External Email - Use Caution        

Hello Cali and Vânia,

With the exception of some vector instructions and kernel extensions, Intel binaries should run as is under the Rosetta2 compatability environment on Macs with the M1 chip.  I don't know of issues so far with running freesurfer under the Rosetta 2 environment and I've read some reports of applications not incurring any speed penalty even when running under Rosetta 2.

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/apple_silicon/about_the_rosetta_translation_environment

I also have not heard so far of issues with running freesurfer on an Intel Mac upgraded from Catalina to BigSur.  An issue for some people was upgrading their Intel Macs from older versions of MacOS to Catalina where 32 bit binaries can no longer be run.  The same will be true if you skipped upgrading to Catalina and now upgrade to BigSur instead.

In the past I have brought an external hard drive into an Apple store and asked someone for permission to hook it up to one of the new Macs to test running software from my external drive.   They've always let me do this as the store machines have their hard disks wiped and restored I think every day in order to update to the latest software (and get rid of whatever people leave on the machines from playing with them).  Just say no to "time machine" asking to use the disk when you plug it in.

- R
Cali, Ryan Joseph
December 4, 2020 at 09:44

Hi Vânia,

 

Currently, I am running 7.1.1 (the most recent release) on Big Sur without issue. I’m not sure we can speak to the stability when running it on the new Arm chips given they were just released though if you had issues a virtual machine can serve as an alternative.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

Ryan Cali, B.Sc.

Research Technician II
Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery

Laboratory for NeuroImaging of Coma and Consciousness (NICC)

Massachusetts General Hospital / Neurology
RCALI@MGH.HARVARD.EDU

978-860-6496

 

 

From: freesurfer-bounces@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu <freesurfer-bounces@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu>
Date: Friday, December 4, 2020 at 3:41 AM
To: Freesurfer support list <freesurfer@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu>
Subject: [Freesurfer] Freesurfer on new Mac (apple silicon-chip)

        External Email - Use Caution        

Hi,

 

I am about to buy a new laptop and I am wondering if freesurfer will be running on the new mac? I mean, Mac OS big sur (with apple silicon chip, where they no longer use an intel processor).

 

Many thanks for your advice.

Best,

Vânia de Aguiar, PhD
Assistant Professor in Neurolinguistics
University of Groningen
Faculty of Arts

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26
Room 1315.0408
9712 EK, Groningen
The Netherlands

_______________________________________________
Freesurfer mailing list
Freesurfer@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
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Correia de Aguiar, V.M.
December 4, 2020 at 03:40

        External Email - Use Caution        

Hi,

I am about to buy a new laptop and I am wondering if freesurfer will be running on the new mac? I mean, Mac OS big sur (with apple silicon chip, where they no longer use an intel processor).

Many thanks for your advice.
Best,
Vânia de Aguiar, PhD
Assistant Professor in Neurolinguistics
University of Groningen
Faculty of Arts

Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat 26
Room 1315.0408
9712 EK, Groningen
The Netherlands
_______________________________________________
Freesurfer mailing list
Freesurfer@nmr.mgh..harvard.edu
https://mail.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/freesurfer

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