Sliding Between MacOS, Windows and Linux Daily

Recently I have been sliding between Windows, Linux distributions and MacOS throughout the day. I use a mac for blogging, and Linux to experiment and learn new skills, and windows to watch Netflix and YouTube. I might be over-simplifying but that’s the simplified version.

Pi and Linux

I find that I have come to be at ease in all three environments, especially since playing around with Raspberry Pi devices. “Why?”, you may ask. Because with a Pi you can try dedicated images for Nextcloud, for PhotoPrism, for Immich and more. You can also try them for Ph-Hole and others. The advantage is also that you use microSD cards. This means that you slot in card A and try A1, then you slot B and try B1 and finally you try C with C1. In the end you’re trying instances with what could be thirty seconds with your Pi being a PhotoPrism server, before it becomes a NextCloud server, and so on. With enough SD cards if you mess up you can revert to something that you enjoyed using with a minute or two.

MacOS

I am using the Mac for blogging for one key reason. The git history for this blog has become too big for a sync in a single go and I need to learn how to sync just the last 10 changes, rather than the entire history, but that requires RTFM. I haven’t taken that time yet. It’s not laziness. It’s about having more interesting projects to work on before reaching this one.

Windows

I use the windows machine for media viewing habits because it’s plugged in to external screens and a monitor whereas the other two aren’t. I practiced using Chocolatey and PowerShell, as well as other windows related experiments. I also use it for flashing linux SD cards. It’s good at that because it has an SD card reader built in so I don’t need a dongle.

And Finally

In the 80s, as a child I played with the CLI, and norton commander, and DOS, and Windows 3.1. I installed games and chose sound cards and more. I used to see displays that recently I have seen quite regularly. It’s interesting that the CLI interface to NextCloud reminds me of when I was playing with computers as a child in the 80s. For decades I left the CLI behind, but now I’m back. I use it daily at the moment.

When I first started playing with Linux in the 90s I had to download the ROM, burn a CD or a DVD, and then attempt to install the OS on a computer. I would often succeed, and sometimes fail. Now, you don’t need to burn a DVD. You just flash a microSD card and you’re ready to go. You don’t even need to prepare a USB key, and wait for an install on a desktop. Experimentation is faster now.

The next step is to install Nextcloud, HomeAssistant, Pi-hole and PhotoPrism to play nicely on a single device.