I hate that for you. Adobe has gotten worse over the years, but I suppose I don’t have to tell you that. There are a lot of great alternatives out there — I probably don’t have to tell you that either — and I hope one day you can switch to them.
Of course, that’s why work is a four letter word, and you can’t eat your wants.
Mac used to have Time Machine, which was an automated, timed backup system. I think it was deprecated in the latest build? I never used it (only been a Mac user since 2023). I seem to remember hearing that Time Machine volumes — drives set up for that express purpose — were not going to be supported in the new version, which came out last month.
I don’t remember Apple ever catching flak for Time Machine though, so we may be thinking of different things.
So yes, as previously established by someone else, Apple collects telemetry like the rest of them. They don’t sell it to marketers though. They are still a computer/hardware company, not an advertising company (though, they do run ads).
If you’re a gamer and you recognise that macOS is the worst computer platform for gaming, that’s fine, but tell it to a gaming community. You’re in a privacy community. I’m a gamer, but read the room. Not everyone in a privacy community is a gamer willing to sell privacy for a platform more friendly to gaming.
I keep hearing it’s certified UNIX, and if you don’t know “what they call it” despite me saying so in the post you replied to, I question your comprehension of the material in general.
Now, I’m not a UNIX guy, and I always thought it was bizarre that people said that. So I looked it up. I neither like nor trust Google, so I searched “macOS UNIX certification” on DuckDuckGo, which I believe uses Bing? Still not ideal, but at this point any search engine is going to get us some meaningful searches.
DDG’s AI companion says this: MacOS has been certified as UNIX compliant, specifically as UNIX® 03, which means it adheres to an older version of the Single UNIX Specification. This certification indicates that macOS meets certain programming interface standards, but it does not necessarily reflect the latest UNIX standards.
The top link is from The Open Group which declares itself to be the official register of UNIX certified products. They list Apple macOS 26.0 Tahoe at the top (probably because Apple comes first alphabetically).
The Register is a little more dubious on the subject. It claims that macOS 15 Sequoia (the previous version; before they went to year-name releases rather than sequential) was also UNIX certified, but it goes on to say there are different certifications which are upgraded each year, and Apple only qualifies for UNIX 3 from 2002. It seems like there are much newer certifications Apple could maybe go after, but hasn’t. It goes into what the certification means, but this isn’t that interesting to me. But there is the link for anyone curious enough to dig.
Finally, OS News claims the certification is a lie but this is mainly clickbait. It says the same thing as The Register, that Apple only achieves the UNIX 3 certification. Then it goes on to accuse Apple of cheating to get to that point, and goes into some code — way past my expertise.
Today, I am a little bit more educated on macOS UNIX certification than I was yesterday. Maybe some of you are, too. Or maybe not, I really don’t know. We’re all on different paths. However, I am not convinced to change my assertion that it should be “Linux and macOS against Windows” rather than “Linux and Windows against macOS.” The latter just seems wrong — why would Linux and Windows users align at all? Other than more similar hardware. Whereas Linux and macOS are both improvements over Windows.
Another thought occurs: is it even Linux users who are going against Mac users? I think it’s probably mostly just Windows users trying to spread FUD.
Yes, it is. Mostly what Windows 11 won’t run on is not a matter of the machine’s capability of running the software, it’s more about the hardware security to back Microsoft’s DRM shit.
Even if Linux Mint isn’t especially lightweight, there’s a Linux distro for just about everybody out there. You could probably find one that runs on 00’s or maybe, possibly, even 90s hardware, it would look like shit, it might look like OSes from back then, but it still could have modern support for whatever you want to tack onto it. I will never underestimate the versatility of Linux and its community.
Anonymised telemetry is different from collecting information to sell for marketing, though.
Of course, in the realm of privacy, everyone should know their own threat model. Anonymised telemetry is not a threat to me. But if it’s a threat to you (nebulous term — the person to whom I am replying, or anyone reading), then none of the big tech companies offer viable alternatives. You (same audience) cannot say Apple’s telemetry is a problem and then use anything from Microsoft, Google, or Meta.
For my threat model, Meta/Facebook has always been a bridge too far. Google has too, for the most part. I used to think Microsoft was fine, but no longer do. But, that’s just me.
Anything involving Copilot makes me happy to be a Mac user.
If you have a machine that runs Windows and the hardware is still good, it’s time to give Linux a chance. Look into Proton for gaming (it’s a translation layer, like WINE I suppose). And let’s stop acting like Macs are the odd one out. Macs run UNIX. Windows is the odd one out! ;)
Xbox lost that fight.
I like PlayStation/Sony a bit less… and, in some ways, a bit more. Both companies have pulled a lot of bullshit over the last decade plus and honestly I’m a bit tired of both of them. Not that Nintendo is any better. And I’m not a PCMR guy either, I use Macs. I have Cyberpunk, I have Blue Prince… might just be ageing out of gaming. Never cared for live service games, most DLC, or the super casual, or, on the other end of the spectrum, anything “Soulslike”. I guess I just miss when games were simple, fun, and rewarding. And they still can be, but with consoles going up to $700 and games going up to $100, they have to work a lot harder to get there, and I feel like too many of them are falling short.
