25 replies to this topic

[jcj2249]

The latest KStars version I'm able to run on my Intel Mac (macOS Big Sur) is version 3.6.8.

The following versions 3.6.9, 3.7.0, 3.71 can't even be installed.

I tried on two other Macs without luck.

 

I found on www.fosshub.com/ some older KStars dmg's and checked their sizes:

kstars-3.5.6.dmg = 182 MB

kstars-3.5.7.dmg = 183 MB

kstars-3.5.8.dmg = 197 MB

kstars-3.5.9.dmg = 200 MB

kstars-3.6.0.dmg = 248 MB

kstars-3.6.7.dmg = 291 MB

 

The size increases (which is normal) but - astonishingly - the last version has a much smaller size :

kstars-3.7.1.dmg = 173 MB

 

Could this be the reason of their misinstallation ?

 

Does anyone be able to run KStars > 3.6.8 on an Intel Mac ?

[nou]

AFAIK there was some work done to make compile environment for MacOS more stable and relievable. So it is most likely that this bumped version of OS that is required.

Edited by nou, 12 June 2024 - 09:11 AM.

[jcj2249]

Thanks you for the reply.

Do you mean by "bumped version" that I would have to upgrade my OS ?

[LLEEGE]

Thanks you for the reply.

Do you mean by "bumped version" that I would have to upgrade my OS ?

I think he is referring to the latest version of Kstars/EKOS

[nou]

Hm downloaded latest dmg image from https://kstars.kde.org/download/ and it can't even attach it. Checksum is correct so it is not getting corrupted on download.

[nou]

Ok downloaded 3.7.0 and that start up find. According to meta info it is compiled for MacOS 10.15 so it should work on Bin Sur which is 11.0.

[jcj2249]

I downloaded again the latest version 3.7.1 (https://kstars.kde.org) and when I double-click on the kstars-3.7.1.dmg I get a system warning : "The following disk images couldn't be opened"

 

Could you indicate the link to 3.7.0 download as you did , please ?

[nou]

Just changed 1 to 0 in the link. Here you go https://www.indilib....stars-3.7.0.dmg

[jcj2249]

On both 

https://www.indilib....stars-3.7.0.dmg

or

https://www.indilib....stars-3.7.1.dmg

 

I got a system warning : "The following disk images couldn't be opened"

[jcj2249]

I start getting nut with all this.

 

I tried again with your link and it works perfectly now !!!!!

 

Thus I downloaded the other versions and they install also correctly :

kstars-3.6.8.dmg = 292 MB

kstars-3.6.9.dmg = 206 MB

kstars-3.7.0.dmg = 205 MB

Their size seems to be correct.

 

Only kstars-3.7.1.dmg = 172 MB has a weird size and can't be installed

 

I really wonder ....

 

Many thanks nou.

[jcj2249]

Well I spoke too quickly : these KStars versions don't run on my Mac.

 

This might be because they haven't be compiled for Intel processors

[btschumy]

All the versions of KStars should work with Intel processors.  I haven’t heard of an issue where it says the .dmg can’t be opened.  Have you checked the SHA256 to make sure the download wasn’t corrupted?  If all else fails, have you tried rebooting your Mac?

[jcj2249]

Hi Bill,

 

- First thanks for the idea

 

- I have booted and rebooted my Mac (and two others -- all running Big Sur)

I also try to start with the Shift key down

 

- checksum of the file indicated on https://kstars.kde.org/download/ :

494dd07e19387c19b34b1d71549ccd25f53b94a66fe5bbc2cd24aef96a4818f9

 

- checksum of the downloaded file KStars 3.7.1 :

494dd07e19387c19b34b1d71549ccd25f53b94a66fe5bbc2cd24aef96a4818f9

 

They are identical for me.

 

But when I double-click on kstars-3.7.1.dmg I get a warning :(sorry I don't know how to attach screenshots on this topic) :

The following disk images couldn't be opened

kstars-3.7.1.dmg          no mountable file systems

 

What does it mean ?

[btschumy]

Okay, I did a web search for “no mountable file systems mac dmg”.  This seems to be a problem others occasionally have.  Here are my first two search results with suggestions.  You have already tried the rebooting and checking for a corrupted download.

