Weekly News Summary for Admins — 2022-03-25

After all the announcements of the last weeks, this week feels quieter. Something must be going in on Cupertino, as we have not gotten betas for macOS 12.4/iOS 15.4 yet. Maybe the developers have to start preparing their WWDC sessions.


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macOS and iOS Updates

MacAdmins on Twitter

  • Mr. Macintosh: “The Mac Studio has arrived! I’ll go over a few details others might not have covered” (Thread)

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🔨Support and HowTos

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Some CLI updates in macOS Monterey

The other day on Twitter, I got a question about a flag for the readlink command that I was not familiar with. As it turns out, the readlink command (which tells you where a symbolic link points to) got an update in macOS 12.3 and now has a -f option. With this new option, readlink will resolve symbolic links anywhere in the path and print the ‘actual’ absolute path to the item. This is equivalent to the realpath command available on Linux and some programming languages.

I have written about this before, and then I mentioned that there is a python function to resolve the path. However, even back then I anticipated the removal of python and suggested using a zsh parameter expansion modifier instead:

resolved_path=${path_var:A}

The removal of Python 2 is the likely explanation for why Apple chose to update readlink in 12.3.

It will be nice to have the new readlink -f option available going forward, but if your script still needs to support versions of macOS older than 12.3 then you should prefer to use the zsh expansion modifier.

More Monterey Command Line Changes?

This was discovered mostly by chance. While Apple’s release notes are improving, there are still nowhere near detailed enough and missing this level of detail, even though that would be amazingly useful.

I remembered that the Kaleidoscope app team had posted a script that allows me to compare man pages between versions of macOS. They published this back when macOS 12 was released to track the changes of the plutil command line tool. With the help of this tool I determined a few more interested changes in macOS 12, the most interesting of which I will summarize here.

(Even with this script, the process was tedious. Many changes to the man pages are just reformatting whitespace and/or typos. I may have missed something. Please, let me know when you find more changes!)

cut

  • new -w option (splits fields on whitespace)

du

  • new -A option (apparent size)
  • new --si option (human-readable, in 1000 based units)
  • new -t option (only show items over a certain threshold)

aa (Apple Archive)

  • new options for encryption
  • new aea command for encrypted Apple Archives

tar

  • new encryption and compression types

find

  • new -quit primary
  • new -sparse primary (so you can find APFS sparse files)

grep

  • new rgrep, bzgrep, bzegrep, and bzfgrep
  • new --label option
  • new -M, --lzma option

hdituil

  • segment subcommand and Segmented images are deprecated
  • UDBZ dmg format (bzip2 compression) is deprecated
  • udifrez and udifderez are deprecated (this allows to embed a license in a dmg)

head

  • new -n and -c options (probably just the man page updated)

killall

  • new -I option (confirm)
  • new -v option (verbose)

ls

open

  • new -u option to open file paths as URLs

pkgbuild

  • new --large-payload option
  • new --compression option
  • new --min-os-version option

I have an article on the new pkgbuild options.

plutil

  • new -type option for extract
  • new -raw option for extract
  • new type subcommand to query type
  • new create subcommand to create a new empty plist

pwd

  • new -p option prints working directory with symbolic links resolved

readlink (12.3)

  • new -f option to resolve symbolic links

rm (12.3)

  • new -I option which prompts only when more than three files will be deleted or a directory is being removed recursively

shortcuts

  • new command to run, list, or interact with Shortcuts

smbutil

  • new multichannel and snapshot verbs

Also, the nano command now actually opens pico. (Thanks, @rgov) Most people won’t notice this, as the two are quite similar. The excision of GNU tools from macOS continues.

Weekly News Summary for Admins — 2022-03-18

Update week! We got macOS 12.3, iOS 15.4 and all the siblings this week. Did you already update? Your users?


(Sponsor: Mosyle)

The Fusion of Apple MDM, Identity, Patching & Security.

Mosyle Fuse logo

Mosyle Fuse is the first and only product to bring a perfect blend of an Enterprise-grade MDM, an innovative solution for macOS Identity Management, automated application installation and patching, and purpose-built multi-layer endpoint security, all specially designed for Apple devices used at work at a price point that’s almost unexplainable.

Click here to learn more!


My most anticipated and now favorite feature in these updates is Universal Control. You can tell it still has a few rough edges (despite the delay, Apple still labels it as ‘beta’) but it is already eminently useful. The (already high) usefulness of my iPad Air 4 increased dramatically. Universal Control lets the iPad do what does best, while still being just a trackpad swipe away from the Mac.

But Apple gives and takes away. Long forwarned, this update really removed the Python 2 binary, and yes, some admins, and developers were still blindsided. I have built a summary of links to posts, issues and solutions on my weblog and will keep updating that post over the next few weeks.

