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Apple Users: Any word on which Word Processors work in 64-bit mode?

Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

Despite patching iOS, iPadOS and Catalina 10.14 on a daily basis, Apple just released Catalina 10.15 Beta, the point at which ALL our legacy 32-bit software ceases functioning.

So far, none of the versions of M$ Word passes the 64-bit test, though admittedly I haven't tried them under the beta environment. Has anyone heard whether any Word Processor is ready for the eventual cut-off date? Either Word, Open Office or even Pages (last I heard, they're really behind the 8-ball on this)!

I'm dying to use my iPad Pro as an extension of my Mac, using my Apple Pencil as a alternate mouse, but NOT if I've got to start writing in Notepad or TextEdit! :(

PlaysWithWires ๐Ÿšซ

@Vincent Berg

Libre Office looks to be 64bit, available direct or it's in the Mac app store.

(I dont't use Mac myself)

Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

@Vincent Berg

From the Apple menu select 'about this Mac'. In the about box click on 'System Report...'

In the system report window, click Applications in the left hand column.

It will scan your computer (about a minute) and reports back. The right hand most column is about 64bitness. If yes, then it's 64bit compatible.

Pages 8.1 (out now) is 64 bit as well as LibreOffice. Scrivener is. TextEdit is.

I don't have Word, but I highly doubt that MS will be too late to the 64bit party with their office365.

Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

I don't have Word, but I highly doubt that MS will be too late to the 64bit party with their office365.

I have the MS Office products. All of them have a "yes" under the 64 bit column. Including the Microsoft AutoUpdater which updates them.

So does Calibre.

As does my Brother printer/copier/fax, photo viewer, HTML editor (CotEdit), and jigsaw puzzle app.

In fact, it's easier to go down the list looking for "no." My "no"s were:

ControlCenter
InkServer
LOGIONServer
NETServer
quicklook 32
Remotesetup
USBserver

I have no idea what those are. I wonder if the ControlCenter has something to do with my Brother printer, but not sure since the Brother applications had a "yes." InkServer sounds like it could be a printer app as well.

So, Crumbly, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@Lazeez Jiddan (Webmaster)

Yeah, I've been observing the various apps with 64, now renamed "Go64". The problem is, while most programs are 64 bit, many like Word, have various components which aren't, and so far, no one's sure whether those apps will fly or not come ... yesterday.

While Pages is a (cough, cough) fine Word Processor, is doesn't support Styles the way the other WPs do, which affects publishing to other sources. Guess I can switch to LibreOffice. So far, Word for Mac has a nasty habit of randomly deleting dozens of user defined bookmarks, while completely abandoning graphic title support (it no longer builds linkable TOCs from those elements), and it's not looking like they'll ever support it, as it's NOT a widely used feature (I'm the only writer I know who uses them).

Switch, the list of non-compliant 64-bit apps is fairly extensive.

Replies:   Switch Blayde
Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@Vincent Berg

Switch, the list of non-compliant 64-bit apps is fairly extensive.

My list?

I think a lot of them have to do with my Brother printer/fax/copier. I checked the Brother site and it seems there are downloads for Catalina, but I'll wait until I update to Catalina before downloading them.

It seems the printer will work without downloading the 64-bit software. The software is used to do stuff from the computer (e.g., ControlCenter).

Goldfisherman ๐Ÿšซ

I have Linux Office with Linuxwriter in Linux mint 64 running in a dozen 64 bit PC's and 4 MacBook variations running Linux mint 64 Version 18, 18.3, 19.0,19.1, and 19.2 they are all running 64 bit linuxWriter just fine. they will also read and write doc and docx 64 bit.

Keet ๐Ÿšซ

Goldfisherman mentioned "Linuxwriter". Since I never heard of it I looked it up but it doesn't seem to exist so I assume he meant LibreOffice.
More importantly while doing the search I ran into two other programs that might be useful for some authors:
GhostWriter, a markdown editor. Outputs the .md format which is supported by SOL. Available for Windows and Linux.
Secondly Joplin, a good note-taking program available for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. It's so complete that it's possible to create different notebooks (notice the word 'books'!), supports the markdown format and has facilities for synchronizing with various cloud storages. It's like a markdown editor for stories encapsulated in a book manager.

Michael Loucks ๐Ÿšซ

@Vincent Berg

So far, none of the versions of M$ Word passes the 64-bit test, though admittedly I haven't tried them under the beta environment. Has anyone heard whether any Word Processor is ready for the eventual cut-off date? Either Word, Open Office or even Pages (last I heard, they're really behind the 8-ball on this)!