 

https://www.stellari...systems-on-mac/

​https://setapp.com/h...e-system-on-mac

Edited by btschumy, 13 June 2024 - 02:28 PM.

[jcj2249]

Bill, I tried the suggestions found in the links to no avail

 

As a résumé :

- KStars ≤ 368 works perfectly on my Macs

- the dmg of KStars 369 and the dmg of KStars 370 expand as they should placing KStars app in the Applications folder.

BUT KStars app is not functional : an alert appears saying "Check with the developer to make sure kstars works with this version of macOS"

- the dmg of KStars 371 has the problem described above

 

I don't know what to think

 

Bill, did you run KStars 369, 370 or 371 on an Intel Mac under macOS Big Sur ?

[btschumy]

I don't have a Big Sur installation.  I do have an older Mac with High Sierra on it (10.13.6).  This is one release earlier than Big Sur.

 

I downloaded the lates 3.7.1 and got the same message about "no mountable filesystems".  My guess is that however the dmg was created, they used the newer APFS file system.  This supposedly came out with Sierra (10.12.4) but I supposed it is possible that dmg's didn't support it until later.

 

Here's what we can try.  I've zipped up my kstars_3.7.1 and uploaded it to my website.  Download this as see if it will run for you:

 

Oops!  I just tried this on High Sierra and it won't run.  It says it requires 10.15 or higher.  But I think it might work with Big Sur (11.7)

 

https://otherwise.com/kstars.zip

[jcj2249]

No luck, it doesn't open. Alert : "kstars" is damaged and can't be opened"

 

All my Macs use the APFS file system

 

I reported this problem on the kstars bug report forum with no return until now

 

Thanks, Bill.

[markritchie]

Coincidentally I was trying to install KStars on my Mac and I have run into the same issues.  I was able to get 3.6.8 to download and run, just like jcj2249.  I haven't run KStars in several years and the last time I was running it on Ubuntu 20.04 and I wanted to start using it again.  

 

Version 3.6.8 will certainly get me going again and thanks for jcj2249 for doing the leg work to find the last working package for Mac.  If it matters, I am running Monterrey on an M1 processor.

 

Mark

[btschumy]

The "kstars is damaged" might be because they don't sign the app.  Generally you have to try to run it and after it fails, go to the System Settings > Privacy and tell it to open it anyway.  You can also run the following command from the Terminal app:

 

xattr -cr /Applications/kstars.app

 

If that doesn't work, then I don't know what's going on.

 

Bill

[Dino]

I fear the latest kstars versions require macOS 14, according to https://bugs.kde.org...g.cgi?id=481508: "3.6.9 needs MacOS Sonoma. We didn't update the minimum MacOS for this release."

 

Edit: added the URL for the kstars bug report

Edited by Dino, 16 June 2024 - 08:21 AM.

[jcj2249]

I understood that Rob Lancaster was at work and we will have an answer very soon at least for KStars 371

[Spaceman 56]

I have KStars 3.5.6 running on a Mac with OS 10.13.6.

 

beyond that I don't know what is possible.  

 

Spacemen.

[gordtulloch]

Perhaps a Linux partition on your Mac would be a better option? Run astronomy software in the Linux partition and Mac-y stuff in another? Would seem to solve a lot of problems.

[jcj2249]

Well I forgot to mention it here : at the beginning of July an updated version of KStars 3.7.1 for macOS has been posted and .... it works perfectly on my Intel iMac / Big Sur

Hope this helps

[Obs30]

OK... I had installed KStars 3.7.1. several times from April through June and had a lot of missing INDI drivers (both native and 3rd party) on my MBP/M1Pro -silicon on Sonoma.

 

I just re-downloaded the seemingly "same" ...3.7.1.dmg and voilà ... the drivers are "back"?!  The new KStars app package is now 273 MB larger after installation than the earlier installation of 3.7.1. So... something has been fixed by Rob. Thank you, Rob !!!

 

BTW, it is kind of scary to see that there seems to be only a single person on this planet providing a pre-compiled version of KStars for macOS!