Exclusives are some bullshit, but I had the right idea years ago and I think it’s still true. PlayStation needs their own version of GamePass. Both services get limited to 1080p and no DLC. PlayStation has to allow GamePass and Xbox has to allow the PlayStation version. So one console gets you all the games, but owning a console means you can play games at 4K and have DLC options. Then exclusives are kinda fine because it then boils down to just extras and some flash. Oh, and of course you could buy neither console and subscribe to both streaming platforms and play all the games without the extras. (This was also when GPU was $15 a month. Now it’s double that, so the idea is not as good anymore.)
CM was okay. It’s the one custom firmware I got my wife to install… on something called a Samsung Acclaim back in 2010. Absolute dogshit phone, made tolerable by CM. I actually kinda miss that phone sometimes. Later, it was a little square… nice for an AOSP-like, but then we had AOKP and Paranoid Android doing way cooler shit. I did respect CM for keeping it simple though.
I’ve been through the best years of custom firmware. Back in the Jellybean/Kitkat days. My favourite was a fork of AOKP called LiquidSmooth.
Custom firmware comes at your own risk though. If something goes wrong, maybe you can find some help… but maybe you can’t.
Then you have guys who say “I’ll make custom firmware for your phone if the community buys me one.” The community buys them one from donations, and dude flips it on eBay the next day. I’ve seen that happen too.
There needs to be a commercial interest in private and available custom firmware for Android. Because otherwise it’s just a hobby.
For customisation? No. For privacy? Yes.
One’s made by a computer company and the other is made by an advertising company. These are not the same things at all.
Android is not your friend. If your camera needs to spy on you, then it’s not your camera.
I use iPhone myself — though I was an Android user longer, and I enjoy both mobile platforms for their various strengths — but we really do need a third option. So Android is kind of like Windows now, it leans heavy into AI (especially on the Pixel side), and it’s on everything (except the iPhone), and iPhone has always just been a pocket Mac, but with the walled app garden. Apple says you can trust them with your personal data, but you don’t know that and Apple is big enough that they can basically do whatever they want — and they’ve been cosying up to fascists in the US. So that’s unsettling. Mobiles need a Linux option. A totally open source option that serves the user exclusively, or can be made to do so. GrapheneOS is a fine choice, but it’s limited to Pixels. If you have anything else, you’re out of luck, and if you have a Pixel, you or someone else has paid Google iPhone money for a device that’s at least a few generations behind performance-wise. So not ideal.
Of course, most Android users and certainly most Android fans won’t care about this — I’m coming from the privacy perspective. And Google’s always been pretty clear that they are not there for your privacy.
Spoiler: long article with no mention of how they actually work.
Anyone know? It sounds cool. I imagine it’s like a man’s urinal except longer to reach between the thighs; she stands over it, pulls panties to one side, and it catches everything. But, that’s only a guess.
YouTube has been absolute dogshit on my Apple TV box, which ironically is the only place I’m not blocking ads. So ads aside I should be getting the best experience… but no. So most of the time I AirPlay my MacBook to my TV and just use Firefox. I mean outside the outage.
I use Telegram. Eek? It’s just my wife and I though. All these things I’ve heard about Telegram? Never actually seen them in mine. I have looked at groups, but I’ve only seen memes, crypto crap, and what look like scams (“post this in 5 Reddit threads to get invited to the actual group”). There’s nothing of value out there that I’ve seen. So I just use it to message my wife, because texting wasn’t good enough when we started using it (both our phones have RCS now) and I don’t use Facebook, and she doesn’t have an iPhone (so, no iMessage).
I completely reject this notion that you have to pick one and stay with it. My messaging apps include iMessage, Session, Signal, and Telegram. I also have a fork of Telegram that lets me use it from my watch (as in, it has a watch companion; official Telegram does not). I also have Discord (need it for a couple things).
Even if you don’t like the guy, I think it’s worth reading what he has to say. And you can agree with what he says and go on not liking him.
Microsoft sold the acquisition as good for consumers. Now they’re doubling the price of GamePass.
Cue Jack’s lack of surprise, or however the Fight Club meme goes.
I think it depends on the ISP. There are a few small ones that do not GAF what you do. I’ve been told “we do not care what you download, we only care that you can.” There are a few big ones that are too big to care what people do on their network.
That said, you should always take precautions. A VPN is a good place to start.
I can see it. They got caught in your use of from, which isn’t even incorrect. Via would have been a better word, but from works here just as well.
They’re reading it as you’re talking about pirating content that is owned by (from) your ISP, not what you meant, which is talking about pirating content from behind or via or even using your ISP. I guess through would have worked, too.
But the difference between me and them is, while I realise another word would have worked better, I understood exactly what you meant and didn’t think it was an issue. Though I admit I thought the first thing… at first. Hey, it’s early.
YouTube is not doing good. I get flickering on Apple TV. On my Mac videos play without sound (computer isn’t muted) or they take way too long to load. Granted I don’t pay, but wow. Google is not doing so well.
I’m in the same boat, sort of. iPhone 16 Pro Max main, Galaxy S10 backup (WiFi only, cosplay prop). New iPhones are just not exciting so I’m thinking I’ll update the Android phone next. I need Apple for Apple Health and I don’t think iPads do Apple Health? So I might keep the iPhone to do Health and to pair with my watch and main Android for a while? It’s not definite but it is a consideration. Their keyboard is way better. Almost zero privacy on official firmware though. I wonder if Samsung is better than Pixel in that regard or if it just adds a head to the hydra. Like, I really like the S24 and S25 — wife has S22 and even that is pretty good. Anyway, this is not a this year or next year problem, this is like 2028-2029 when my iPhone gets to be 4-5 years old.