All of the Apple apps are up-to-date, and so is Office365. I'm using them (along with Scrivener) on the beta of Catalina with no issues. In fact, the only issues I've run into are games which are likely never to be updated.

A useful free program which can help you sort this out (including finding updates, etc) is Go64. It'll even give you a rough estimate of upgrade costs for many apps.

Replies:   Vincent Berg
Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@Michael Loucks

All of the Apple apps are up-to-date, and so is Office365. I'm using them (along with Scrivener) on the beta of Catalina with no issues. In fact, the only issues I've run into are games which are likely never to be updated.

Again, that's only the main application, however the Officer365 apps rely on various components which aren't 64-bit (according to most online comments). When you eventually switch over to Catalina, it may or may not actually work. Thus it's best to wait and check the comments to see whether the app actually works when Catalina is release.

That's why Go64 is so handy (it's also a free download), it flags which apps are fully compliant, which are only partially compliant, as well as providing links to both the Apple updates and the creator's update site, so you can check for later updates not yet accepted by Apple.

Replies:   Michael Loucks
Michael Loucks ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

@Vincent Berg

Again, that's only the main application, however the Officer365 apps rely on various components which aren't 64-bit (according to most online comments). When you eventually switch over to Catalina, it may or may not actually work. Thus it's best to wait and check the comments to see whether the app actually works when Catalina is release.

Didja read what I wrote and you quoted?

I'm using them on the beta of Catalina.

That post was made from Catalina (as is this on). They work. All of them. I use them on a daily basis. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers, Keynote. Plus all my other apps, including Discord, Scrivener, Firefox, etc.

There's no 'eventually' - I'm there already and they work.

Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ

@Michael Loucks

There's no 'eventually' - I'm there already and they work.

Thanks. That takes a weight off my shoulders. I called Apple and they said Catalina will be released in October. So it will be soon.

My only problem seems to be with my Brother printer/fax/copier. I called Brother and am not sure I understood the answer (if there was an answer). They said the printer will work, but some of the software, like ControlCenter which manages the printer operation from the computer, is not 64-bit. But they have software called iPrint&Scan that is similar. At least that's what I think she said. Also, when I went to the Brother site it looks like I can download 64-bit versions of stuff, but I didn't since I don't know if they'd work on Mohave (32-bit iOS).

But Word and Excel were my main concerns. I can't do without them.

Thanks again.

Replies:   Michael Loucks
Michael Loucks ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

Your basic printer functions will likely still work, as will anything that is supported in the driver Apple provides. My HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 works perfectly with Catalina, but uses the built-in software (the HP Software was 32-bit).

I didn't bother to check to see if HP had updated the drivers as it worked perfectly as a printer and scanner'out of the box' with the Apple-provided drivers.

Replies:   Vincent Berg
Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@Michael Loucks

I didn't bother to check to see if HP had updated the drivers as it worked perfectly as a printer and scanner'out of the box' with the Apple-provided drivers.

HP is very good at maintaining the drivers, so that shouldn't be a problem. (I keep updating my fancy-assed mouse and other drivers, and they're always updated shortly after any significant Mac upgrades.

Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@Michael Loucks

Didja read what I wrote and you quoted?

I'm using them on the beta of Catalina.

Sorry, musta been asleep. In that case, it looks like those secondary non-complaint aggregates do not affect the main apps ability to run under the new system. That's a HUGE weight off my back, cause as I've expressed before, for some unknown reason, WORD for Mac 2019 keeps erasing my user defined bookmarks (which I use quite extensively) as it continually dump more garbage system bookmarks like history events and change logs). However, I may a workaround for that too.

oyster50 ๐Ÿšซ

I have a MacBook Pro, the beta of Catalina - 10.15, and Word 16.16.14 and have no issues.

Replies:   Vincent Berg
Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@oyster50

I have a MacBook Pro, the beta of Catalina - 10.15, and Word 16.16.14 and have no issues.

I'm currently running Word 16.29.1, so that's another relief, though since I have both a 2018 Mac mini and an older 2015 MacBook Pro (soon to be upgraded, which depends on whether the 2019 prices drop after the release of the latest update in Nov) I usually upgrade one one, just to ensure that everything works before updating both.

