OSCAR for macOS 10.11

[StevenP]

Could you add macOS 10.11 support when you next compile OSCAR for the Mac? I know this is an old version of the operating system but I have been running SleepyHead on an old MacPro that I use for tasks that I want to keep off my working Mac. 10.11 is the latest version of the operating system that this machine supports. I'm hoping it is just an Xcode flag rather than any underlying technology issue.

Many thanks for taking up the challenge of maintaining analysis and data storage software for CPAP machine. It is much appreciated.

[0xfeedface]

Hi Steven, OSCAR (and SleepyHead for that matter) use the Qt toolkit to provide a cross-platform application. The latest version of Qt (5.12) dropped support for macOS 10.11 and added support for macOS 10.14. So there is really nothing that can be done if one doesn't want to cut out all the Mojave users at the same time.

I haven't tried this myself, so I cannot be sure it works. But if you know your way around Xcode, you should be able to create a custom build for yourself. Just make sure to build OSCAR according to the instructions in `Building/MacOS/BUILD-mac.md` but use Qt 5.11 instead of 5.12.

[StevenP]

Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll give it a go when I have some time.

[Perchas]

Hi Steven, OSCAR (and SleepyHead for that matter) use the Qt toolkit to provide a cross-platform application. The latest version of Qt (5.12) dropped support for macOS 10.11 and added support for macOS 10.14. So there is really nothing that can be done if one doesn't want to cut out all the Mojave users at the same time.

I haven't tried this myself, so I cannot be sure it works. But if you know your way around Xcode, you should be able to create a custom build for yourself. Just make sure to build OSCAR according to the instructions in `Building/MacOS/BUILD-mac.md` but use Qt 5.11 instead of 5.12.

I'm with the same problem, I don't want and can't update beyond El Capitan 10.11.6.
This forces me to have in the Laptop with Windows 10 OSCAR, and the Mac, SleepyHead.

Those of us who don't manage well with what you're proposing could be given that solution but done by those who know how to do it and upload an Oscar version that works for iOS Mac versions 11.6.

[SuperSleeper]

Generally speaking, there has to be a point at which new software stops supporting older Operating Systems.

Just think about it-- how absurd would it be for a Windows 3.1 or a Mac System 7 user to insist that an OSCAR version be created for those Operating Systems?

There simply has to be some cutoff point, at which the developers need to focus on the vast majority of people who use up-to-date Operating Systems.

The problem is that everything thinks that they're particular Operating System shouldn't be "cut off"... and I do understand that concern since it forces these people to either go elsewhere or upgrade their systems.  I dealt with that for a long time, when SH didn't support my particular version of Linux.  But I understood the reality of things and realized that it would have been rather presumptuous of me to insist that the developers stop all other work and create a build that will work on my particular OS of choice.  For me, the simpler solution was to upgrade my PC and OS.

But in the end, developers (especially unpaid volunteers) have personal limits.  Their focus must be upon helping the greatest number of people as possible, given their own limited resources and time.

[pholynyk]

As SuperSleeper pointed out, we rely on volunteers, and Mac programmers seem to be few and far between.

On the other hand, OSCAR can be compiled using as old a version of QT as 5.7 or 5.9. so it should be feasible for somebody to build OSCAR using older versions of XCode and QT. I am not aware of which combination would work on older versions of MacOS.

This is left as an exercise for the interested programmer. My old mid-2007 laptop died some years ago.

[Homerec130]

My main MAC is running 11.6 and can't load OSCAR. So, I loaded on my MacBook 13" laptop which runs Mojave. Works fine once we figured out that Dark Mode was causing issues. I also have a Windoze 10 machine I can switch to if needed. My 11.6 MAC also won't support a lot of other programs, so I have had to stay with older versions that work. If I really want to stay with my desktop MAc, I'll just keep using the Sleepyhead version that is on it.

With software, you have to draw the one someplace and you usually pick where the manufacturer has said or where a major development change has occurred.

I think the OSCAR group has done a magnificent job is developing the new software especially as it is a labor of love.

[StevenP]

I agree with the sentiments expressed about older versions of operating systems eventually fading away, and the dedication of volunteer developers working on open source and otherwise free software.

I made the original enquiry that fired off this thread because, sometimes, it is simply a matter of adding another flag at compile time to achieve backwards compatibility. There is nothing to be lost by asking and everything to be gained. Such is the nature of the open source community.

However, as 0xfeedface explained in his well thought out and quick reply, in this case it is a constraint imposed by QT, a core technology in the application. Although, here, it would suit me to be otherwise, technology does move on and I strongly endorse 0xfeedface's comment that it is much better to support macOS 10.14 and later than not.

I'll continue to use SleepyHead for a little while on my very elderly MacPro secondary computer because it does what I need and keeps non-production software off my main Mac. However, I'm certain that I will migrate to Oscar in the near future, just on a different machine with a later version of macOS.

Again, thanks to 0xfeedface for the quick and helpful feedback.