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Topic: Intel

Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

Summary: Apple killed Rosetta in Lion and aftershocks are starting to ripple through the Mac community as we approach the imminent release of Apple's next-generation operating system.

Jason D. O'Grady

By for The Apple Core |

In February Apple killed support for Rosetta in Mac OS 10.7/Lion and aftershocks are starting to ripple through the Mac community as we approach the imminent release of Apple's next-generation operating system.

Rosetta was built to run PowerPC code on Intel Macs and it was intended to bridge a gap until software developers could make their code Intel-native. Most Mac developers invested in porting their applications to Intel, but some huge software monoliths --- like Intuit -- chose to bank extra profits instead of investing in their own code.

As a result, Quicken 2005, 2006 and 2007 for Mac will not work with Lion when it ships in the next several days. According to the Intuit FAQ on the issue:

Currently, Quicken for Mac 2005, 2006 or 2007 will not work on Lion... Quicken for Mac 2005, 2006 and 2007 were originally built for the older PowerPC architecture, and were able to run on newer Intel-based Macs due to an Apple technology called Rosetta. As of Mac OS X 10.7, Apple has discontinued support for Rosetta.

Intuit points out that Quicken Essentials will work with Lion, but since it's a subset of Quicken, it won't likely work for many die-hard Quicken users.
A thread on the MacRumors forums asks for suggestions for a Lion-compatible personal finance application for the Mac and some of the names that frequently come up include:

One commenter ended their post with:

I really, really hate you, Intuit.

I asked a friend (and 20-year Quicken veteran) for his analysis of the post-Quicken Mac software landscape and frankly, it's a little bleak. While he had high hopes for the self-proclaimed Quicken-killer (a.k.a. iBank) the reality was something different, entirely.

The iBank site has user forum that is generally favorable, but not entirely so. I've been using it today and ready to trash it. Says it will import all Quicken for Mac, but it garbled it pretty badly. Handling loans is useless, in my opinion re., principal and interest splits.

All security transactions data [buy/sell, etc] was not transferred over in a fashion to match Quicken's Security Details -- a gold mine for investment performance, like IRR calculations over any time frame.  Read: how did one do during and since the crash, when price is not the only consideration for performance.

Quicken was great in following these and adjusting cost basis when applicable for reinvested dividends. 25 years of data is available in a heart beat for multiple report options.  Quicken for Mac budgeting was not as sharp as newer products, but it excels at cash flow and recurrent transaction regardless of the interval or frequency. Unforunately, Quicken for Mac had it last version dated 2007.

For my use, iBank is definitely a "Quicken Killer," but rather a wannabee that I'll soon forget. Even changing a reconciled entry or modifying an account type subject to an automatic lock down by iBank is not possible. For me, it's forgetaboutit.

Are you a Quicken/Mac user? What are you going to use when Lion roars into town?

Topic: Intel

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  • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

    but if people need to they could always not upgrade to Lion and stay still with Snow Leopard?
    Viper589
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

      @Knix96

      You didn't drink koolaid didn't you?

      This does not please Jobs.
      tharmon77
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

        @tharmon77

        LOL!!!

        i do own a 2011 15inch macbook pro and i am getting Lion when it gets out but my mom who uses quicken on her mac cant so she is not going to get the update as is and lol jobs koolaid? i also use windows and Linux.
        Viper589
        Reply Vote

    • Quicken sucks the big one...

      Intuit Sucks, they always have... Sure Quicken is decent when it works, but that is just the problem... From a support perspective they are as lazy and as incompetent as Adobe... They always have been.

      This isn't an Apple caused issue, this is an Intuit caused issue. They have known for years that OS X was pulling away from Rosetta. They are the tools that chose not to do the work... Perhaps they are trying to transition to a web based only service. Perhaps they thought that Cloud services would rule by now... Any way you look at it, they have had more than enough time to comply with the changes they knew were coming. I guess they were too busy napping to care, about their own customers....

      All I can say at this point is good riddance.
      i8thecat3
      Reply Vote

      • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

        @i8thecat3

        i am surprised that intuit does not have his code straightened out already. it has been close to 4 years since the mac changed to intel.

        what the hell is wrong with them? it just needs to port the code to support mac intel. how long does that take? do they need 15 years?
        cnieves@...
        Reply Vote

  • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

    A few years back Quicken stopped support my version of Quicken for Mac; 2004 I think. Okay, do not support it, however still let me use it downloading my data from the bank and investments. No-can-do. Quicken flipped the switch not allowing us to obtain the data we have been getting for years. Other than getting update revenue there was not any reason to kick Quicken for the Mac 2004 off their download servers.