Apple developers must be taking a well-deserved break, beacuse we have not seen the macOS 12.4 beta yet. Any day now. Remember to remove the developer/beta profile!

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macOS 12.3 Monterey and iOS 15.4

macOS Monterey 12.3

iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4

watchOS 8.5

tvOS and HomePod

Apps

Reactions

Support

Security and Privacy

Support and HowTos

Scripting and Automation

Updates and Releases

To Listen

Support

If you are enjoying what you are reading here, please spread the word and recommend it to another Mac Admin!

If you want to support me and this website even further, then consider buying one (or all) of my books. It’s like a subscription fee, but you also get a useful book or two extra!

Update: Installomator 9.1

We have updated Installomator. This brings Installomator to 407(!) applications! Many thanks to everyone who contributed.

Note: Both Google and Mozilla recommend using the pkg installers instead of the dmg downloads for managed deployments. So far, Installomator has provided labels for both. (googlechrome and googlechromepkg or firefox and firefoxpkg, respectively) Since there are problems with the dmg downloads, a future release of Installomator will disable the firefox and googlechrome dmg labels. You should switch to using the respective pkg labels instead.

  • added option for Microsoft Endpoint Manager (Intune) to LOGO
  • minor fixes
  • the googlechrome label now always downloads the universal version
  • 16 new labels
  • 6 updated labels

Full release notes in the repo.

macOS Monterey 12.3 removes Python 2 – Link collection

Note: I will update this post for the next few weeks with new and updated information. If you find anything that is interesting, ping me on MacAdmins Slack or Twitter as @scriptingosx.

Last Updated: 2022-03-23

What is going on!?

Tools

Updates

  • dockutil: command line tool for managing dock items
  • quickpkg: wrapper for pkgbuild to quickly build simple packages from an installed app, a dmg or zip archive
  • Mist: A Mac command-line tool that automatically downloads macOS Installers/Firmwares
  • DownloadFullInstaller: macOS application written in SwiftUI that downloads installer pkgs for the Install macOS Big Sur application
  • SUS Inspector 2.1: Inspect Apple software update service
  • mkuser: Make user accounts for macOS with many advanced options

Replacing Python

Support

Weekly News Summary for Admins — 2022-03-11

Apple’s “Peek Performance” event this week, delivered plenty of great news. A new iPhone SE, which is mostly identical to the 2020 model, but now uses the A15 chip. Green color choices for the iPhones 13 and 13 Pro. A new iPad Air, using the M1 chip. And then… a new desktop Mac model called “Mac Studio” using the M1 Max or a doubled up M1 Mac chip which Apple calls the “M1 Ultra.” And a new 27″ 5K Studio Display to go along with the Mac Studio.


(Sponsor: Mosyle)

The Fusion of Apple MDM, Identity, Patching & Security.

Mosyle Fuse logo

Mosyle Fuse is the first and only product to bring a perfect blend of an Enterprise-grade MDM, an innovative solution for macOS Identity Management, automated application installation and patching, and purpose-built multi-layer endpoint security, all specially designed for Apple devices used at work at a price point that’s almost unexplainable.

Click here to learn more!


These are great products that will certainly fill many checkboxes in many people’s and organization’s wish lists. Untypically for Apple, there were a few hints on what is yet to come. At the end of the video, John Ternus (SVP of Hardware Engineering) mentions, there is “just one more product to go: the Mac Pro, but that is for another day.” Earlier in the event, John says the M1 Ultra will be the last chip added to the M1 family.

This sets up the intriguing question on how an Apple silicon based Mac Pro will exceed the performance set by the Mac Studio. Some speculate the Mac Pro will be the first Mac to get the next generation Apple silicon chip. However, announcing the M2 with the Mac Pro, would stifle demand on all the other Mac models though, as people will hold off purchases until those product lines are updated, as well. Apple runs a risk of “Osborning” their most popular Mac product lines. It is more likely the M2 will be introduced with the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or a successor model to one of these.

We also learned which Mac model will not transition: The 27″ iMac disappeared from the Apple Store this week. Apple seems to consider the Mac Studio with Studio Display a valid replacement. This combo may seem much more expensive than the base iMac 27″, but the Studio Display will likely outlive the Mac it is purchased with, making the direct comparison difficult.

Interestingly, the Intel Mac mini is still available. Keep in mind that if you need an Intel Mac for Bootcamp or compatibility testing on the Intel platform and older versions of macOS, you should either make plans to retain Intel Macs past the usual lifetime in your organization or puchase a Mac mini or Mac Pro now.

