Latest macOS Update Disables DisplayLink, Rendering Thousands of Monitors Dead (displaylink.com)

rh2600 writes: Four days ago, Apple's latest macOS 10.13.4 update broke DisplayLink protocol support (perhaps permanently), turning what may be hundreds of thousands of external monitors connected to MacBook Pros via DisplayLink into paperweights. Some days in, DisplayLink has yet to announce any solution, and most worryingly there are indications that this is a permanent change to macOS moving forward. Mac Rumors is reporting that "users of the popular Mac desktop extension app Duet Display are being advised not to update to macOS 10.13.4, due to 'critical bugs' that prevent the software from communicating with connected iOS devices used as extra displays." Users of other desktop extensions apps like Air Display and iDisplay are also reporting incompatibility with the latest version of macOS.

Comments

Re: Why Apple gets away with this bullshit

[TheFakeTimCook]

Anti Apple is what it should be if they can not BETA Test there OS Better than this they need to Backup and Regroup, Pull The Update till they get it Fixed but I guess they are taking a Page from Microsoft on Updating there OS all USERS are BETA TESTERS!!!!!!!!

So, just HOW many THIRD PARTY display products SHOULD Apple test with?!?

THAT's why they have a Beta Test Program. Sounds like the Beta Testers either didn't report this to Apple, or didn't encounter the failure.

Re:Why Apple gets away with this bullshit

[Geoffrey.landis]

Yeah, I'll have to agree with the previous post. Excoriating Apple because their system doesn't work with some external monitor and saying Debian is better but

...now if i could magically find the right kernel options to compile a debian kernel that both boots and supports my video card, i'll be relatively happy. oh yeah, don't use Xfce if you use displayport and want to turn your monitor off and back on; you're welcome.

is rather self-contradictory. So, the problem with Apple is that it doesn't support some external monitors, and therefore Debian is better except it doesn't support some external monitors.

Unless that was intended as irony? It does read like irony. On the internet it is hard to tell.

Re: Why Apple gets away with this bullshit

[dgatwood]

Much as I hate to agree with TheFakeTimCook, that's pretty much accurate. Even I can't play devil's advocate here. Their Mac drivers have been crap for many years.

It is also relatively unsurprising that Apple didn't test their hardware. USB monitors are quite rare, in large part because USB 2.0 just wasn't fast enough to provide a good experience, and USB 3.0 usually shares a port with Thunderbolt, which can carry DisplayPort data without the need for software-based compression or custom drivers. The only place their technology really makes sense is in products designed for use with tablets and smartphones (which lack DisplayPort/Thunderbolt).

To be blunt, we're rapidly heading towards a future in which the entire concept of tunneling video over USB no longer makes sense, and it already makes no sense when you're talking about computer-based operating systems, making these devices thoroughly legacy hardware. I assume that the chipset manufacturer recognizes this, and won't spend much time or effort trying to improve the quality of the drivers. Thus, we should expect the drivers to degrade more and more until they become completely unsupported/unusable.

IMO, the best thing they can do for their users would be to open source their entire driver and software stack so that people who still care about maintaining compatibility can continue to hack on it in their spare time. In the meantime, they need to find a new niche if the company wants to stay in business long-term, because this niche is rapidly ceasing to have significant value in the marketplace.