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Multiple machines, multiple OSs, narrowing apps?
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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?
Posted by Stephen Zeoli
Jun 12, 2019 at 11:15 AM
I spend my work days in Windows 7 and the rest of my computing time on my MacBook or iOS devices. I use Dynalist, TickTick and—to a lesser extent—Evernote on all my devices. I used to rely heavily on TheBrain, but I let my subscription lapse. I have decided that OneNote can fill that void and I have an Office 365 subscription, so why not use it? Of course there are dozens of other apps, mostly in the Apple environment, that I use, primarily for writing or planning to write. I wish they were available on Windows (or that my office would switch to Macs). Tinderbox, Diarly, MacJournal and others. I also have dipped my toe (sometimes up to my ankle, sometimes up to my knee) in some cloud apps, notably Milanote, NoteJoy and Trello. I really like Milanote, but it is expensive and it doesn’t integrate much with other apps. Trello seems to be stuck in its board format, which it has mastered, but that is a little too rigid for most of the work I do (although it is perfect for one specific thing, so as long as my subscription runs, I’ll keep using it for that). NoteJoy is nice, but not enough of an improvement over other options to continue to pay for it.
So, I am trying to be cheaper and leaner and have made some progress in that regard, but CRIMP always makes that a little difficult.
Steve Z
Posted by satis
Jun 12, 2019 at 01:32 PM
Stephen Zeoli wrote:
> Trello
>seems to be stuck in its board format, which it has mastered, but that
>is a little too rigid for most of the work I do (although it is perfect
>for one specific thing, so as long as my subscription runs, I’ll keep
>using it for that).
Lots of apps are moving into the kanban space by offering it as a view to their existing apps. Zenkit has had it for ages, Taskade just added it recently, and Todoist revealed a screenshot if it as well, due for fall release. Of course, many popular apps can be linked directly to Trello via Trello power-ups or Zapier integrations.
https://trello.com/power-ups
https://zapier.com/apps/trello/integrations
A friend uses a Gmail-to-Trello integration in order to send himself reminders to deal with specific issues (though I assume a more primitive option would be a unique flag within Gmail.) He says he can’t live without it.
Posted by Paul Korm
Jun 12, 2019 at 07:53 PM
Most days I am on VPN using a Dell laptop (GFE from the agency I support) with Windows 10 and M365 (O365 for gov’t) client and cloud apps. Next to it, on my MacBook running a Windows 10 VM for my corporate O365, so on that machine I am back and forth between macOS and Win10 apps. Then I have an iPad Pro with Pencil situated between the two laptops for my virtual notebook in Notability, for notetaking. And finally my iPhone for comms for the hours and hours of conference calls that anyone doing telework is tethered to.
With all that, I’m usually on Skype for meetings (screen sharing and text), Apple Messages for sidebar conversations with my team around the country —frequently discussing what’s going on in the meeting we’re half listening to. If I’m not in meetings then I am in and out of Office documents. Very little time for anything else. Four computers (five if I count the Win10 VM separately) and four OS, a lot of money, and a lot of horsepower mainly just for chat. Lots of chat.
I get a lot of exercise though—with my headsets on and walking around the house during these endless conf calls.
jaslar wrote:
>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?
Posted by Dr Andus
Jun 12, 2019 at 09:50 PM
Yup. Using a Win 7 laptop for work (forced to use MS Office by my workplace), Chromebooks for most other things (via web apps), iPod Touch for looking up things on the go, and an Android tablet for listening to radio or watching the news.
Google Calendar, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Gmail, Outlook, Chrome, WorkFlowy and Dynalist are the connecting tissue that allow me to do stuff cross-platform, no matter which device I pick up.