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Re: Broken

#441

Post by IggleSniggle »

rapind wrote: post #413
MisterOctober wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I switched from macOS to Linux [Fedora now] about a year and a half ago, out of the same frustrations that affect a lotta folks -- It took a little while to adjust, but since there are a lot of similarities between the Linux and Darwin command lines [and Linux package management being better than homebrew by my lights] , it wasn't very long before I was like "Damn, why didn't I switch 20 years ago!!!" Plus now my har…

Literally all I use on a daily basis for the past 5+ years is: - Terminal of some sort - Browser (Chrome, Chromium, Firefox) Really just want a stable OS that stays out of my way, and never pushes shiny new features, only performance and security patches. But the responsiveness of browsers on linux turns me off every time I try to switch (feels sluggish). Also, I like the MacBook hardware, battery, aesthetic. Just be…

I’m in a similar boat. I keep really wanting to like Linux; I give it a try, and then get annoyed that for some reason my terminal process is causing my browser UI to lock, or some such nonsense. Sometimes it’s just that there’s no dictator keeping all the keyboard shortcuts relatively consistent between applications. Then I’ll fantasize for a little bit about OpenBSD or FreeBSD, sigh, and go back to using macOS.

I like futzing around with my operating system, but I expect my changes to make things overall worse for the general user, because I have weird preferences. The OS should not be doing the weird preferences.

Sometimes I wonder about Linux users who say you can’t customize macOS. In my experience, it’s a lot of the same kinds of customization potential and rooting around in the system...updating the OS may totally mess up your configuration, but the same is true of updates in the Linux or BSD world.

Re: Broken

#442

Post by jarjoura »

snapples wrote: post #131

Things are so broken here at Apple. I joined about 4 years ago. I am awed by the fact that we manage to release any software at all, let alone functional software. The biggest problem is communication. No one fucking communicates. - No communication between orgs. Tons of bureaucratic tape to cut through just to get a hand on someone working on a different product - Barely any communication between teams. Literally ev…

When I worked there under SJ, the Mac OS org (then under Betrand Serlet), it was sort of open amongst the org itself. It was really easy to walk to someone's office and strike up an interesting conversation. Many late nights were spent working through collaborative problems. Or randomly, I had a friend who would pop by my office and spend hours explaining how he figured out some complex Javascript compiler bug of the day.

It always felt like we were in a mission to ship Mac OS together. What Apple did do back then was create these special versions of the OS that had a few key hidden/secret products that SJ was going to demo, like iTunes or iPhoto. So while I could install the latest internal developer build of the OS, it would have a feature or two missing. You would then get radars that mentioned the code-name and explained a bug that you had to fix for the feature, but you had to fix the bug blinded and send the bug back to verify. (Radars could never be closed until the original creator verified them) The secrecy didn't really get in the way and it made for an interesting culture.

Then it all started to change when Forstall was promoted to VP of the iPhone effort. He took what was probably meant to be a short term secret launch team culture and expanded it to create this massive secret island in the company. The program office and by extension, the original founding engineers were all promoted to management that expanded on the secret culture. I think if management meant to open the culture back up to the same level as Mac OS in 2009, they would have been burned by Samsung and Palm WebOS making exact copies of the software coming out at the time. So the hyper locked down culture persisted and SJ passed away. Then Forstall was fired and Federighi was promoted to replace him and merge both the Mac OS and iOS orgs finally killing off any of the remaining openness that once existed.

Then came all the ridiculous tools such as checking someone's security clearance when you had a meeting with them. [Apple Confidential] :-P

Re: Broken

#443

Post by IggleSniggle »

dddddaviddddd wrote: post #237
MisterOctober wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I switched from macOS to Linux [Fedora now] about a year and a half ago, out of the same frustrations that affect a lotta folks -- It took a little while to adjust, but since there are a lot of similarities between the Linux and Darwin command lines [and Linux package management being better than homebrew by my lights] , it wasn't very long before I was like "Damn, why didn't I switch 20 years ago!!!" Plus now my har…

Similar motivations led to FreeBSD being my main OS, even fewer differences between all the Unix utilities.

I tried and failed to get going with OpenBSD. I want to slowly dip my toes into the water of a BSD. Is there a way to have a turn-key system that I can immediately start working on as I do on macOS, and gradually become more familiar with the OS?

I guess what I’m saying is, there are systems that you can buy where the manufacturer has preinstalled Ubuntu and you have a high expectation of the hardware getting out of the way. I want that for FreeBSD or OpenBSD?

Re: Broken

#444

Post by mch82 »

snapples wrote: post #131

Things are so broken here at Apple. I joined about 4 years ago. I am awed by the fact that we manage to release any software at all, let alone functional software. The biggest problem is communication. No one fucking communicates. - No communication between orgs. Tons of bureaucratic tape to cut through just to get a hand on someone working on a different product - Barely any communication between teams. Literally ev…

Ever considered emailing Tim Cook?

