Moving from macOS to Linux: The unknowns
Posted: — updated:
Updated with Preview.app features, prompted by Neil's helpful response Desktop Linux: the software I'm currently using
With my new laptop coming in a few days, I'm finally thinking through the implications of moving away from macOS whilst still having an iPhone. These are some questions I need to answer:
- How will I listen to music?
- Currently streaming with Apple Music, blended by the Music app with my local music collection
- How will I manage photos?
- Currently in Photos, synced with iCloud, mostly originating from my phone, with a collection of old stuff originally synced from the Mac
- How will I do quick annotations on screenshots, markup PDFs, resize/crop/export images without Preview.app?
- What Passkeys do I need to migrate out of iCloud (or the Mac specifically)?
- What other credentials are in my Mac/iCloud keychain that aren't in 1Password for some reason?
- Safari has been my primary browser and macOS, and will likely continue to be on iOS
- I tend to throw stuff at Reading List to pick up later, which I won't have access to on my new computer, so what to do instead?
- Should I keep an old Mac around, running?
- Logged into iCloud, it could provide another authentication factor for iDevices, which assume you've got some other Apple device nearby to do authentication
- There are bridges for iMessage that could let me continue to read/reply to iMessage and SMS from my phone
- I have an old MacBook Pro with a non-functioning screen that's too expensive to fix that could do the job
- I subscribe to Microsoft 365, mainly for cheap cloud storage (effectively 6Tb for around ~£45 per year when bought on semi-frequent offer), but do use Excel for a few tasks. Should I...
- Migrate away to something else?
- Use the web version?
- Try Wine/Crossover/Windows VM?
- I almost entirely interact with Mastodon through Ivory, on my phone and with the macOS app. I really like that it stays in sync across both with my read position. Am I just going to use the iOS app now, or is there some other solution?
I guess I'll find my answers in the coming weeks.