seagate. Might be the NTFS driver??
So best thing is to use caution with any update.
I would be even more cautious if using 3rd party software/plugins. Make sure everything is compatible with Sierra. Seems some Audio plugins are having issues.
Would check compatibility if using any connected hardware too.
If possible install Sierra on a separate drive/partition and take for a spin.
Finally, whenever you do install, Sierra takes a very long time to fully index and analyze all the files. Lots of new stuff under the hood. This is especially true for Photos and I imagine video as well. Long time and very processor intensive, possibly days long.
Some reports of people experiencing slow responding computers and since Siri is dependent on a full Spotlight index, Siri is pretty stupid till the process finishes. Then folks seem fine with the update.
Hope this helps, Greg

One last thing (Ghost of Steve Jobs unintended) ;)
There is already a developer update for Sierra 10.12.1 out, so expect a public update soon.
Happy Computing!
Greg

All the more reason to not rush into it.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
But thanks for the info.

Thanks for the post, Greg. It does indeed seem like APFS has its advantages.

Update on Sierra
Seems Sierra is doing some weird things to FCPX.
Return of the Timecode display bug. Window has lines in it and the window is misaligned.
More troubling is some various parameters within effects seem to be broken. Text drop shadows are glitchy. Other text parameters are breaking. Trying to change these parameters results in unstable or unusable text features.
Resolution of second monitors may be broken.
Many 3rd party effects are broken.
Make sure to update FX Factory app. SugarFX plug-ins broken. Audio plug-ins may be broken.
Effects created in Motion can have issues.
Some info windows behaving weird.
Clean install and trashing preferences may resolve some but possibly not all issues.
In other areas
USB and indexing issues are happening.
Reports of Logitech mice and cursor control issues. Jumpy and erratic cursor.
If using any USB devices check for Sierra compatibility or driver updates.
Check for software updates as well.
Reports that CS5 and 6 breaking under Sierra with Adobe telling users to upgrade to CC. No promise to fix if you own the apps.
Recommend to wait to upgrade OS.
Me, down to 1 editing computer and mid project. Not upgrading soon. Will eventually load on external ssd and give it a run.
However, iOS 10 seems fine for me.
Hope this helps, Greg

Thanks for the warning.
I don't have Sierra yet but did update Fx Factory because their tech support said it would work with El Capitan.
However, I got the Timecode display bug which I never had before. Also, Andy's Transitions (Swish Dissolve and Swish Pan)
totally broke down giving me black frames and blocky video. Trashing Preferences only was a temporary fix so I discarded them and reported it to Fx Factory tech support.

The good news is that means there will likely be an update coming soon. Whether that's an update to FCPX or the Mac OS itself remains to be seen. I'm betting they can fix these issues with an update to either.

They better.

An update to FCPX? I'm not holding my breath.
Mitchell Rose
[www.mitchellrose.com] (pretty funny films)

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