Hello,

Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.

Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
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On 2023-11-12 16:12, Ant wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.

If you run a VM with an older verion of Mac OS in it, yes.

On Nov 12, 2023 at 1:12:35 PM PST, "Ant" <Ant> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>
> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)

Run earlier version of MacOS in a Virtual Machine with Virtualbox or VMware.

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In comp.sys.mac.apps Ant <ant@zimage.comant> wrote:
> Hello,

> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.

> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)

How about multiple macOS versions like I do with BootCamp (32-bit macOS
v10.14.6 and 64-bit Windows 10)?
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On 2023-11-12 22:38:45 +0000, Percival John Hackworth said:
> On Nov 12, 2023 at 1:12:35 PM PST, "Ant" <Ant> wrote:
>>
>> Hello,
>>
>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>>
>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>
> Run earlier version of MacOS in a Virtual Machine with Virtualbox or VMware.

The three main options are: VMWare Fusion*, Parallels Desktop,
VirtualBox. These will run the older MacOS within the newer MacOS,
which can be handy, but will also be a bit slower since both OSes are
using the one computer's resources. VMWare Fusion Player is free for
personal use - you just need to create a free VMWare acount first.
<https://customerconnect.vmware.com/en/evalcenter?p=fusion-player-personal-13>

The other option is to make it a dual boot Mac so you can boot into
either Catalina or the older MacOS version. There may be the odd
potential pitfall, and it does require rebooting to use the older or
newer OS. The benefit is that the running OS will have full use of the
computer's resources.

Which ever option you use, you'll need a fairly hefty amount of disk
space (either internal or external drives) since you're installing
basically two operating systems.

On 2023-11-12 21:39, Ant wrote:
> In comp.sys.mac.apps Ant <ant@zimage.comant> wrote:
>> Hello,
>
>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>
>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>
> How about multiple macOS versions like I do with BootCamp (32-bit macOS
> v10.14.6 and 64-bit Windows 10)?

VM Managers such as Fusion and Parallels allow several OS' to be run at
the same time (Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Solaris...). Bootcamp is an
abject waste of time.

On 2023-11-13 01:26, Your Name wrote:
>
> The three main options are: VMWare Fusion*, Parallels Desktop,
> VirtualBox. These will run the older MacOS within the newer MacOS, which
> can be handy, but will also be a bit slower since both OSes are using

Not really - since the usual use case of VM is, for the user, to access
something in the other OS that's not in the primary OS, there is little
to no noticeable impact on performance. Unless one contrives to have
intense work going on both, you would never know they were both running
on the same machine.

> the one computer's resources. VMWare Fusion Player is free for personal
> use - you just need to create a free VMWare acount first.

Keep forgetting about that free version. Both current versions I run
are for my company however.

On 2023-11-13 17:19:54 +0000, Alan Browne- said:
> On 2023-11-12 21:39, Ant wrote:
>> In comp.sys.mac.apps Ant <ant@zimage.comant> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>>>
>>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>>
>> How about multiple macOS versions like I do with BootCamp (32-bit macOS
>> v10.14.6 and 64-bit Windows 10)?
>
> VM Managers such as Fusion and Parallels allow several OS' to be run at
> the same time (Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Solaris...). Bootcamp is an
> abject waste of time.

Bootcamp is good if you need the full speed of your computer, without
two (or more) OSes competing for the resources. On older Macs and/or
running complex apps, there can be a relatively significant difference.

On 2023-11-13 15:03, Your Name wrote:
> On 2023-11-13 17:19:54 +0000, Alan Browne- said:
>> On 2023-11-12 21:39, Ant wrote:
>>> In comp.sys.mac.apps Ant <ant@zimage.comant> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>>>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>>>
>>> How about multiple macOS versions like I do with BootCamp (32-bit macOS
>>> v10.14.6 and 64-bit Windows 10)?
>>
>> VM Managers such as Fusion and Parallels allow several OS' to be run
>> at the same time (Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Solaris...).  Bootcamp is an
>> abject waste of time.
>
> Bootcamp is good if you need the full speed of your computer, without
> two (or more) OSes competing for the resources. On older Macs and/or
> running complex apps, there can be a relatively significant difference.

Other than gaming, it's a fairly moot thing. I used to run Fusion on my
old Core-Duo (2007) with no issues at all - though I wasn't doing video
renders in those days. Usually use Windows for some legacy s/w or to
please my accountants who seem stuck in 1990 and Sage 50.

