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Level 1

9 points

Why is Now Up to Date broken?

I am unable to upgrade to Mavericks, because my business is dependent on Now Up to Date. Finding an adequate substitute maybe be possible after a lot of research; however, I have detailed Now Up to Date patient records that stretch back more than 10 years. This easily searchable database is essential to my continued operation.

This leads to two questions that I've had for years: Why does every new release of the Mac operating system break essential software? And, why does Microsoft not have this problem?

Is Microsoft doing more thorough research on the demands and limitations of old software and is therefore much better able to support legacy software while still continuing to innovate?

Another question comes to mind: Why on earth did Apple abandon Rosetta -- one of it most elegant inventions? As Apple must certainly be aware, many PowerMac programs never made the transition to the Intel world. Loss of these programs has unnecessarily cheapened Apple's brand and reputation as a company that cares about its user base. It has also handed Microsoft an excellent advertising advantage. Although I don't like their operating system, I am sympathetic to their claim that they treat their customer base with respect. When a Microsoft user buys Windows software, he or she can rest easy in the knowledge that in a couple years their investment will continue to function.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 27, 2013 7:36 AM

Best reply

Tony T1

Level 6

10,232 points

Posted on Oct 27, 2013 7:55 AM

If you upgrade to Lion, Mountain Lion or Mavericks, you cannot run Power PC Programs (As you know, OS X no longer supports Rosetta). If you must use Software from a company that has not upgraded their software or is no longer in business (Now Software suspended its day-to-day operations in March 2010), you can install Snow Leopard Server (for $20): See: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5435917?answerId=23364537022#23364537022

Install Snow Leopard Server on a separate Partition, and you can run Mavericks and Snow Leopard from the same Mac (either with Boot Camp, or with Parallels or Fusion)

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111 replies

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Oct 27, 2013 3:37 PM in response to trevorpsy

trevorpsy wrote:

"Microrsoft will "pull the plug" on XP in April."

Actually, I've done you a disservice by emphasing the lasting power of WP. The issue isn't Widows XP, per se, it's the fact that software written when XP was new still runs and will probably continue to do so for many years. Is this not a point of pride for Microsoft, and haven't they gone out of their way to make sure that compatiblity has been perserved? When's the last time you've hard about XP-era software breaking?

You always have the option of using this wonderful Windows technology yourself, you know. You original question has been answered numerous times.

Good Luck

Pete

trevorpsy Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 27, 2013 3:38 PM in response to Tony T1

Thanks Tony. I found the discussion about loading Snow Leopard Server into Parallels. I'll give it a shot. (For $20, how can I lose?)

trevorpsy Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 27, 2013 3:52 PM in response to petermac87

"You always have the option of using this wonderful Windows technology yourself, you know. You original question has been answered numerous times."

Yes, my main concerns have been answered. As to my original question: No one knows. Why did Mavericks break Now Up to Date?

I didn't come here to praise Windows XP. I dispise the program. It's 3rd party software seems to have a 20 year life-time, however.

BTW, a Windows user down the hall from me, bought Calender/Appt/Contact software for Windows that looks exactly like Now Up to Date. Interesting. I wish I caught the name of it. I can find out. (I do know that it wasn't named Now Up to Date.)

Now Up to Date went down due to a poor management decision. Seems they've recovered nicely under a different company name.

ticzon

Level 1

5 points

Oct 29, 2013 10:48 PM in response to trevorpsy

I too have been using Now Up to Date in my business since the early 1990s and have continued to use the last version that ran in Mountain Lion (Mavericks killed it). I knew that this was going to happen some day, and now that day has come. However, for several years, I have been looking for a replacement for Now Up to Date that ran on the Mac. Result: There Is No Replacement!

People on this fourm who say, "Go look for another application" or "You are using out of date software" very likely haven't been on the Mac platform for very long. It is usually a switcher...

Nothing on the market comes even close to Now Up to Date. The Mac market doens't have a calendar program that runs on the Mac, where you can run your own server (on a Mac) and have an office full of Macs sync with it. NO, iCal server doesn't count....iCal is like what Steve Jobs calls "Baby Software". You can't run a business on iCal. BusyCal was started by Now Software people (who left Now Software), but their application doesn't even come close to Now Up to Date. I once visited them at MacWorld, and they were not very friendly or helpful.

