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Before you upgrade to macOS Catalina, which just came out, check to see if your apps will work. Old 32-bit apps don’t work in Catalina. So run Go64 to see what apps are still 32-bit.
It’s also a good idea to have backups. In addition to Time Machine backups, I like to have SuperDuper backups. That means I’m going to wait until SuperDuper software working in Catalina.
Another great tool for people who don’t want to upgrade to Windows 10:
Never 10 by Steve Gibson
If you like running Windows 7 or 8, you unfortunately need a utility like this to stop Microsoft from nagging you or automatically upgrading without your permission.
Microsoft is pushing Windows 10 hard. If you don’t upgrade, you get barraged with notifications and some people even report that Windows 10 is being installed without their permission.
If you don’t want Windows 10, there’s a neat Github project that stops the Windows 10 reminders, aptly called “I Don’t Want Windows 10”:
https://github.com/rn10950/I-Dont-Want-Windows-10
Windows 10 offers some improvements, but it’s not necessary for many folks. If you’re happy enough with Windows 7 or 8 on an old computer, you shouldn’t feel pressured to upgrade. Try “I Don’t Want Windows 10” to stop the pestering messages.
Have a new baby and need to track feedings, diapers, sleeping, and growth statistics? I initially thought the tried-and-true pen and paper approach would be easiest. But after reviewing most of the baby tracker apps, I found an app that is simple and easier than anything else. Most baby apps are bloated with features and ugly. Baby Tracker by nighp is an iPhone and iPad app that looks like it was designed by Apple.
One of my favorite features is the ability to use it with others. I set Baby Tracker to store its data in dropbox so my wife and I can both enter and review information. So if I do a late night bottle feeding, she can wake up and see when the feeding started and ended.
It’s the perfect app for the nervous new parent.
Given that Microsoft is no longer providing security patches to Windows XP, many users have a choice on what to do with these old computers:
1) Upgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8. Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor from Microsoft to see if your computer can run Windows 7. If it does, you can consider this option.
2) Get a new computer. Most companies upgrade computers every 4-5 years. If you’re running Windows XP, your computer is at least this old. Therefore, money spent on upgrading the computer might be better spent on a new computer that will have all new and improved components. Hard drives eventually die so it is possible that there may not be much life left in the computer.
3) Just keep running XP. While some security analysts are afraid of unknown future attacks that could be coming to XP, other security experts say that this is vastly overblown. The majority of attacks lately have been against applications (Java, Flash, Acrobat) that run on the operating system, not the operating system itself. Take some precautions with this approach. Make sure Windows Firewall is enabled. Run anti-virus software. Because Microsoft isn’t patching Internet Explorer on XP, use a non-IE browser such as Firefox or Chrome. Think about what you use the computer for. If your job depends on the computer, continuing to use XP is more risky than if you are just using it as a kids play computer.