Multiple machines, multiple OSs, narrowing apps?

Posted by jaslar
Jun 12, 2019 at 01:30 AM

Like a lot of folks, I imagine, I have several older computers around. I have an 8 year old Mac laptop. I remember when Mac users were charged for OS updates. Now they’re free. I’m current, and have Outlinely, Notecase Pro, Emacs (open source), Folding Text (now free!) and Dynalist. Seven years ago I bought an Acer Windows 7 Home User laptop for $320. I still use it, but now it runs Linux Lite, and it flies. Emacs, Freeplane, Notecase Pro, and Dynalist are my outliners. Two years ago, I picked up a Chromebook for just a smidge over $200. Here I’m limited to Google Office, Dynalist, and some markdown editors that work with Dropbox and Drive. Oh, and Mindmup, the mindmapper in the cloud. (All of the Google stuff works anywhere, as does Dynalist.)

I also have access (through adjunct professor status) to Office 365. But I avoid it. Hate the UI. Always have. I kind of liked DOS, but the forced move to Windows made me check out the Mac, which was so clearly superior, I jumped ship. Later, I moved to Linux mostly to connect to the Internet, which leapfrogged Windows and the Mac OS both. Not surprising, since it was born on the internet.

On the one hand, I spend a kind of silly amount of time keeping them all updated. On the other hand, cutting Windows out of the mix has been particularly liberating. I hadn’t realized what an intrusive OS it was, particularly in the time it asked of me, whether or not it was convenient. It was also intrusive in ways that Linux is not, but Google/Chrome OS certainly is—harvesting everything to sell you things.

My point, if I had one, is that my tool chest is probably narrowing. I’d like to try to remember where I wrote something. I like stretching the brain to understand the differences between OS philosophies. But mostly, I’m cheap, looking for powerful tools that I can get to, along with their data, anywhere.

So I’m curious. How many of you folks bounce around multiple computers, more than one OS, but find that it makes less of a difference than it used to?