Returning to macOS After 20+ Years on Windows
Randy Parker (via TidBITS-Talk):
For longer replies in Messages, I would often compose my message on my computer, email it to myself, and then copy and paste it from the Mail app on my iPhone into the Messages app.
As a Windows user, I’d have to live with this frustration indefinitely unless I considered one of the following options[…]
[…]
While looking for Mac video tutorials, I discovered another invaluable resource: Gary Rosenzweig’s MacMost YouTube channel. Rosenzweig’s polished and professional tutorials cover topics from the most basic to the most obscure (not only about macOS but also about iOS and more).
[…]
Much as I feared, the [Photoshop Elements] data migration didn’t go smoothly. The program’s backup and restore method failed. Instead, I had to experiment with manually copying over my catalog and photos and then converting the catalog format from 2022 to 2025. Eventually, I stumbled on a sequence of steps where everything migrated correctly.
[…]
I have absolutely no regrets about finally making the switch back to Mac. In fact, I quickly came to prefer the macOS user experience over Windows.
One big reason: the user interface congruity between macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.
Previously:
- Rumored Redesign in iOS 19 and macOS 16
- Gemmell Is Back to Mac
- The iMessage Halo Effect
- Switching to a Mac After Decades on Windows
- Safari 17 Web Apps
- iMessage on Windows via Microsoft’s Phone Link
- Why There’s No iMessage for Android
- A Year Away From macOS
3 Comments RSS · Twitter · Mastodon
Lock-in claims another victim (via iMessage/text forwarding).
But no, this was a great read. Developers are users too.
I'm fairly locked into the Apple ecosystem but I have been eager to leave. I tried a Windows laptop recently and was mortified. They have actively made the process of using Windows SO atrocious. I was completely stunned. I'm happy to use Linux so it's not like I'm complaining about minor inconveniences that are a normal part of any OS. Windows as a whole feels malicious and controlling, even compared to a walled-garden approach. Sure, it's annoying that macOS doesn't have as much customizability as I'd like (without lots of workarounds). But unremovable ADS baked into the OS? Forcing me to create a Microsoft account to use a LAPTOP? And dear god the forced updates. Seriously and sincerely, what the hell are they thinking?
@Sounds about right Absolutely. I am reminded, painfully, why I moved to macOS in the first place every time I boot my Windows VM. It's really not pleasant any more. If it were not for Windows-specific accessibility tools, I would have no use for it.
But it does chafe. Using macOS feels unpleasantly like being in a controlling relationship of some sort sometimes; you get what you want only in exchange for surrendering agency over your computer, and you're expected to accept this radical power imbalance with alacrity. And honestly, it's easy to do that for most everyday purposes, when you can reach for a Linux or Doze VM for those other times. I just wish Apple didn't have quite such an interest in possessing me, somewhat like the good old pre-iOS days, which were never perfect (think iTunes DRM) but did show more general respect for user empowerment.
Oh, well. Linux can only get better. And for many typical uses, it's already adequate.
