Will Adobe be ahead of the game for macOS Monterey

[andrewg76970232]

macOS monterey will be launching in the next couple of months, and for anyone who has followed these forums, you'll know there is usually a compatibility issue with Adobe Captivate and new macOS releases - specifically with Adobe not having a version of the software that works with the new OS, sometimes for months after release.

I've learned from last time and will not upgrade until I hear otherwise - but I am also hoping to buy a new Mac, which means the new OS will be pre-installed.

Considering that Adobe would have access to test versions of the new OS months in advance of release, I am hoping they have listened to feedback from last time and will at least communicate with customers to let us know one way or another. Of course, this should in theory be easy for them to do - considering they will have a database of all paid customers.

So, if anyone from Adobe is reading this - can you let us know if:

a) you have been testing Captivate with the developer versions of the OS

b) you plan on communicating with customers to let us know what is happening

Would also be great to hear from anyone that may have also had a conversation with Adobe about this.

[RodWard]

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Eleanor Roosevelt

[wwoodard8]

Now that Monterey is out, will Adobe let us know if this is compatable or not? 

[andrewg76970232]

Nope. See my recent post about my conversation with Adobe in the Big Sur thread.

[RodWard]

If you are an Apple Mac user your wisest option is to always assume that Captivate will NOT be compatible with any new Mac OS version.  That has been the case for almost every major Mac OS version update that I have observed on this User Forum since Adobe published a version that ran on Macs several years ago.  They almost always fail.

• Will this advice prevent Mac users from updating en-mass now that Monterey is available? NO.
• Will there be the usual flood of threads on this forum from angry, frustrated Mac users who cannot believe the new OS was not supported?  YES.
• Will Adobe learn from these repeated mistakes and take the precaution of notifying users in advance NOT to upgrade until they have a compatible version? NO.
• Is the Adobe Captivate DEV team far more likely to be focused on trying to get out the next version of Captivate they showcased at their recent conference which is already 2 years overdue? DEFINITELY YES!

And, since Windows 11 is also about to drop, this same advice applies to all Windows users.  WAIT until Adobe says Captivate has been verified compatible or you will potentially endure a lot of pain.

[Stagprime]

I work in an electronic manufacturing environment.

There are times when we release new firmware for the devices we sell.

Some customers are ready and waiting - eager to update.

It has always been my thought that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

If your system works perfectly fine and the new firmware release doesn't address an issue you have or implement a new feature that you need then just leave it alone. Don't risk breaking it.

I feel the same way about my computer.

Right now - everything works perfectly fine and I have everything tweaked the way I like. Why mess it up?

It is bad enough that updates we do get are forced upon us. I long for the old days when I could review updates and choose the ones I wanted at a time when I wanted to. Honestly - I will not switch to Windows 11 until I buy a new PC that comes with it.

My main PC is a Windows box because I need it to run programs like Captivate. All other PCs get a Linux distro.

[andrewg76970232]

I completely get what you're saying. However, some people want the benefits and new features of a new OS - and don't want to be held back by one piece of software. Then you have the cases like me, where my Mac is almost dead and I need to buy a new one - but the new one will be pre-installed with the new OS. 

Adobe have access to the beta versions of the OS for several months ahead of launch. But unfortunately, while the other Adobe product teams test our their products in the beta and have working versions very soon after launch - the Captivate team simply doesn't seem bothered. I spoke with them yesterday and not only have they not started testing - they have no timeline or plan to. 

[RodWard]

If that "one piece of software" happens to be what you need in order to earn your living, then deliberately taking an action that is almost guaranteed to render it unusable would appear to be a bad decision (IMHO).

Something that probably nobody here on a Mac wants to hear is that if the Captivate DEV team haven't even started testing Cp 2019 on Monterey, then that might also be the case for the next version of Captivate AFTER 2019 as well.  We could see Project Charm eventually be released even later due to needing it be compatible with Monterey.

So, extreme caution would seem to be in order.  If you need Captivate to put food on your table, don't kill it.  You might be in for a long wait.

[andrewg76970232]

Absolutely. Personally I wouldn't update if it broke captivate. But if I end up needing to buy a new mac, I'm screwed. 

I haven't heard of project charm. Will have to look it up

[RodWard]

Project Charm is just the name the DEV team have allocated to the next version of Captivate.  Adobe gave a preview of it at the recent Expo.  They promised to allow downloads of BETA versions for Captivate users in the near future, but I haven't seen any more news about that.  Even if there is a BETA version, it would not be something you could use for producing content for paying customers at this point.  Never a good idea to use pre-release software for important work.  Too many bugs.

[AmandaHK91]

Unfortunately, I am stuck updating because of my employer's security policy. 

If I had the option to not update my OS, I definitely would! 

[Brian Stevenson]

Given the almost total radio silence we received and continue to receive about Captivate on Big Sur, I wouldn't expect different behavior for the release of Monterey. I have Captivate mostly working on Big Sur, so I will absolutely not be upgrading to Monterey until either I have no choice, or Adobe actually deigns to communicate with its users about whether or not Captivate will work on Monterey.

[sergiop70420543]

Just got confirmation from adobe on this matter, and the trend did not change.

Quote

"Captivate 2019 Release is not tested and compatible with Mac Monterey."

Unquote

If you project going on in Captivate and you are using a MAC, better to hold on on the update. It should take a couple of months.

Nothing as changed in adobe.

[reneillustrate]

That weren't ready for Big Sur. They aren't ready for Monterey. The only way I found out they finally got a build for Big Sur was through the community, and not officially from Adobe. I've about had it.

[RodWard]

I have been a member of this Community for many years now and I have seen and used every version of Captivate since about 2005.  I can quite confidently tell you that the normal repeating pattern with new Mac OS releases is that the current version of Captivate at the time will usually be adversely affected in at least some degree.  The best you can hope for is that the issues will be minor, but there are always issues and sometimes the issues are serious enough to make the app unusable until Adobe releases a patch, which can take anywhere from days to months to arrive.

So for Mac users of Captivate, the "Rule of Thumb" with new OS releases should always be NOT to jump in and install the new update but to wait and watch the User Forum for a week or two to see what happens.  There will be plenty of inexperienced users that blindly assume anything Apple releases cannot be bad therefore they will immediately install the latest OS update. 

Simply wait and watch what happens to these "early adopters" to see whether or not it is wise for you to follow their example. Historically, the answer will be NO, don't change anything until the inevitable patch comes out.

I completely agree that the current sad situation with Captivate 2019 and the near radio silence from Adobe would break the resolve of even the most ardent Cp / Adobe supporter.  If Adobe does lose (or has lost) their dominant position in the e-learning software market to the growing number of competitors, the events played out over the past few years on this Forum would certainly explain it.