    Tried numerous programs ended with MoneyDance. For me it is a wonderful program. They have a new version out, however with our change over from Wachovia to Wells Fargo before I upgrade I need to see it this version, 2011r3-757, works with Wells Fargo and Lion as well.

    As a Quicken alternative I can highly recommend MoneyDance. One feature that is nice is the same data file can be used, without conversion, on all MoneyDance products across all operating systems. Cannot do that with Quicken.
    BubbaJones_
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

      @RicD_ Intuit is very good a screwing over their customers. We use Quick Books Pro (Windows version) here at work and over the years they have forced us to upgrade a number of times. Usually can't get more than 18-24 months use out of a version before they force us to upgrade an not lose essential services. God forbid you ever have to call for support, that was a week of hell I don't ever want to go through again. Every time we got to a point that they were stumped I would be put on hold so the support rep could "talk to a supervisor" and after a minute or so click, was hung up on. Would have to call back and start over from the beginning. This was repeated at least 5 times.
      non-biased
      Reply Vote

  • Gave up on Quicken in 2006

    And tried iBank for a year or so. It's a decent program.

    But I'm a Moneydance guy now. Works almost as good as Quicken.
    itguy10
    Reply Vote

    • 2006?

      @itguy10

      I bought my first Mac in 2005, and Quicken on the Mac was a joke even then.

      I was a Quicken user from Version 2 for DOS, and was a beta tester for a few of the Windows versions. They let me down quite badly with their Mac versions.
      msalzberg
      Reply Vote

    • "works almost as good as Quicken"

      @itguy10

      LOL. 'Nuff said.
      UrNotPayingAttention
      Reply Vote

      • When Quicken Works, That Is

        @chmod 777
        Moneydance works 'almost as well as Quicken' when Quicken works. Apparently Intuit are not that concerned with seeing that it will continue to do so. When Quicken stops working, Moneydance works much better.
        CFWhitman
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

      @itguy10

      really? i hate the fact that everytime quicken offers me upgrade offers, it disables my download abilities which blackmails me into buying the upgrades all the time. i am checking moneydance up to see how it is. i have been using quicken for eleven years now and played their littel game for too long.
      cnieves@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

    I'm no Apple fanboi (I'm a Winders guy, myself), but I don't see this as being Apple's miscue. This is clearly the fault of Intuit. Unless Apple discontinued Rosetta support with no prior warning, it's Intuit's responsibility to make sure their programs will run on their supported OSes, not the OS manufacturer.
    swmace
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

      @swmace --- I agree. Intuit isn't the only software maker to not have updated their software. It seems a little biased to say that Quicken/Intuit is being targeted.
      DustinU
      Reply Vote

    • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

      @swmace And is it really Intuit's fault for not support legecy software? Every software has its own End-of-Support date and after that it really up to the user themselves to support them.

      People can argue Mac vs. PC all they want, but at the end of the day, you can *ALWAYS* find Microsoft supported solution for software backward compatibility, i.e. virtualization or compatibility mode.

      Not so with Apple, apparently. And that's why no enterprise IT would bet their critical line-of-business application on Apple's technology.
      Samic
      Reply Vote

      • Really?

        The switch to restrictive user accounts caused plenty of headaches in the enterprise.

        All technology has an end or life. Apple is more aggressive than most. Legacy holds MS back in the consumer space.
        Richard Flude
        Reply Vote

      • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

        @Samic
        agreed. i have mac and ipad for fun and entertaiment but for running my finances and paying my bills i use windows 7. funny that so many people call mac osx the perfect operating system but they do not have the majority of the market. i wonder why?
        cnieves@...
        Reply Vote

    • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

      @swmace <br>As a MS fanboy, I must point out the simple truth that you have officially qualified as an Apple apologist. If this held the same when using a Windows system, you would NOT have sidestepped the fault with such urgency. This is a truth, that only outsiders can see. You will deny it until the end, but it is what it is.
      FuzzyBunnySlippers
      Reply Vote

  • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

    We installed Parallels and use Quicken for windows. It has always had more features and is updated yearly. The new parallels works far better than previous version and printing has be greatly improved. For $99 it is well worth it. It also has ipad and iphone support so you can operate any of your windows programs, it is a nice option.
    pdeweese@...
    Reply Vote

    • RE: Lion fatally mauls Quicken for Mac

      @pdeweese@... Sun Virtualbox is a great free VM app (like Parallels and VMWare Fusion) for those that don't want to spend any extra (beyond the Windows License). Parallels and Fusion are definitely more polished though.

      FWIW, if you have a PC laying around, set up it for Remote Desktop with CoRD in an extra screen (or in Spaces). Add dropbox for easy file transfer, and you can control a full fledged PC with only a LAN cable and a power cable plugged in to the tower (and no processor or RAM overhead on your Mac).
      Gritztastic
      Reply Vote
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