Big Gunz Mac OS

Posted on 5/18/2021 by admin

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Which Mac operating system is the best is a topic of numerous debates among Apple fans.

Since the mission of this blog is to refute myths and legends around Macs, it’s time for me to provide my 2 cents about the issue on hand. While everything below is just my opinion, as a long-time Mac user and veteran software engineer, I hope my opinion worth something.

The best Mac OS version is the one that your Mac is eligible to upgrade to. In 2021 it is macOS Big Sur. However, for users that need to run 32-bit apps on Mac, the best macOS is Mojave. Also, older Macs would benefit if upgraded at least to macOS Sierra for which Apple still releases security patches.

How to Tell Which macOS You Are Running

Mac OS X & macOS names. As you can see from the list above, with the exception of the first OS X beta, all versions of the Mac operating system from 2001 to 2012 were all named after big cats.

Get CleanMyMacX now: with what's new in macOS Big Sur 11!→ SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/c/9to5mac?subco. If you are wondering what the latest version of macOS is it's Big Sur! And rather than macOS 10.16, it is macOS 11. For more information about Big Sur read: macOS Big Sur latest version. MacOS Big Sur 11.3 Update Released, Download Now - Beta 1 of iOS 14.6 & iPadOS 14.6 Available for Testing - Beta 1 of macOS Big Sur 11.4 Released for Testing - RC of iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, macOS Big Sur 11.3 Released for Testing.

To find out which macOS is currently running on your Mac, follow these steps:

Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the menubar
In the dropdown click on the first item: About This Mac
The first line in the Overview tab is the name of the current OS.

What Version of OS Can My Mac Run?

Not all Macs can be upgraded to the latest OS version. For instance, old Macs powered by PowerPC CPUs cannot run OS intended for Intel-based computers. Also, some versions have hardware limitations.

For instance, Mojave cannot be installed on MacBook Pro earlier than Mid 2012 model.

Check below to know exactly what version of OS your Mac can run.

Which OS is Best for my Mac

Anytime someone asks me which OS is best for them I always suggested going with the latest. Things have changed recently, however.

Should I Upgrade to macOS Catalina or Big Sur?

While personally I like macOS Big Sur and have it installed on my MacBook Pro, it comes with serious breaking changes.

The first issue is compatibility.

Big Sur is a transition OS which is designed to help Apple to move from Intel processors to their own chips on ARM.

After I installed Big Sur on my MacBook Pro mid 2020 (pre-Silicon), most of my apps, including Microsoft Office, were working as expected.

However, my VMWare Fusion 11 does not start anymore, so I have to purchase a new license if I want to keep using it (or roll back to Catalina). Luckily, I took a full backup before the upgrade.

The second breaking issue is the lack of 32-bit app support.

macOS Catalina and Big Sur can only run 64-bit apps.

If you wondering whether you should upgrade to macOS Catalina or Big Sur, first verify that you don’t have any 32-bit apps. But first, take a back up, so you can go back in case something breaks after the upgrade.

For instance, I had to remove uTorrent after upgrade. And I didn’t know that uTorrent is 32-bit!

How to Know If App is 32-bit or 64-bit

To find out whether the app on your Mac is 32-bit or 64-bit follow these steps:

Click on Apple logo in the top left corner of the Mac screen
Click on About This Mac option
Click on System Report button in Overview tab (first one)
Scroll down to Software -> Applications
Find the app and check Kind

Which macOS Should I Use

If you have an older Mac which is not eligible to upgrade with some latest software or hardware, I’d suggest upgrading at least to Sierra (or better High Sierra) for the following reasons:

Sierra is still supported by Apple, and it gets security updates
APFS file system is available
It supports Siri
Significant security improvements

The most important point when choosing the best OS is the ability to get security updates. While Apple generally does not announce the OS end of life dates, it is possible to know when they stop releasing security updates from this page.

For instance, according to the page, the last security update for OS X Yosemite was released on September 12, 2017. The last update for OS X El Capitan was in July 2018, and Carnegie Mellon University confirmed that El Capitan’s end of life date was August 2018.

Snow Leopard Myth

I know that some users on forums believe that the best OS version for Macs was Snow Leopard. But that is a myth. And I know how such myths get created.

