I heard about this from Doug. Evidently Apple has a software kill switch that’s currently off built into their machines. So it could go like this, you upgrade your RAM but since you don’t have the Apple software configuration thing, your machine doesn’t work anymore.

So System76 anyone? It’s certainly what I’m leaning towards for my next computer.

6 responses to “Another possible reason to move away from Apple”

  1. Ricard Torres Avatar

    I’m way to hooked to my MacBook Pro to give that up easily.

    Not that I’m fully in Apple ecosystem, I just use their MacBook Pro’s. That’s it. But still, it’s good machine (even with just UBS-C ports).

    What’s your primary device?

    1. Curtis McHale Avatar
      Curtis McHale

      I have mostly given up my MacBook Air as of a few months back. I do 99% of my work on an iPad Pro hooked up to a Digital Ocean Droplet. I do love iOS and really I think that these types of devices are the future for all but a small sub-set of users.

      I use my iPad Pro for WordPress development, YouTube videos, Podcast Production, and all my writing. There are only a few minor pieces that I don’t have nailed down on the iPad. Something like foramtting a book for Amazon. I use Vellum on macOS for that.

      I hope we’ll keep seeing more power tools for iOS. I think we will, but I could be wrong.

      1. Ricard Torres Avatar

        Interesting!

        If I ever have to drop my MacBook I would like to try a Chromebook. I think I would be able to do most of the the things I do at home.

        I’m curious how you do WordPress development in an iPad no localhost or local MySQL

        1. Curtis McHale Avatar
          Curtis McHale

          Luckily I just wrote about the basics of it for The Sweet Setup: https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-use-digital-ocean-for-web-development-on-an-ipad/

  2. Greg Colker Avatar
    Greg Colker

    Yes. A System 76 machine will probably be my next computer purchase. (Or a ThinkPad T480).

    I am a web developer convert from Mac to Linux, currently running the Arch distro on an old ThnkPad that I got for less than $200 and it has fully replaced my $1200 MacBook Pro. I use Figma.com, Gimp, and Inkscape for design related work, and (Affnity Designer on iPad). Neovim is my “editor” of choice. I thought the cheap laptop was just going to be a short experiment, before either getting a new Mac or a laptop from System76, but it’s become hard to justify because the system-old as if is-is rock solid and fast for me! I really like it. I’m shocked that I do, but it’s the truth. If you’re happy with iPad development, Curtis, I’d suggest trying a real Linux box on your desk. It’s great.

    1. Curtis McHale Avatar
      Curtis McHale

      The biggest reason I feel a bit hesitant about Linux is a few apps like Vellum. I’ve looked for a different option for book formatting in the OS world and everything seems to come up short.

      I did run my Air on Ubuntu for about 6 months. Maybe I should try PopOs