Changing of the Guard

Software
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I recently returned from my first ever trip to Europe. I live in Canada and have been to the US a number of times, but never over the pond. We visited London and Paris and had a great time.

So what does that have to do with software?

Well, as someone who frequents this forum I see a lot about workflows, dropping subscriptions, paring down on the unnecessary. I’ve always admired this and tried to follow suit but the moment I’m trying to do something and it’s not working as I expect (e.g. pinch to zoom in Apple notes isn’t a thing), I immediately start hunting for a new app, workflow, solution – whatever.

When I was away I had my phone and iPad with me, but I was more consumed with the moment and the sights I was seeing. My screen time went down, I lost a few lbs (lots of walking!), and I feel reset in some ways. When I opened up my computer today to get back to work and started looking through things, it was apparent that I need to simplify things.

I started by clearing my homescreens of any and all apps, leaving them blank. As I need to do something (e.g. write a text, check a calendar), I add that icon to the homescreen if I know it’s something I’ll use frequently.

But what this doesn’t address is bloat. If I have Evernote, do I need Drafts? Do I really need Fantastical? Do I need Spotify & Apple Music? Do I need to subscribe to two newspapers when I’m trying to reduce media consumption?

I relied on CityMapper to get me around those cities yes, but other than navigation and photos, my phone was barely touched. I’d like to keep that rolling now that I’m home and feeling reset in some ways.

I feel like I know all the answers to my own questions but being home and reset in a way, I thought I’d reach out to the MPU community for tips on minimizing the number of apps and not getting too riled up when an app that is otherwise perfect is missing one feature.

I really want to get to a point where when I want to perform a task the steps are just muscle memory instead of “well, this is a note so Evernote but it’s also a file, is that Dropbox? Evernote? Maybe I should get a new app to solve this”.

So out with the “I’ll find the perfect app for this” and in with the “eh, this is good enough”? Lets hope.

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I’m doing something similar, but the impetus is moving from a 13-inch Intel MacBook Pro to a 15-inch M3 MacBook Air. I didn’t use Migration Assistant, and am only moving apps over as find I actually need them.

There’s a lot that isn’t making the cut, including apps I kept around “in case I ever need them” former favorites like Bear, which I’ve long since replaced with Obsidian. I do need Drafts because I use the cmd-shift-2 popup text window all the time.

I’m still going to use multiple browsers, but I’m ditching Arc because of the recent security issue, having to recreate a setup that it won’t let me transfer, and doubts about its VC-driven risk of failure or enshittification.

I’m probably going to delete all the preinstalled Apple default apps I don’t use, which is most of them. Unfortunately, I’m stuck with Notes because of family sharing.

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+1

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I suggest thinking about apps you enjoy using, and apps you have to use. Then seriously consider deleting any software that doesn’t fall into either category.

For example, I love Obsidian. I spent a lot of time getting it working and looking the way I want it to, and now I rarely tinker with it, and only when I have a good reason. I don’t have to waste to experimenting with other notes and PKM apps.

I have to use MS Office, because I need to exchange and edit files with other people who use it, and I need absolute compatibility. There’s no point experimenting with other office suites that do the same things.

Still, just as with my physical tools, I’m okay with having specialized software tools in my kit that do particular things well, even if I only use them once in a while. Trying to make do with a hammer, a screwdriver, and a drill for every job around the house isn’t elegant or efficient. But I don’t need every expensive, heavy-duty tool a contractor does.

I’m not a programmer, so I may not reinstall VS Code. It’s overkill for me and I found it a clumsy markdown editor. But I do need to configure my YAML config files for Espanso and sometimes do things like tweak CSS themes or snippets. Having a fast, lightweight editor with syntax highlighting like CotEditor installed makes that easier and more pleasant than making do withTextEdit.

But I certainly don’t need to keep experimenting with code-oriented text editors or keep three of them installed.

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I feel the need for this in my bones.

I work for the school system so I have to use google. But I spent the last decade getting good with Pages and Keynote. Then sometimes I have to use Word to shuttle files around. So Ive got three Office Suites in my life.

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One of our programmers gave me an invitation so I’ve been a Gmail user since ‘04. But I didn’t start using the rest of the apps regularly until my previous company started moving from an on premises email server to Google Workspace. Today I use most of the apps except Slides. (I haven’t needed to make a slide deck since 1999.)

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My thoughts are that I should start considering Apple first party apps as the way to go moving forward. Apple is a big organization with lots of resources. It’s app will reach a point that it will surpass every third party and it will get better with times. And it’s free.

If I have to stay with a 3rd party, I will stay with one that’s free.

I’m slowly replacing Things with Reminders. I’m currently all-in in Drafts but have been experimenting Notes (and Notes is getting so good now! It has highlights!!) Even with Drafts, I am using the free version. I can live without themes and will sub for a month if I need to fix some of my Actions buttons.

I’m still using Safari as my main browser except the times when I am doing some work for a client who uses Alibaba Cloud (and so it’s better with Chrome). Safari is my Read Later too.