On 2023-11-13, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> In comp.sys.mac.apps Ant <ant@zimage.comant> wrote:
>> Hello,
>
>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>
>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>
> How about multiple macOS versions like I do with BootCamp (32-bit macOS
> v10.14.6 and 64-bit Windows 10)?

That's much more cumbersome to set up and use then running a VM.

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On 2023-11-12 23:26, Your Name wrote:
> On 2023-11-12 22:38:45 +0000, Percival John Hackworth said:
>> On Nov 12, 2023 at 1:12:35 PM PST, "Ant" <Ant> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello,
>>>
>>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>>>
>>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>>
>> Run earlier version of MacOS in a Virtual Machine with Virtualbox or
>> VMware.
>
> The three main options are: VMWare Fusion*, Parallels Desktop,
> VirtualBox.

I currently use Parallels Desktop, and have a complete set of macOS
version VMs dating back to Leopard (Server).

So I have a somewhat related question. Are there any good options for
running older OS versions on Apple Silicon? My old iMac recently died
and I opted for a refurbed intel machine over a new Mac so I could still
run these VMs.

Are there any intel emulators for Apple Silicon that can run older mac
OS versions that are reasonably stable and which allow Apple OSes to be
set up reasonably easily?

André

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service.

On 2023-11-16 00:44:57 +0000, André G. Isaak said:
> On 2023-11-12 23:26, Your Name wrote:
>> On 2023-11-12 22:38:45 +0000, Percival John Hackworth said:
>>> On Nov 12, 2023 at 1:12:35 PM PST, "Ant" <Ant> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>>>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>>>
>>> Run earlier version of MacOS in a Virtual Machine with Virtualbox or VMware.
>>
>> The three main options are: VMWare Fusion*, Parallels Desktop, VirtualBox.
>
> I currently use Parallels Desktop, and have a complete set of macOS
> version VMs dating back to Leopard (Server).
>
> So I have a somewhat related question. Are there any good options for
> running older OS versions on Apple Silicon? My old iMac recently died
> and I opted for a refurbed intel machine over a new Mac so I could
> still run these VMs.
>
> Are there any intel emulators for Apple Silicon that can run older mac
> OS versions that are reasonably stable and which allow Apple OSes to be
> set up reasonably easily?
>
> André

QEmu and DOSBox supposedly can, but some people report that they don't
work or don't work very well. They certainly isn't as easy to set-up as
commercial products like Parallels and Fusion (neither of which can run
Intel versions of MacOS).

On 2023-11-15 19:44, André G. Isaak wrote:
> On 2023-11-12 23:26, Your Name wrote:
>> On 2023-11-12 22:38:45 +0000, Percival John Hackworth said:
>>> On Nov 12, 2023 at 1:12:35 PM PST, "Ant" <Ant> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hello,
>>>>
>>>> Is there a way to be able to run old 32-bit apps in updated macOS
>>>> Catalina in an old 2012 13" MBP? Like a hack/workaround or something.
>>>>
>>>> Thank you for reading and hopefully answering soon. :)
>>>
>>> Run earlier version of MacOS in a Virtual Machine with Virtualbox or
>>> VMware.
>>
>> The three main options are: VMWare Fusion*, Parallels Desktop,
>> VirtualBox.
>
> I currently use Parallels Desktop, and have a complete set of macOS
> version VMs dating back to Leopard (Server).
>
> So I have a somewhat related question. Are there any good options for
> running older OS versions on Apple Silicon? My old iMac recently died
> and I opted for a refurbed intel machine over a new Mac so I could still
> run these VMs.
>
> Are there any intel emulators for Apple Silicon that can run older mac
> OS versions that are reasonably stable and which allow Apple OSes to be
> set up reasonably easily?

<... thought I posted this yesterday ... >

Strangely (or properly), while Rosetta can interpret x86 application
code generally, this seems to exclude the VM hooks that x86 processors
provide and that apps like Parallels and VMWare Fusion require -
therefore an "interpreted virtual machine" doesn't look to be
forthcoming (and my i7 iMac is still sitting on my physical desktop for
the time being).

OTOH, the ARM VM hooks are supported, thus one can install parallels or
Fusion for ARM and install OS' such as ARM Linux and ARM Windows 11 - I
haven't tried such to date though Linux will inevitably be in the mix.

There is also a bootable (on Apple Silicon) Asahi Linux that I'm
interested in vicariously - I'm happy to let others be the trail blazers ...

All that said, various x86 apps (64b) that I've run under Rosetta seem
to do well.

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