I am hoping someone will look at the code and come out with a fix. Remember what happen with Quicken 2007. Lion killed it in 2011, and Intuit came out with a fix...even though Quicken 2007 was long gone and Intuit came out with Quicken Essentials.

I was hoping that it may be a 32 bit issue, but that is not the case (see Safari's Get Info window, there is a check box to use 32 bit instead). The check box is missing in Now Up to Date's "Get Info Window".

Regarding the Windows user using a Now Up to Date looking software, there was a PC version at one time. I need to look at all the different boxes of Now Up to Date / Now Contact I have, and I beleive there was a time when another company was putting out the sotware. I could be wrong.

I got to beleive that there are still many businesses out there still using Now Up to Date on a Mac. I beleive there is a market for this robust sotware and the people who made this software miss managed their comany and killed a good thing.

I would be willing to pay $ to get a quick fix so I can continue to use Now Up to Date in future versions of Mac OS (just like the $15 I paid for the Quicken 2007 patch....well worth the price).

PS: I too paid for the Now Software X like everyone. When I was buying more licenses for Now Up to Date/Contact, I was told if I paid just a little more, I could receive the "X" version, However, it never made it out of beta.

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Oct 29, 2013 10:57 PM in response to ticzon

This is not really the place to make wishes to some third party software developer.😉

Pete

trevorpsy Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 29, 2013 11:58 PM in response to ticzon

Hi Ticzon,

Thanks so much for the thoughtful reply to what is getting to be a lengthy thread.

2 things: A workmate of mine bought a Windows version of what looks exactly like Now Up several months ago. Seems to me that Phoenix has arisen from the ashes.

I wonder if one can import one's Mac data into the Windows incarnation. Betcha you can.

Secondly: I heard the X did make it out of Beta and that the company went broke because not enough people were interested in buying it. (Which is understandable. Now Up Date left little to be desired.) All that R&D and no buyers. Very sad.

Sorry Pete, but we do have an interesting thread going, wouldn't you say?

petermac87

Level 5

7,447 points

Oct 30, 2013 12:01 AM in response to trevorpsy

trevorpsy wrote:

Sorry Pete, but we do have an interesting thread going, wouldn't you say?

No. Flogging a dead horse. Sorry.

Pete

Tony T1

Level 6

10,232 points

Oct 30, 2013 6:04 AM in response to petermac87

Tony T1

Level 6

10,232 points

Oct 30, 2013 6:13 AM in response to ticzon

ticzon wrote:

I would be willing to pay $ to get a quick fix so I can continue to use Now Up to Date in future versions of Mac OS (just like the $15 I paid for the Quicken 2007 patch....well worth the price).

$20 - That's what it would cost you to get Up-to-date to run on your Mac.

trevorpsy Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 30, 2013 5:38 PM in response to Tony T1

Hi All,

I just checked with my Windows buddy down the hall. His Windows equivalent of Now Up to Date is called Calendar Scope. As I said in an earlier post, my cursory examination of the program found no differences between it and Now Up to Date.

Trevor

Drew Reece

Level 6

10,660 points

Oct 30, 2013 9:54 PM in response to ticzon

I can't believe that you are using this old software to keep more than 10 years of patient records, trevorspy. You do realize that running old software exposes that data to being vulnerable to well known flaws.

It compounds the issue when running it on old OS's. Once those OS's go out of support all known security issues are left wide open. There are automated tools with massive databases of holes that actively seek out & exploit these vulnerabilities.

Frankly I think this is bordering on negligence in terms of UK data protection law (I don't know where you are based but I'd guess there are rules for protecting medical data).

If you are running this as a server with multiple clients are you sure it is using encryption on the network? Older encryption systems get easier to decrypt over time as more weaknesses are found.

There is also a risk of your patient records been read by anyone on the network, throw in wifi without any thought & you have a recipe for court cases.

If you and ticzon really want to continue using this software I'd seriously recommend you get dedicated machines running 10.6.8 and disconnect from all networks, that way you reduce the potential attack area of the data.