Once I worked in the company, which was selling a 20-year old product. And customers were still using and didn’t want to switch to new versions, because the old one was rock solid.

I then talked to the engineer who worked on the project, and he revealed that the product was a total disaster when it was first deployed. Engineers had to work on-site for almost a year in order to fix all bugs.

After five or so years of polishing the product, it becomes virtually bug-free, and nobody now remembers how bad it was when it was first rolled out. A similar thing happened Snow Leopard, and it was recognized as best mac os version after some time.

How to Update to the Latest Version

There are two ways to update to the latest OS version on Mac:

From the Software Update section in System Preferences
Use a download link

Using Software Update

This is by far the best option, but it only available if you have Yosemite, or later OS installed already. If you enabled automatic updates, then Mac will inform you that the next macOS is available.

Just open System Preferences, go to Software Update and click on the Upgrade Now button.

This method is also best if wondering how to check if you have the latest version of OS installed on your Mac. Only the version compatible with your hardware will appear here.

For instance, my the latest version for Mac Mini 2012 is Mojave, I can’t install anything newer than that.

If you are having problems with updates or having issues post-upgrade check my post about troubleshooting macOS.

Using download links

For older systems or in case you need to downgrade, you have to download a standalone installer in DMG format. DMG stands for disk image, similar to ISO, just different formats.

After downloading the installer, just double click on it and follow instructions. Again, do not forget to take a backup before the upgrade.

Mac OS Comparisons: Requirements, Features, Compatibility, Download Links

Following is a high-level description of all Mac operating systems as early as Mountain Lion.

You can refer to those descriptions when deciding which operating system is best for your iMac, Mac Pro, Mac mini, or MacBook.

With each OS description, I included a list of Macs supported. However, you can use Mac OS compatibility checker for more detailed information.

macOS 11 Big Sur

macOS v11 (codename Big Sur) is the latest version of the operating system for Apple computers.

Release date: October 13, 2020

Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement 4GB. Big Sur is the first OS to support new Macs using ARM technology (in the future).

Features

The biggest design refresh since macOS X.
Support for new ARM processors.
Safar improved performance and power consumption.
Time Machine supports backup to APFS volumes.
One-click translation for 7 languages.
Redesigned maps

Software Compatibility Issues

Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Big Sur.

How to install

There are two ways to install Big Sur: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.

Or check my post with tips on installing macOS on unsupported devices.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Big Sur

MacBook (2015 and later)
MacBook Air (2013 and later)
MacBook Pro (2013 and later)
Mac mini (2014 and later)
iMac models (2014 and later)
iMac Pro (2017 and later)
Mac Pro (2013 and later)

macOS 10.15 Catalina

Release date: October 7, 2019

Hardware Requirements: RAM requirement increased from 2GB to 4GB.

Features

Introduced Sidecar, which allows for Macs to use an iPad as an external display.
iTunes was replaced by separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV.
Find My Mac and Find My Friends have merged into one app.

Software Compatibility Issues

macOS Catalina is the first Mac operating system that does not support 32-bit applications. Only 64-bit apps are allowed to run on Catalina.

How to install

There are two ways to install Catalina: enable automatic updates in System Preferences or download by using the following link.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Catalina

MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
iMac models (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (All models)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)

macOS 10.14 Mojave

Release date: September 24, 2018

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 18.5GB free space on disk

Features

The main feature of Mojave is “Dark Mode”
FaceTime adds group feature which allows chatting with up to 32 people
News, Stocks, Voice Memos, and Home apps were ported from iOS to Mac.

How to install

If your Mac is eligible to update to Mojave, then the easiest way to install it is by enabling automatic updates. Downloading a standalone Mojave installer could be a little tricky.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Mojave

MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
iMac (Late 2012 or later)
iMac Pro (All models)
Mac Pro (Late 2013 and 2010-2012 models with upgraded GPU)

macOS 10.13 High Sierra

Release date: September 25, 2017

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 14.3GB free space on disk

Features

APFS (Apple File System) becomes the default file system in High Sierra. It’s a significant upgrade from the older HFS+ in terms of speed, size, and security
iCloud support of Messages which allows sync messages of the account across multiple devices
Mail app uses 35% less storage space due to optimizations

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS High Sierra

MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

How to install

Here is a High Sierra download link.

macOS 10.12 Sierra

This is the first macOS version. Previous OS versions for Macs were called OS X (X stands for 10).