I’m using Mail and iCloud email for privacy vs GMail. I use Calendar mostly but I have Fantastical just for its menu bar drop-down to glance at the monthly calendar. I also like Fantastical MacOS widget. Both comes with the free Fantastical.

I still use Alfred but I was their Mega Supporter from years ago so no additional costs for life. If Spotlight gets better in the future, I wouldn’t mind moving there.

I used to use Calcbot due to its conversion and history but, Sequoia Calculator now has the same features and looks very good. So, bye bye Calcbot.

If AI comes into the picture in the future, I think going Apple first party will save me a lot of troubles as compared to using or paying for third party apps.

I live in tropics and so weather app is useless to me but if I travel, Apple Weather is fine.

I’m still in Spotify due to Family package and too many playlist in Spotify to move to Apple Music, so that is probably an area that I can’t go first party. Also, I live in Malaysia and it’s a primarily Android community/country so everyone use Spotify here and it’s easier to share playlist/collaborate with friends on Spotify.

Ah, one last thing - I am on Bitwarden but I can see Passwords is quite good in Sequoia/iOS18. I am considering moving them there too. And Passwords have family sharing which is important to me. And, free.

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Been in the same boat as you this summer, about changing out software, removing details of my life and simplifying things.

It’s hard because some apps also just work. The example, I feel like Drafts is ‘faster’ over Apple Notes. Notes always feels clunky to me versus Drafts.

I don’t use any special features of Drafts, it’s literally a scratch pad for me. I only pay the subscription so that it’s synced across all devices.

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Sync in Drafts works regardless of whether you have the Pro subscription—at least it used to. (I’m also currently paying for the subscription, though I also use it as a scratchpad and don’t use almost any of the advanced features covered by the subscription.)

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First let me say that there’s nothing wrong with doing that.

But we need to consider a future where the only first class citizen apps are made by Apple and the rest are web based apps. It’s a healthy and fresh ecosystem of independent developers what move the platform forward. And it’s us the Power Users who in the end need to support that by exploring new tools and approaches to our workflows. Would Apple have added Reminders to Calendar if it was not because Fantastical, Busycal and others were successful doing that?

Again, I’m glad that Apple is throwing more value with each macOS release but there is a distinction between a cool set of everyday apps and a sherlocked ecosystem endgame (and Apple would love that!)

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Same here. It’s quick and has a watch complication, that’s it. When I have it I claim I don’t use it enough which is sort of true, but when I need to scratch something quickly, I miss it if it’s not there.

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I agree with what you are saying about needing competition to move a platform forward. There are markets that 3rd party apps are targeting at and these are the markets who will pay for the features that they deliver. For the budget conscious ones like myself, I am willing to take some inconveniences from using Apple first party apps.

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Sounds like an excellent trip!

I like this plan. My homescreen is full, but it’s all stuff that accumulated that way and none of it is there to distract.

I’d argue you shouldn’t be thinking about this yet. If your guiding principles are using tech less and only adding what you naturally find use for, optimizing apps makes you think about it and add apps ahead of your actual use of them. Every few months, just go through and unsubscribe from or delete what you found you stopped using/reading.

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With Private Cloud Compute. There would be nothing I would like more then a more robust iCloud.com so that I can use my preferred apple apps on other platforms.

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This is a workflow that I go through when I get a new iPad and now and again with new iPhones. Basically start again, don’t restore from backup and install what you need as you go forward.

Over the past week, I’ve been forcing myself to delete 1 app per day (at least) that I’m not using.

I always try to use default apps or free options whenever possible, however I’ve just started a Fantastical Subscription, quite a few features they have are worth the price, especially the meeting scheduling, ability to hide calendar entries (I block time, it annoys me that my widgets show these blocks) and cardhop. Key thing is to keep understanding what you are not using, by way of features or entire apps, and get rid of them asap.

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You are correct. I occasionally subscribe for a month if I want to add some new actions, but the sync works whether you subscribe or not.

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+1

Microsoft has fully accepted web apps so it’s not impossible to believe that, at some point, Apple may do the same.

“Because Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are just like other apps in the Microsoft Store, users can fully engage with them—from discovery, to installation, to execution—without ever opening the browser” - Microsoft Learn

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With the free version, you can add Actions from the many in the Drafts directory. You just can’t create your own, which requires some coding skill.

I’m always amazed at how generous the free version of Drafts is. It’s all most users need. And as subscriptions go, the paid version at US$20/year is quite reasonable for power users or those who want to support the solo dev.

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Web apps – how archaic!

When I started using a computer interactively it was at the other end of a telephone wire and I accessed it remotely from a terminal. (Yes, this is me in 1969)

Tom at 2741 terminal
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Then things advanced and we became free of that remote “mainframe” and could do computing locally, at our desk.

Now it’s going back full circle, with our “computer” being little more than a terminal for a remote mainframe in the cloud.

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I worked part time for a major grocery company when I was in high school and stayed with them until I finished college. We used a high tech beauty like this to enter orders on paper tape.

It might have been connected to a mainframe, or it might have just printed out on the other end. As long as a truck showed up I had stuff to put on the shelves on Thursday night.

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