Big Sur and Nisus

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credneb
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Big Sur and Nisus

Post by credneb »

As I understand it, Big Sur brings big changes to the OSX operating system, making it much more like the iPad OS interface (of which I am not a fan). With the new M1 cpus Apple created, how will this affect the operation of Nisus (and other traditional programs)? More specifically, will it cripple Nisus (fx) in the near term, and what sort of timeline has Apple announced for users to buy all new software just to keep up with the OS?
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martin
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by martin »

Nisus Writer Pro 3.2 and Nisus Writer Express 4.2 are completely compatible with macOS Big Sur. You should see no reduced functionality or features on Big Sur. And while it's true that Big Sur makes some changes that may cosmetically resemble iOS (increased control spacing, boxed app icons, etc) the underlying macOS system isn't that different.

It's the same with Apple Silicon (the M1 chip). Nisus Writer runs natively on Apple Silicon without any loss of features or functionality. The only caveat is that importing or exporting certain file formats in Nisus Writer Pro may require the use of Rosetta, the translator Apple provides to run non-native code. But there's no actual drawback here; that process is merely not as efficient as possible.

Early reporting and benchmarks of the new M1 chip have been very good. It looks like Apple's new hardware is going to be really strong. The feature that allows Macs with an M1 chip to natively run iOS/iPad apps (whether that's a good experience or not) does not in any way reduce what native Mac apps like Nisus Writer can do.

I hope that's helpful. Although we obviously don't know what Apple will do in the future, right now there's absolutely no reason to worry about Big Sur and Apple Silicon, at least not as it relates to Nisus Writer.
credneb
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by credneb »

Thanks for the reply, Martin.
kevmark
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by kevmark »

I'm finding Nisus Writer Pro consistently sluggish in Big Sur: notably opening files and changing settings such as text size. I also encountered unexpected behaviors when working with a combination of sections and page breaks, but was in a rush at the time and am not able to define what happened exactly.

I'm hoping there will be an update soon that will bring NW back to its usual snappy self.
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martin
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by martin »

kevmark wrote: 2020-12-04 17:44:53 I'm hoping there will be an update soon that will bring NW back to its usual snappy self.
I'm sorry you've seen slowdowns using Nisus Writer on Big Sur. We have identified an issue that's new to Big Sur that can cause sluggish behavior when redrawing common icons and controls. For example, all of the widgets you see in the palettes.

The issue can be avoided by hiding all the document window tools, including the toolbar, palettes, and Navigator sidebar. The latter can be especially slow when showing a TOC structure with a lot of nested entries. Surprisingly that's caused by redrawing many of the standard disclosure triangle icons.

We hope to have this issue resolved in the next software update. I'm sorry for the nuisance in the meantime.
kevmark
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by kevmark »

Thank you Martin. Your careful comment is much appreciated, and I hope you won't have too much trouble fixing things.
drlaz
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by drlaz »

I was going to post this, but instead I will reply. What seems most sluggish to me is start-up and file open, but I will assume it is in the initial set-up of the toolbars and palettes.
vitaka
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by vitaka »

drlaz wrote: 2020-12-10 16:02:59What seems most sluggish to me is start-up and file open
I have the exact same problem. Hopefully, this will get solved soon.
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martin
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by martin »

We just released version 3.2.1 that should fix sluggish behavior on Big Sur.
David Sharp
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by David Sharp »

As I have Nisus launch during the start-up process, I hadn't noticed whether it was sluggish or not under Big Sur before the upgrade to 3.2.1. However I've just tried closing and opening it, I can confirm that it's now almost instantaneous. Not only does the application open fast, but some of my bigger files—one of which has now reached almost 4 Mb—also open very quickly. The "Typesetting text" phase, which used to take several seconds, hardly has time to appear on the screen before it vanishes.

By contrast, Microsoft Excel and Word have become positively sluggish. But then, from what I read on various forums, MS is taking its time getting its applications ready for the new Apple technology.

All of which leads me to the conclusion that I want to wish everyone on this forum, and especially Martin and the other folks at Nisus, a very happy and successful New Year!
speedyraf
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by speedyraf »

An iPad could be my next purchase, if Nisus would consider making a universal app to work on all Apple devices. A native iPad app would work for me as well. I like Nisus Writer Express' simplicity greatly compared to other products on the market. Thank you.
Kanamachirover
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Re: Big Sur and Nisus

Post by Kanamachirover »

I too would love to see an iPad version of Nisus writer or pro.

I have been asking Nisus for the last few years and am always told they are not considering offering an iPad version.

Having to use Pages on my iPad, then copy and paste the file on my desktop is really a pain!

Come on, Nisus, how can we convince you to change your mind?
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