Release date: September 20, 2016

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

Siri was introduced to Macs
Optimized storage with iCloud sync
Auto-lock feature allows unlocking MacBook with paired Apple Watch
APFS preview available
Disk Utility can manage RAID sets again
Significant security improvements

How to install

Here is a Sierra download link.

List of Apple computers compatible with macOS Sierra

MacBook (Late 2009 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2010 or newer)
Mac mini (Mid 2010 or newer)
iMac (Late 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Mid 2010 or newer)

OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Last OS X version.

Release date: September 30, 2015

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

System Integrity Protection – a security feature that protects even when the root user executes the process
Performance improvements: open PDF files four times faster, Mail is twice faster, launching apps 40% faster
Notes app similar to the app in iOS

Macs compatible with OS X El Capitan

same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

Here is El Capitan download link.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Release date: October 16, 2014

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Macs compatible with OS X Yosemite

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

Features

Major user design overhaul
Introduction of Handoff and Continuity features
Photos app replaced iPhoto and Aperture

How to install

Here is Yosemite download link.

OS X 10.9 Mavericks

First free Mac OS. Previous OS versions vary from $19.99 to $129.

Release date: October 22, 2013

Hardware Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

Compressed Memory feature automatically compresses inactive apps when approaching maximum memory capacity
Timer coalescing is a feature that reduces CPU usage by up to 72 percent
App Nap puts apps that are not currently visible to sleep

Macs compatible with OS X Mavericks

Same as OS Mountain Lion.

How to install

OS X Mavericks installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install Mavericks.

OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Must be purchased. Fixed many bugs introduced in OS X Lion.

Release date: July 25, 2012

System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 8GB free space on disk

Features

New apps: Notification Center, Notes, Messages, Game Center
AirPlay mirroring allowed to mirror Mac screen to Apple TV
Application updates automatically install from the App Store

List of Apple computers compatible with OS X Mountain Lion

iMac (Mid-2007 or newer)
MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
Xserve (Early 2009)

How to install

Mountain Lion installer is not available on Apple Site. Follow instructions here to install OS X Mountain Lion.

List of older Mac OS Versions

Following Mac OS versions are still running on older Macs, but Apple does not support them anymore, and there is no point to upgrade (or downgrade) to them:

OS X 10.7 Lion
OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard
Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther
Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar
Mac OS X 10.1 Puma
Mac OS X 10.0 Cheetah

NOTE:

Between mid October 2019 and mid February 2020 everyone in the Army was migrated to use their PIV Authentication certificate for Email access. You no longer use the Email certificate for Enterprise Email or any CAC enabled websites

Mac users who choose to upgrade (or already have upgraded) to Mac OS Catalina (10.15.x) or Big Sur (11.xx.x) will need to uninstall all 3rd Party CAC enablers per https://militarycac.com/macuninstall.htm AND reenable the native smart card ability (very bottom of macuninstall link above)

If you purchased your Mac with OS Catalina (10.15.x) or Big Sur (11.xx.x) already installed, you can skip the uninstall part above and follow the instructions below.

6 'high level' steps needed, follow down the page to make this a painless systematic process

1.	Is your CAC reader 'Mac friendly'?
2.	Can your Mac 'see' the reader?
3.	Verify which version of Mac OS you have
4.	Figure out which CAC (ID card) you have
5.	Install the DoD certificates
5a.	Additional DoD certificate installation instructions for Firefox users
6.	Decide which CAC enabler you want to use (except for 10.12-.15 & 11)

Step 1: Is your CAC reader Mac friendly?

Visit the USB Readers page to verify the CAC reader you have is Mac friendly.

Visit the USB-C Readers page to verify the CAC reader you have is Mac friendly.

'Some, not all' CAC readers may need to have a driver installed to make it work.

