I’ve been alternating between Linux (Fedora/KDE) and macOS since the beginning of the year.
I’d describe Linux and the software running on Linux like this:
Less polish, more power.
What I find challenging is that sometimes I want the power, other times I want the polish.
Surprisingly, I am starting to prefer being in Linux than being in macOS. Linux feels like it’s mine and I like that feeling. Everything in the OS makes me believe it was done with me mind. “Me” being “the user”. Even when things are frustrating, I usually understand why. macOS used to feel this way, but has drifted from it. It’s not all Tahoe’s fault, but it certainly hasn’t helped.
What I miss most about running macOS is not macOS. It’s the software. The polish.
Most of the stuff I use on Linux also works on my Mac. That doesn’t apply the other way around. Whenever I discover some cool new app and find that it’s macOS only, it stings a little.
I want BBEdit and Tinderbox and Keyboard Maestro and Things and iA Writer and Preview. There are usually “equivalent” apps on Linux, but they’re not really. They do mostly the same things, but they’re not the same. Not even close. It’s been hard to adjust.
The other glaring omission on Linux is an easy way to share things with family and friends. How am I supposed to send funny memes to my wife when I have to jump through so many hoops first?
KDE Connect would be a great solution, but every other time I want to use it, the computer can’t see my phone, or vice versa. By the time I cycle wifi on both devices, the moment has passed. Maybe I’ll try talking everyone into switching to Signal. Ha! There’s no chance of that, so I’m on my own here.
If we’re keeping track, I’m writing this in Emacs on the Linux desktop. It’s where I’ll probably end up full time eventually, but it’s not happened yet.
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