MacOS Catalina (10.15) Notes

[Peter Richterich]

CodonCode Corporation just released a new installer that addresses several issues with macOS Catalina (10.15) - specifically, warning messages shown by the Gatekeeper program, and updated versions of some helper programs (Phred and Phrap) that can be used from CodonCode Aligner. The new installer version is 9.0.1.2. Windows users are not affected by this update.

This installer addresses two issues in macOS Catalina: increased the security checks for installers and programs, and the elimination of support for 32-bit programs. The original installer for CodonCode Aligner 9.0.1 had not been "notarized" by Apple, which resulted in warning dialogs and installation problems when running the installer on macOS 10.15. The elimination of support for 32-bit programs affected two "helper" programs distributed with CodonCode Aligner, Phred (used for the "Call Bases" function) and Phrap (used for "Assemble with Phrap"). Both programs have been updated to 64-bit versions that are compatible with macOS Catalina. The CodonCode Aligner installer version 9.0.1.2 has been notarized by Apple, and should install without problems.

Note that the new security checks added in macOS 10.15 can cause significant slow-downs when using a program for the first time on a computer that is not connected to the internet. For example, running the CodonCode Aligner installer takes just a few seconds when connected to the internet, but can take several minutes on a computer that is not connected to the internet. Similar delays of up to several minutes can happen when using helper programs like Bowtie, or functions that use helper programs like "Call Bases", for the first time if a computer is not connected to the internet. This slowdown appears to happen only the first time a program or function is used.