NOTE: Readers such as: SCR-331 & SCR-3500A may need a firmware update (NO OTHER Readers need firmware updates).

Information about these specific readers are in Step 2

Step 2: Can your Mac 'see' the reader?

Plug the CAC reader into an open USB port before proceeding, give it a few moments to install

Step 2a: Click the Apple Icon in the upper left corner of the desktop, select 'About This Mac'

Step 2b: Click 'System Report...' (button)

Step 2c: Verify the CAC reader shows in Hardware, USB, under USB Device Tree. Different readers will show differently, most readers have no problem in this step. See Step 2c1 for specific reader issues.

Step 2c1: Verify firmware version on your SCR-331, SCR-3310 v2.0, GSR-202, 202V, 203, or SCR-3500a reader. If you have a reader other than these 6, Proceed directly to step 3

Step 2c1a-SCR-331 reader

If your reader does not look like this, go to the next step.

Step 2c1b-SCR-3310 v2.0 reader

If your reader does not look like this, go to the next step.

In the 'Hardware' drop down, click 'USB.' On the right side of the screen under 'USB Device Tree' the window will display all hardware plugged into the USB ports on your Mac. Look for “SCR3310 v2.0 USB Smart Card Reader.” If the Smart Card reader is present, look at 'Version' in the lower right corner of this box: If you have a number below 6.02, it will not read the 'G+D FIPS 201 SCE 7.0' CAC on Mac OS 11.xx.x or 10.15.7. I contacted HID (the company that makes these readers) on 14 DEC 2020 to find a way to update the firmware to 6.02. They said there is not firmware update for the reader. If your reader is older, you may need a new one. Please look at: https://militarycac.com/usbreaders.htm to find a compatible one. If you are already at version 6.02, your reader should work fine on your Mac and no further hardware changes are required. You can now Quit System Profiler and continue to Step 3.

Step 2c1c-SCR-3500A reader

If you have the SCR3500A P/N:905430-1 CAC reader,you may need to install this driver, as the one that installs automatically will not work on most Macs. Hold the control key [on your keyboard] when clicking the .pkg file [with your mouse], select [the word] Open

Step 3: Verify which version of MacOS you have?

(You need to know this information for step 6)

Step 3a: Click the Apple Icon in the upper left corner of your desktop and select 'About This Mac'

Step 3b: Look below Mac OS X for: Example: Version 10.X.X, or 11.X

Step 4: Figure out which CAC (ID Card) you have

(You need to know this information for step 6)

Look at the top back of your ID card for these card types. If you have any version other than the seven shown below, you need to visit an ID card office and have it replaced. All CACs [other than these six] were supposed to be replaced prior to 1 October 2012.

Find out how to flip card over video

Step 5: Install the DoD certificates (for Safari and Chrome Users)

Go to Keychain Access

Click: Go (top of screen), Utilities, double click Keychain Access.app

(You can also type: keychain access using Spotlight (this is my preferred method))

Select login (under Keychains),and All Items (under Category).

Download the 5 files via links below (you may need to <ctrl> click, select Download Linked File As... on each link) Save to your downloads folder

Please know... IF You have any DoD certificates already located in your keychain access, you will need to delete them prior to running the AllCerts.p7b file below.

https://militarycac.com/maccerts/AllCerts.p7b,

https://militarycac.com/maccerts/RootCert2.cer,

https://militarycac.com/maccerts/RootCert3.cer,

https://militarycac.com/maccerts/RootCert4.cer, and

Double click each of the files to install certificates into the login section of keychain

Select the Kind column, verify the arrow is pointing up, scroll down to certificate, look for all of the following certificates:

DOD EMAIL CA-33 through DOD EMAIL CA-34,

DOD EMAIL CA-39 through DOD EMAIL CA-44,

DOD EMAIL CA-49 through DOD EMAIL CA-52,

DOD EMAIL CA-59,

DOD ID CA-33 through DOD ID CA-34,

DOD ID CA-39 through DOD ID CA-44,

DOD ID CA-49 through DOD ID CA-52,

DOD ID CA-59

DOD ID SW CA-35 through DOD ID SW CA-38,

DOD ID SW CA-45 through DOD ID SW CA-48,

DoD Root CA 2 through DoD Root CA 5,

DOD SW CA-53 through DOD SW CA-58, and

DOD SW CA-60 through DOD SW CA-61

NOTE: If you are missing any of the above certificates, you have 2 choices,

1. Delete all of them, and re-run the 5 files above, or

2. Download the allcerts.zip file and install each of the certificates you are missing individually.

Errors:

