Stephen Newey

macos

Updated 2023-11-13 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.

#macos #linux