the end of FireWire

Yes, it is rumored and seems to be reliable that macOS 25 will drop FireWire support, after 25 years. Apple seems to think this will simplify things, but they ignore there are still (legacy) FireWire devices out there folks are still using, like hard drives. Although reports claim you can use a USB or Thunderbolt adapter to keep them working still. So it's not all bad.

There are still legacy SCSI devices too. So are 3.5 inch floppy discs. Technology progresses and legacy connections get dropped. And it’s not only Apple either. The time is now to transfer and data from a Firewire device to modern drive. You need two adapters to do this. IEEE 1394 video cameras and such may be out of luck if they don’t have a USB port.

1. Thunderbolt 3 -> Thunderbolt 2 (display port)adapter
2. Thunderbolt 2 -> Firewire adapter

I have used these adapters to transfer and wipe my old Firewire drives. They work.

Alchroma wrote:

I reckon if FW is important to a User: keep an older Mac on hand to act as a Middle man.

Yes, old Firewire gear might be a good investment.

I still have my PowerMacintosh 8600/200 1998 with an add-on Firewire PCI card ready to dual boot to System 9 or some early OS X version via XPostFacto. I edited hours of old D8 and VHS footage (digitized via D8 camcorder) with old iMovie 1.0.2 with that beast with 20 GB IBM ATA Deskstar (via PCI ATA card) -- BTW that "Deathstar" is still running OK.

BTW 1 hour of miniDV/D8 is about 12 GB so it was handy that the older iMovie versions allowed one to trim edited .dv footage off and then import more footage to edit so I could use that tiny 20 GB drive to edit 38 hours of old VHS footage to 12 hours. In later iMovie versions that feature was removed obviously because trimming .dv occasionally corrupted the project.

Later I used iMovie v2-6 with PowerBook G4 15.2" 2004, and Mac mini late 2009 which have built-in FW.

I also have those two Apple's FW-TB2-TB3 adapters which work in Sequoia and FCP with the old unEUtered Sony TRV320E D8 camcorder via Firewire.

Tom Wolsky wrote:

The reports are going around that the next macOS will not support any FireWire.

Had to happen sooner or later.

I reckon if FW is important to a User: keep an older Mac on hand to act as a Middle man.

Al

Check eBay, you'll find plenty of those Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adapters for sale.

lkrupp wrote:

I have used these adapter to transfer and wipe my old Firewire drives. They work.

Apple discontinued the Thunderbolt to FireWire 800 adapter. You can't find new ones any more.

"Twenty years ago questions were coming in every few minutes!"

Let me tell y'all about users groups, authorized training, certified trainers, more online forums than you could imagine, and Apple bragging about 53% professional market share. But yes, times change, Apple has changed, the pro apps are semi-pro apps now. No more user groups. Authorized training is a joke. And as said, very little online forum activity.

Here’s my theory regarding the amount of Apple Discussion posts:

AI (not me the artificial one) can answer just about any question regarding FCPro you throw at it.

AI is the “new preferred kid” giving the answers.

However, as the AI becomes more like a User Manual that one has to Read and Understand, it will go full circle to people asking people because information is not understanding. 😵‍💫

Al

It's not a seasonal phenomenon. I've noticed it gradually appearing over the last few years.

It's possibly caused by the increasing availability of AI as this is what appeared when I asked for some general troubleshooting tips . . .

1. Basic Troubleshooting:

• Restart your Mac and Final Cut Pro: This is often the first and simplest step to resolve minor issues. 
• Check for updates: Ensure both Final Cut Pro and your macOS are up to date. 
• Disconnect external devices: Disconnect all external devices except for your keyboard and mouse to see if a device is causing the problem. 
• Check system requirements: Verify that your Mac meets the minimum system requirements for Final Cut Pro. 
• Test with a new library and project: This helps isolate whether the issue is with your specific project or a more general problem. 

2. Advanced Troubleshooting:

• Reset Final Cut Pro preferences:
• This will reset the application's settings to their default state. 
• Remove and reinstall Final Cut Pro:
• This is a more drastic step but can resolve issues if the application files are corrupted. 
• Test in a new user account:
• If the issue doesn't occur in a new user account, it suggests a problem with your user account's settings or files. 
• Check media and storage compatibility:
• Ensure your media files are in a supported format and that your storage device has sufficient free space. 
• Delete render files:
• Render files can sometimes become corrupted and cause issues. Deleting them and re-rendering can resolve the problem. 
• Check for font corruption:
• If you're experiencing issues with titles or text, font corruption could be the cause. 
• Examine plugins:
• If you're using third-party plugins, they could be conflicting with Final Cut Pro. Try disabling or updating them. 

3. Specific Issue Isolation:

• Troubleshooting Libraries:
• If a specific library is causing problems, try opening it in a new library, removing events one by one to identify the problematic event.
• Troubleshooting Media:
• If you suspect a media file is the issue, try playing it in Finder with Quick Look or QuickTime to see if it plays correctly. 

4. Further Steps:

• Contact Apple Support: If you've tried all the troubleshooting steps and the issue persists, consider contacting Apple Support for further assistance. 

By systematically working through these steps, you can effectively troubleshoot most common Final Cut Pro issues.

If I had asked a more specific question I would have almost certainly received a more detailed response.

The machines are taking over.

It's not only FireWire . . . have you noticed the FCP forum?

Twenty years ago questions were coming in every few minutes!

So why are you still on the platform?

It might be due to the fact that the word "c-u-t" is being censored from Final Cut Pro and it's putting people off... and may be killing search results...

Or...

There may be other reasons...

Snap! I thought of that just before I noticed this last post of yours.

Wow, this is the quietest I've ever seen the forum. Hopefully just lots of summer holidays.