Terrible Move

As I understand it, most of the code is cross platform, and then many things are done in an OS specific way. Trays on Windows and palettes on Mac for example.

Microsoft never did do a completely start from scratch jump, like Apple did with OS X. And generally speaking Apple do introduce new ideas, even if it will make older programs less compatible.

My guess about SketchUp 2016 and how it tends to quit after a little while, is that Apple introduced APFS after 2016 was around for 8 months, and it became the standard format for High Sierra, well after 2017 was out. 2017.3 had High Sierra specific fixes, which does suggest that 2016 and earlier would have problems.

Some programs, Blender for example, seem to be written either for Windows or for some neutral system. The advantage might be that the wrapper application can be updated when there is a big macOS change, but the downside is that menus are inside document windows, the file dialog feels alien, and it is generally unpleasant sat alongside a native Mac app. I like that SketchUp feels like a Mac app.

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If the development of LayOut was so “Cross Platform”, and all OS friendly, then why is it that on the Windows platform users are able to move (isolate) Scrapbooks to a separate (and much more usable/viewable format) TRAY, but on the Mac platform, we are stuck with the default “palette”?? Please explain …
I guess I should move this to LayOut feature Requests …

Trays is a Windows feature, not a part of the shared core.

Yes, I do feel that over the last few years Apple has released new OSs just for the sake of it. I wish they wouldn’t and would just make the existing OS more stable/compatible etc. They release new versions and market some big new feature, like a new way to create emojis. Whoopie do! Oh, and they’re making the icons look more like iPhone icons in the new version on its way. Great! Not really a show stopper for me.

They seem to forget that people do actually do work on the machines and don’t spend all day playing with emojis.

Mike

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I find macOS to be incredibly stable. Not sure what you mean by compatible though.

Yeah, stable was a bad choice of words. I do agree, it is stable and I do really like the OS. I’d resist going back to Windows.

By compatible I guess I mean the ability for other software to run on it. So, for example, it seems that whenever a new OS is released, there are compatibility issues with software that I’ve bought/subscribed to. I realise that the software companies eventually release fixes or new updates, but it just seems like unwanted hassle to me. Then, when everything is working well together, Apple release a new OS.

Mike

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Ha, ha! If I had a nickel for every time I have offered the same complaint.

One thing to keep in mind perhaps is that Apple isn’t really a Mac company these days. They’re a phone company now. If my memory is correct I think I read recently that Mac related sales make up only about 15% of Apple’s profits. And of course Apple is the richest company in the world, so they have less and less reason to care what we users think.

But wait, a new way to create emojis??? I gotta have that!!!

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Not really. Just go to any Mac forum and read thread after thread after thread of folks having disasters when they try to update OSX. And then read the mob of little Apple fan boys who try to convince the victims that it’s actually all their fault. :slight_smile:

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That seems…familiar :wink: :wink:

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Thank you for that

Josh you’re right! I actually reverted back to v8 Pro in protest for the garbage Trimble practices. Seemingly runs about as well as v2019 pro. I’m almost certainly switching to Blender 2.9 exclusively thanks to manifold extrude. Subscription paywalls are not the future, open source is.

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SU has been the pits since trimble took over.Now I can’t use my 2017 that i use for personal use on my new laptop!.Any ideas?

If you are talking about version 2017 Make, Trimble has done nothing to prevent you from continuing to use it. If you have a licensed version of 2017 Pro, you must remove the license from your old computer before you can add it to your new one.

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Hate to see it happen. Been using SU since forever. Have accountants taken over the company? Guess so. Prolly they have done the math. Yes, they will loose many users, but the ones that stay at higher cost will put them ahead. Gonna loose all the hobbyists and many one man offices I should think. They really don’t care. The bottom line, my friend. Corporations have long been considered “persons” under the law. Yeah, sociopathic persons.

Hi Josh, all valid points, it will be interesting to see what actually happens with 100% subscription-based Sketchup.
We have been building plugins for Sketchup since the API opened up, we have free and paid extensions, and yes it is tough, especially with the comprehensive plugins, Keeping up with RubyChanges that are out of our control can be very disruptive and expensive, but we do it religiously and we could only do it because we are subscription bases.

For us as a business to continue updating and improving we charge yearly subscription fees (higher than Sketchup). If we didn’t we simply would not be able to dedicate the time and effort required to deliver a premium product, one that stays ahead of the demands from the design & construction industry.

As Colin said earlier if our clients did not save at least 4 times the cost of our Plugins every year, that Plugin is not the right Plugin for them.
SO, on a positive note, I do hope that the reasoning behind Sketchup becoming 100% subscription-based is similar to ours: Dedication to advanced 3D modelling tools, if it is, every client will gladly pay. If not buy a perpetual version before November 2020. If you are an Australian we still sell the Perpetual version of SketchUp Pro on the PlusSpec Website, or we include it when purchasing PlusDesignBuild.

Those BRICSYS SHAPE videos are impressive for a free product including Form-Z-Free which also has some architectural tools. Not all CAD companies think the SUBSCRIPTION only direction is the way to go, I too favour the PERPETUAL direction in today’s market. For architectural types, the article link below discusses this well.

Why ARCHLine.XP LT? (Reasonable Investment vs Renting)

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Trimble should be brave and bold.

For those of us on Macs and/or iOS, we have access to an app called Agenda. They knew (and experience) the frustration of being locked into a repeating n\subscription model. So they offer a great free (downloadable) version that offers great features and a premium option for a reasonable price). But what’s most impressive is they let you use premium “forever”, AND include all updates for one year, AND will maintain your app for future OS updates, AND will add all the non-premium updates, “forever”. Bold And if they make significant improvements in the premium features, after the first year, You can pay again for the upgrades. If not, you keep chugging along with what you bought already. No lock in tho keep using. They are doing the right thing AND they earned an Apple Design award to boot.

Can you imagine the goodwill that would be restored if Trimble readopted the model that made SketchUp a great success? Can you imagine the frustration folks would stop experiencing and expressing? Can you imagine the positive PR and press exposure this would generate. And if they adopted the pure Agenda model, they’d not only be doing the right thing, they’d be expressing confidence in their ability to improve our adopted SketchUp, the one we supported for years.

Sometimes it just makes sense to do the right thing. Actually, it always does.

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Aghhhhh! How did I end up in this rabbit hole ?

Maybe you are a rabbit))))

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Always nice to complain … :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:
The question is whether this threading could bring about change