Error 100001 Solution

Error 100013 Solution

You may notice some of the certificates will have a red circle with a white X . This means your computer does not trust those certificates

You need to manually trust the DoD Root CA 2, 3, 4, & 5 certificates

Double click each of the DoD Root CA certificates, select the triangle next to Trust, in the When using this certificate: select Always Trust, repeat until all 4 do not have the red circle with a white X.

You may be prompted to enter computer password when you close the window

Once you select Always Trust, your icon will have a light blue circle with a white + on it.

The 'bad certs' that have caused problems for Windows users may show up in the keychain access section on some Macs. These need to be deleted / moved to trash.

The DoD Root CA 2 & 3 you are removing has a light blue frame, leave the yellow frame version. The icons may or may not have a red circle with the white x

or	DoD Interoperability Root CA 1 or CA 2	certificate
DoD Root CA 2 or 3 (light blue frame ONLY)	certificate
or	Federal Bridge CA 2016 or 2013	certificate
or	Federal Common Policy CA	certificate
or	or	SHA-1 Federal Root CA G2	certificate
or	US DoD CCEB Interoperability Root CA 1	certificate

If you have tried accessing CAC enabled sites prior to following these instructions, please go through this page before proceeding

Clearing the keychain (opens a new page)

Please come back to this page to continue installation instructions.

Step 5a: DoD certificate installation instructions for Firefox users

NOTE: Firefox will not work on Catalina (10.15.x), or last 4 versions of Mac OS if using the native Apple smartcard ability

Download AllCerts.zip, [remember where you save it].

double click the allcerts.zip file (it'll automatically extract into a new folder)

Option 1 to install the certificates (semi automated):

From inside the AllCerts extracted folder, select all of the certificates

<control> click (or Right click) the selected certificates, select Open With, Other...

In the Enable (selection box), change to All Applications

Select Firefox, then Open

You will see several dozen browser tabs open up, let it open as many as it wants..

You will eventually start seeing either of the 2 messages shown next

If the certificate is not already in Firefox, a window will pop up stating 'You have been asked to trust a new Certificate Authority (CA).'

Check all three boxes to allow the certificate to: identify websites, identify email users, and identify software developers

'Alert This certificate is already installed as a certificate authority.' Click OK

Once you've added all of the certificates...
• Click Firefox (word) (upper left of your screen)
• Preferences
• Advanced (tab)
• Press Network under the Advanced Tab
• In the Cached Web Content section, click Clear Now (button).
• Quit Firefox and restart it

Option 2 to install the certificates (very tedious manual):

Click Firefox (word) (upper left of your screen)

Big Gunz Mac Os Download

Preferences

Advanced (tab on left side of screen)

Certificates (tab)

View Certificates (button)

Authorities (tab)

Import (button)

Browse to the DoD certificates (AllCerts) extracted folder you downloaded and extracted above.

Note: You have to do this step for every single certificate

Note2: If the certificate is already in Firefox, a window will pop up stating: 'Alert This certificate is already installed as a certificate authority (CA).' Click OK

Note3: If the certificate is not already in Firefox, a window will pop up stating 'You have been asked to trust a new Certificate Authority (CA).'

Check all three boxes to allow the certificate to: identify websites, identify email users, and identify software developers

Step 6: Decide which CAC enabler you can / want to use

Big Gunz Mac Os Catalina

Only for Mac El Capitan (10.11.x or older)

After installing the CAC enabler, restart the computer and go to a CAC enabled website

NOTE: Mac OS Sierra (10.12.x), High Sierra (10.13.x), Mojave (10.14.x), Catalina (10.15.x), and Big Sur (11.1) computers no longer need a CAC Enabler.

Try to access the CAC enabled site you need to access now

Mac support provided by: Michael Danberry