Don’t throw your managers under the bus, stay optimistic, anchor your message in whole company success. You might be surprised at the impact you can have & the replies you’ll get.

Here’s a formula you can try...

Hi Tim,

At you talked about , which I’m excited about!

I/we’ve been experimenting with . We’ve seen . What other teams should I/we collaborate with to help Apple get to faster?

Re: Broken

#445

Post by schappim »

pkulak wrote: post #250
schappim wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> don't try to use the version of Linux under MacOS MacOS is based on Unix not Linux. However, I mostly agree with your sentiment and would extend it to “use the right tool for the job”. Use launchd (although I hear it is on the way out) instead of Cron etc.

What is going to replace launchd???

I recall Rene Ritchie saying that Apple introduced a new scheduler that they have used privately since Mojave (could be related to the BGTaskScheduler, but I'm uncertain).

I just remember thinking, oh crap, now I need to learn a new scheduler.

Re: Broken

#446

Post by PeterStuer »

anextio wrote: post #402
dTal wrote: post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Getting and keeping a Linux Desktop in good working order is harder than it should be at this age of Linux. Maybe because all the developers ran away to Macs, instead of sticking around dogfooding and fixing bugs? Free software is a collaborative social enterprise - it's not really anyone's job to make free stuff for you to use. If, as a developer, you've taken the easy path of proprietary software for years, and n…

While I sympathize with your political position on free software, I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that this point of view is idealistic[1] and short sighted. The vast majority of engineers don’t commit to switching to free software not because not enough hearts and minds have been convinced yet but because the entire economy and the basis of everyone’s material existence depends on a system that is at this…

Meanwhile the entirity of AI and ML run on Foss stacks. Those engineers seem to do just fine.

Re: Broken

#447

Post by begriffs »

Although I use a mac for work, I have a spare thinkpad with openbsd, which I think of as my "forever system." I put stable software on it and generally go with the OS defaults. Over time I patiently refine the configuration files, adding a little polish here and there. The experience keeps improving, and perhaps some day it will be my main system, and work completely smoothly.

IMHO investing time to get too comfortable with the changing mac ecosystem is ultimately wasted work since it will eventually change/break.

Re: Broken

#448

Post by PeterStuer »

dingus wrote: post #272
blunte wrote: post #203

It's all very depressing. Like most of us here, I have become increasingly frustrated with the state of Mac (touch bar, bad keyboards, odd choices that fit neither creators nor developers well, and so on). No point rehashing it all. But where does that leave us? I spent a year on Windows 10 not so long ago, on upper end laptop hardware with HiDPI screen, and it was less fun and more problem prone than macOS - especia…

It's frustrating because it's the "least worst" option. I use MacOS because it has a thoughtful, consistent, coherent, beautiful user interface and desktop environment. The things I use all day are basically a web browser, mail client, code editor, and terminal. I can do actual work on any BSD really, there is no proprietary app that causes lock-in, I don't use iCloud or any of their services. All I want is their des…

On a similar note, I would pay to have the Windows 7 GUI on the Windows 10 core.

The GUI/UWA design direction that started with Windows 8 to accommodate phones and tablets was a step backwards for the desktop.

Re: Broken

#449

Post by cerberusss »

macinjosh wrote: post #123

I've been using Catalina as a daily driver since the first beta. I did notice some bugs here and there but I have to say my take away was different. I did get the barrage of permission prompts but it was just like that the one time and while it was a bit overwhelming it made me feel good that my OS was keeping tabs on these things. With Apple's emphasis on privacy they had to build these sort of controls into macOS t…

Same here. I got the permission prompts on the first day of installation, that's it. Since I don't use Photos nor iCloud Drive, I actually can't remember a single problem with Catalina, it's quite solid.

Re: Broken

#450

Post by cerberusss »

gtirloni wrote: post #88

I'm not a macOS user but from what I'm reading, it seems Apple turned something akin to SELinux on by default but let users define the policies on the fly. I remember a lot of headaches with SELinux on Fedora desktops years ago. It was not fun but I could always disable that if I didn't feel like fixing the policies myself. Lately, things barely pop up.

In my opinion, it's way less troublesome than the SELinux introduction back then.

If you start an app, you get a one time popup when it tries to access something important. Like the Documents, Downloads or Pictures folder, or the folder where Contacts are kept. That's all.

The author happens to be running a number of utilities in the background. For instance "Alfred", which is a replacement for the built-in Spotlight search tool. Of course, being a search tool, Alfred wants to know everything and generates a number of popups. He runs a terminal and perhaps does a "find ~ -name blah" which also generates a number of popups.

It's not fair for the author to stick the "broken" label on there. It's just that the author encountered a number of other things, and they add up in annoyance for him.

Not for me, by the way. Catalina runs fine.

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