The persistence of the Intel Mac mini calls attention to a strange omission in Apple’s Macs with Apple silicon product line: there is no Mac desktop using the M1 Pro. You can get the iMac 24″ and Mac mini with M1. Mac Studio comes with M1 Max and M1 Ultra. The Intel Mac mini sort of fills the spot where a Mac mini or Mac Studio with the M1 Pro would be. (Both price and feature wise.) It might be that Apple needs all the M1 Pro chips they produce to satisfy demand of the MacBook Pro and we will have to wait for more availability until we see desktop Macs with that chip. This gap is even more annoying beacuse it matches the needs of MacAdmins very well.

Either way, exciting times for the Mac, with more interesting things to come!

Oh, the new Mac Studio will require macOS 12.3 and ship next week, so we will also get the macOS 12.3 update next week, which should not come as a huge suprise as Apple released 12.3 RC to AppleSeed this week.

If you would rather get the weekly newsletter by email, you can subscribe to the Scripting OS X Weekly Newsletter here!! (Same content, delivered to your Inbox once a week.)

News and Opinion

Security and Privacy

Support and HowTos

Scripting and Automation

To Watch

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Just for Fun

Support

If you are enjoying what you are reading here, please spread the word and recommend it to another Mac Admin!

If you want to support me and this website even further, then consider buying one (or all) of my books. It’s like a subscription fee, but you also get a useful book or two extra!

Weekly News Summary for Admins — 2022-03-04

Apple has announced an event for next week. Of course, we don’t know what Apple is going to introduce then, but the fifth beta for macOS 12.3 that we got this week, may be the last. How is your testing going? Have youound all the uses of the Python 2 yet?


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If you would rather get the weekly newsletter by email, you can subscribe to the Scripting OS X Weekly Newsletter here!! (Same content, delivered to your Inbox once a week.)

News and Opinion

MacAdmins on Twitter

  • cdros: “A pattern I’ve seen in many places. Companies hire adults, thrust technology at them, provide little training, and distrust the actions of employees.” (Thread)
  • Asia Orangio: “I’m seeing a lot of people who are surprised to learn their favorite software has been built and/or marketed by a Ukrainian team. Here’s a running list of them (plus how you can help Ukraine fight back)” (Thread)

Security and Privacy

Support and HowTos

Scripting and Automation

Updates and Releases

To Listen

Just for Fun

Support

If you are enjoying what you are reading here, please spread the word and recommend it to another Mac Admin!

If you want to support me and this website even further, then consider buying one (or all) of my books. It’s like a subscription fee, but you also get a useful book or two extra!

Weekly News Summary for Admins — 2022-02-25

Apple keeps working towards the “Spring release” of macOS 12.3, iOS 15.4 and siblings with a fourth beta round. Last year’s Big Sur 11.3 “spring release” was in late April while in 2020 Catalina 10.15.4 was released in late March. So, we have one or two months to go.


(Sponsor: vast limits)

uberAgent: web app monitoring

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uberAgent is an innovative user experience monitoring product for macOS and Windows. uberAgent’s highlights include detailed information about application performance, network reliability drill-downs, application usage metering, browser performance, and web app metrics. Try for yourself and get your free 100 user community license at uberagent.com.


As mentioned before (not just by me), the macOS 12.3 update will remove the Python 2 binary. This should not come as a surprise, but apparently there are still some vendors and developers that are not prepared. Test your deployment workflow and all the software on the beta and notify any vendors of failing installations, applications and tools.

If you would rather get the weekly newsletter by email, you can subscribe to the Scripting OS X Weekly Newsletter here!! (Same content, delivered to your Inbox once a week.)

News and Opinion

MacAdmins on Twitter

  • Scripting OS X: “Apple remains on track to transition all Mac models to Apple silicon. The “two-year” timeline expires either in June (2y after the announcement at WWDC 20) or in November (2y after the first M1 MacBooks) If you require Intel Macs for testing, VMs, or compatibility, buy them now!” (short thread)

Security and Privacy

Support and HowTos

Scripting and Automation

Apple Support

Updates and Releases

To Watch

To Listen

Just for Fun

Support

If you are enjoying what you are reading here, please spread the word and recommend it to another Mac Admin!

If you want to support me and this website even further, then consider buying one (or all) of my books. It’s like a subscription fee, but you also get a useful book or two extra!

Update: Installomator 9.0.1

We found a bug had snuck in to Installomator 9.0 which broke applications that download as pkgs wrapped in dmgs, so we have a bug fix update. While we were at it, there were a few other minor changes as well:

  • improved logging levels throughout the script
  • fixed a bug for pkgindmg style labels
  • changed the criteria used to locate an app in the case the it cannot be found in the default locations, this should help with some apps with similar name (Virtual Box and Box Drive)
  • new label: WhiteBox Packages (packages)
  • modified label: loom (added Apple silicon download)

You can get more details and download the pkg installer from the Installomator repo’s release page.