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Comment by floundy | Hacker News Reader

My self-hosted Linux server increasingly feels like the only real computer I own.

I did within the last year switch from Windows to Mac for my primary desktop, and it feels like I regressed about a decade in the dumbification of computing compared to where Windows was headed.

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Just be clear - you mean a Mac is less dumb? I've always used windows and thinking of switching to MacOS or going straight to Linux. Apple hardware these days is pretty fire so not sure just yet.

Apple keeps adding permission requests/demands to more mundane operations that you have to try and get around. But it is increasingly feeling like they are heading toward a future where they no longer offer the ability to get around their "security".

I have a couple apps that just stop working because they are open source, haven't paid the Apple developer tax, and the permission to the disk just expires seemingly randomly. I haven't figured out how to get around that and instead just don't rely on them.

MacOS feels like Android. It's more mobile OS than desktop/laptop. It's theoretically open but you can absolutely feel the walls closing in around you: only signed binaries are trusted by the OS (no asked who you trust), apps not from the app store are scrutinized heavily, etc.

Given Apple's recent actions in the US, MacOS doesn't feel like something I'd be switching to.

Just say the magic words: Mavericks forever!

And Apple's recent actions in the US are not of much concern anymore

Sorry, worded poorly, yes I feel Macs are less “dumbed down” in the sense that user experience and design aren’t sacrificed to try and make it easier for the lowest common denominator to use, but in the end it’s just worse for everybody. Example: in Windows 11 the right click menu has less options than Win10, and now contains a “more” option leading to expanding another submenu where pretty basic functions from Win10 right click are hidden behind this extra menu. Hell, the design doesn’t even match. The nested context menu looks like it was Frankensteined in from Win10. Apple at least has a design philosophy for UI stuff.

I have personally felt like I have to fight less with MacOS than I did with Windows. And my pihole shows Apple isn’t greedily trying to hoover up my data like MS.

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