I think both of you are in desperate need of some actual IT support that has experience with software from this decade.

Export the data & get it imported into something safe before the wheels fall off completely.

ticzon

Level 1

5 points

Oct 30, 2013 10:48 PM in response to Drew Reece

Drew: I am my own IT person. Thank you very much.

You fail to realize that Now Up To Date runs in Mountain Lion which was a current OS, and it was just replaced last week.

In my case, Now Up to Date is used only for what it was meant for: appointments. I don't use the contact application that comes with the Now Software bundle. Again, there isn't a better calendar program. Threre is nothing to steal in my calendar. No SS#. No credit cards. Just appointments.

Judging from your profile, you are stil on a G4 running OS 10.2. That's not secured. You are more out dated than me 🙂. Just kidding, I'm sure you are more current and have not gotton to updating your profile (just like me).

I run a mixture of different machines, under a secured network that I maintain. My employees can only go to web sites that I allow: (I block them at the router). If they try to go to a web site that I don't allow, they are blocked and are asked to talk to me to get permission (It is how I killed Facebook and MySpace surfing in my office). Also, Wifi is locked down too.

Don't make judgements regarding our businesses or networks. In my case, I am a long time Mac user, who takes security a serious issue and make sure I retain full control of the network. My employees can can only access specific portions of my network, and have no idea what are the passwords from one machine to another, or the network Wifi. If employee or anyone else doesn't need the data, I don't leave it out in the open.

So, please...don't pass judgement when you don't know who we are and what we do in our businesses.

trevorpsy Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 30, 2013 11:03 PM in response to Drew Reece

Pete, who must be an Apple employee, keeps lurking and reminding us when we're getting off topic (as he defines it). So, I'm hesitant about invoking his ire, but you've asked the questions.

My first point is that there is no subsitute for Now Up to Date. Not in the Mac world. Either I run it or I keep track of my schedule with paper and pen. Which is more secure? A fellow psychologist on my floor keeps paper and pen records that stay in the receptionist's office -- out in the open. Many people come and go in that office. My records are in a password-protected machine, behind locked doors.

Second, there is no sensitive patient info contained in these records. It's 10 plus years of appointment times, phone numbers, insurance company contact info, social worker numbers and names, etc. The greatest benefit of this is instant access for billing problems and verifying dates of psychotherapy sessions. I also use Now Up Date as an aide for calling each patient in the morning to verify his or her appointments. Now Up Date helps me to remain sane amongst the constant choas involved in what I do for living. Although appointment times are constantly changing, Now Up to Date keeps me oriented and on-task.

Third, I run a solo private practice. No one else looks at my Now Up Date records, because when I'm gone the computer is off; and cannot be booted without a password. In fact very few people even know that the records exist. I keep my back-up at home. I live alone, so there's no chance of patient info leaking out that way. In fact, I'm a loner. No one comes in my house when I'm not there, and they rarely come in when I am. I'm talking once every six months.

Fourth, mine is a small time operation. There's no servers, etc., and my machine is never on-line unless I'm operating it. When I'm not in front of it, it's off.

I think you have an image of a busy doctor's office in mind, which is understandable. On the contrary, I work in a small room with two couches, my office chair, and cluttered desk with my computer. I have no secretary, and I am the only one who uses my Now Up to Date records.

I realize that I've been redundant, but I want to be sure that you get the picture.

trevorpsy Author

Level 1

9 points

Oct 30, 2013 11:07 PM in response to ticzon

Thanks Ticzon

Drew Reece

Level 6

10,660 points

Oct 31, 2013 12:29 AM in response to ticzon

I figured you were your own support and it's great you don't have personal details in it. Our law in the UK considers anything with a name as 'personal details', which it requires you to protect.

Just remember a chain breaks as fast as the weakest link. That means any old XP boxes should be isolated when support is dropped. There are too many web based exploits that can let intruders into your network.

I understand your situation & realise it's tough to run a business reliant on one particular tool. Which is why I think you need to consider investing in replacement hardware since it seems your world would end if this Mac died.

Just make sure it can install the OS you need, http://mactracker.ca will help with that.

Why is Now Up to Date broken?