No going back!

[Metanis]

This take appears to be based purely on opinion without grounding in facts. MS baked edge into the OS again, and the OS's telemetry system can send browsing data. And if enabled, can be used to recommend 3rd party apps. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/privacy/optional-diagnostic-data

That's not even to mention other things like have, like advertising ID so that 3rd party apps can track your interesting and so that targeted content can be shown in the newsfeed.

Somewhere recently I read that perhaps Americans don't take privacy so seriously because we grew up being the target of marketing and sales campaigns.

Man you should watch US commericials on old broadcast channels like ME-TV. It's a constant barrage of ads for stuff that Seniors will find interesting. So targeted advertising isn't all that new to us.

I'm not saying it's right, just that it's not so compelling an issue for some of us.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Somewhere recently I read that perhaps Americans don't take privacy so seriously because we grew up being the target of marketing and sales campaigns.

Man you should watch US commericials on old broadcast channels like ME-TV. It's a constant barrage of ads for stuff that Seniors will find interesting. So targeted advertising isn't all that new to us.

I'm not saying it's right, just that it's not so compelling an issue for some of us.

It's not a compelling issue... at all. Right up until it is, then it's the most important thing in the world.

The average American is terribly behaved and educated in many ways, this is just one of them. And a specific place I'm personally tired of screaming about. I just get paid to clean up the messes the systemic ignorance creates.

 

[Choppie]

@HCHTech,

We have a very great deal in common. I will not accept any Mac where hardware repair is needed, and never will. I have a few clients who have Macs where I have to help out with things like getting their new WiFi printer up and running and talking to the Mac or doing an OS upgrade, but every time I have to touch a Mac I feel trepidation.

Everything about MacOS feels "entirely backward" to me. Even though I don't use Linux all that often, I don't have that same feeling about it. I just know that "The Apple Way" has felt wrong, completely wrong, to me for a very long while.

On my last two, 3-year enlistments in the NAVY, I was stationed on shore duty at NAS Key West, FL, this put it around 1985 ish. Bought my first computer at the NAVY exchange store; Pakard Bell 8086 486dx with a DX2 processor along with an EPSON LQ570 Plus dot matrix printer (don't ask me how I remember that, I couldn't tell you). Looking at the other computers on display, some Apple computers were there. Compared to the DOS 6.22 / Windows 3.11, the Apple computers looked completely STUPID! Like toys for little kids! I put my hand on that square block of plastic they called a mouse and it felt like the dumbest idea ever, no mouse buttons just push the front down to "click"! Was painful to put my hand on it! The smooth "putty color" MS mouse felt and worked awesome! I vividly remember standing there thinking....WTF is Apple thinking!

HOWEVER: A nice few-year-old Mac Book pro running Linux Mint Cinnamon is pretty awesome....

 

[Blues]

Thanks for the input and yeah for the emulation thing that was thinking along the lines of a console style dedicated system not my daily driver really. I should look at Mint again I have toyed with it particularly with old hardware but felt off when using it and I haven't tried Zorin yet so I need to get some testing up and going with them again.

For command line it will be different in that the commands are different but I started with Windows 3.1 when most apps and lots of things we still done from DOS which is what you booted to back them so I'm comfortable with it plus I run a headless Plex Media server NAS from a Raspberry Pi atm.

 

[Blues]

I found one thing I might struggle with I use an iPhone and currently use iTunes for really just backing up the device not sure if there is a good utility with a GUI interface for backing up the device and copying down photos to the PC. If there isn't just maybe this could push me into Android device though I really dislike them but mostly because working on them is never the same while iPhones are very much the same for the most part no matter the age or model.

 

[GTP]

I found one thing I might struggle with I use an iPhone and currently use iTunes for really just backing up the device not sure if there is a good utility with a GUI interface for backing up the device and copying down photos to the PC. If there isn't just maybe this could push me into Android device though I really dislike them but mostly because working on them is never the same while iPhones are very much the same for the most part no matter the age or model.

I'm assuming you use a Debian based distro like Mint?
Just plug your iPhone in and it will mount as a drive in Caja, Nautilus etc or any other File Manager.
You can just copy/paste etc as you do on Windows.

If you want GUI, there's gThumb sudo apt install gthumb heif-gdk-pixbuf

Shotwell has "autoimport" but you need to install ifuse as well. Both available in your Software Manager. You get albums, tagging, basic edits - handy if you manage a large library.

 

[Choppie]

I found one thing I might struggle with I use an iPhone and currently use iTunes for really just backing up the device not sure if there is a good utility with a GUI interface for backing up the device and copying down photos to the PC. If there isn't just maybe this could push me into Android device though I really dislike them but mostly because working on them is never the same while iPhones are very much the same for the most part no matter the age or model.

I too am looking for this; Found some info that states basically you just plug in your iphone, allow the OS to access the files when the pop-up appears on your phone and you can just navagate to photos. HOWEVER, of course there is always some issue. For some reason the photo programs on MINT can see the dir on the phone but can't access it with a error stating, there are apps on the phone which currently using this dir, to import photos, close those programs. I didn't have to time to go further as I didn't want to get on the phone and jack something up that is not reversible. Apple's instructions or explanations for choices make little sense and choosing something sometimes creates a disaster result.

 

[Sky-Knight]

@Blues That's why I limit myself to Pixel devices. The Pixel A Series devices specifically, they are inexpensive, feature packed, and I can buy enough of them for my entire family without breaking the bank. I get a consistent UI experience, Pure Android, if you will. And I don't have the vendor lock issues iPhones create.

I can replicate this with Samsung, but the UI customization is another layer of annoyance AND Knox while powerful is yet another item to configure.

I'm lazy... so Google Pixel A series phones for me and mine.

 

[Blues]

I do know that Pixel devices are usually compatible with an alternate OS you can load that is more privacy focused

 

[frase]

I do know that Pixel devices are usually compatible with an alternate OS you can load that is more privacy focused

Doing so opens up a lot of security issues as well, installing custom roms allow an opportunity for malicious code as well.

 

[Sky-Knight]

I do know that Pixel devices are usually compatible with an alternate OS you can load that is more privacy focused

Pixel devices are among the most supported phones on the planet. This also includes 3rd party ROM sources. This product line is second only to iOS in terms of support like this.

Now, I do NOT play in this space, because I'm with @frase, it's too much risk, not enough improvement. There really is no such thing as a "privacy focused" smart phone. If this is a real concern, you need to go get a flip phone.

 

[britechguy]

Doing so opens up a lot of security issues as well, installing custom roms allow an opportunity for malicious code as well.

The classic damned if you do, damned if you don't.