I'm also running an ancient version of Word 14.0.0 (Word for Mac 2011), since the 2019 version is SO buggy, so that'll delay my updating my desktop even longer. After all, there's no sense trashing a working version of Word for one that continually deletes the internal links. :(

Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

Now that Catalina is out, there's more online reviews of it, and as was intimated here, most apps are working fine. There are a few, like Adobe, that are reporting a series on non-conforming 32-bit extras (Photoshop can't import camera images), but those limitations aren't affecting the overall app.

On the other hand, there are also reports of 'issues' with Catalina, and more specifically, with the porting of iPhone/iPad apps to Mac.

In my case, though I've been sweating for days trying to prevent M$ Word for Mac from deleting necessary components of my file for publication, it's been a losing battle. So no matter what benefits it may offer, unless I trash Word entirely and test, verify and convert every single document I've ever written to a 3rd party programs like Open Office, it'll be a LONG, long time before I'll even consider switching over to Catalina. Word for Mac 2019 is, for my uses, utterly nonfunctional, as each time I open a file, it erases whole tracks of data, it won't create Table of Contents for non-text file names, and it keeps erasing all of my user-defined TOC bookmarks :(

Word for Mac 2011 is a much more stable and reliable product than is anything M$ has produced since (at least for the fancy-assed crap I'm trying to pull off).

I guess I should simply give up and return to purely text-based chapter titles, as ANY program can handle those, but having spent so long refining the techniques, it's a bitter pill to swallow: limiting what I offer simply because 'that's what everyone else does'. :(

Michael Loucks ๐Ÿšซ

@Vincent Berg

On the other hand, there are also reports of 'issues' with Catalina, and more specifically, with the porting of iPhone/iPad apps to Mac.

The API/Tookkit is SO underdeveloped at this point, no serious developer should bother unless they have a lot of patience and a lot of time on their hands. This might be ready in two years. Maybe.

Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

@Vincent Berg

Now that Catalina is out,

I upgraded to Catalina.

The only known problem I have is with my multi-functioning (print/scan/copy) Brother printer. Not the printer, per se. It prints. But there's software (ControlCenter) that is 32-bit that is used to scan a document. Instead of updating it to 64-bit, Brother created new software called iPrint&Scan. I got it from the Apple store and installed it โ€” BUT my old printer is not supported. Brother told me Apple has something called Apple Image Capture that will allow me to scan, but I haven't looked into it.

I'm finding Catalina much faster than Mohave.

Switch Blayde ๐Ÿšซ
Updated:

Nothing to do with Catalina, but another Apple product. My iPhone 7S.

I upgraded to iOS 13.1.2

When I get a robocall, I press the "i" next to the phone number and block that number. But yesterday I got calls from someone late at night from "No Caller ID". I couldn't block him and he kept calling back. So I muted my iPhone and went to sleep. This morning he appeared in my Recents again.

I called Apple and found out there's a new feature in iOS 13. He said the caller can put in any phone number (so the blocking doesn't work) or no phone number (which shows as No Caller ID.) iOS 13 has a feature to send these calls directly to voice mail so you never hear them ring.

Go to:
Settings
Phone
Silence Unknown Callers

and turn on Silence Unknown Callers

Michael Loucks ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

and turn on Silence Unknown Callers

I did that in the beta and suddenly I get no calls on my pocket computer that everyone calls a 'phone' but which is probably the least used app on the computer!

(E.g. call my kids? No answer. Text ten seconds later? Immediate response. Gave up on the 'phone' part years ago!)

Vincent Berg ๐Ÿšซ

@Switch Blayde

When I get a robocall, I press the "i" next to the phone number and block that number. But yesterday I got calls from someone late at night from "No Caller ID". I couldn't block him and he kept calling back. So I muted my iPhone and went to sleep. This morning he appeared in my Recents again.

I've been using NoMoRobo for years, and it maintains a list of national suspect numbers (or blocks of numbers, as many call centers rely on, switching from one to another). Using that software, I almost never get any more bogus calls, although my home (cable) phone is constantly inundated with them.

Replies:   graybyrd
graybyrd ๐Ÿšซ

@Vincent Berg

Using that software, I almost never get any more bogus calls, although my home (cable) phone is constantly inundated with them.

We switched our landline phones over to a cable VOIP modem two years ago; it's been better service and after the hardware purchase, costs us only the monthly federal tax. BUT the robo calls swamp us morning, day, and night. So we no longer pick up the phones;

instead, we let it ring until the answering function kicks in. NONE of the robo callers will leave a message; serious callers do, and then we pick up.

We have NO smart phones (we use old-fashioned flip phones instead) so if the kids do it only by text, I guess they're out of the will. The Salvation Army will be very grateful at the donation when we kick off.

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