Mac Computer Problems

 I love my Mac computer.  It does things Windows doesn't do.  But sometimes upgrades can drive you crazy.  The Mac people love to "improve" things.  But they are expert users and don't always account for the difficulties changes can make for a regular user.

They think "Well, now you just go here in 3 steps, then over there for a couple and you have better features.  And if you have a problem then just reboot from the safety startup holding down 3 keys, and redo this and then that from your backup and then..."  

As if that was simple and obvious.  And to them it is.  To me it is nearly gibberish, assumes that I know where everything is on the computer, and even know all the terms they use.

I sometimes wish they would just leave the damn OS alone for a while.  I like my OS as it was, and I like most of my apps as they are.  I don't mind security improvements.  But I wish they would stop obsoleting my apps!

So I'm writing this to warn Mac users about upgrading to Sequoia 15.2.  15.1 one didn't mess up my computer; 15.2 really did!  Photos is bizarre in 15.2.  I used to just plug in my camera, go to Photos, turn on the camera, and it automatically showed my the new pics to but uploaded.  Now, I have to go find the camera as a "device" through a couple of menus were are not obvious.  And since one of my major uses is Photos, that is a real problem.

And Mac seems to be trying to force users onto ICloud!

So, if you are Mac user on Sonora, be VERY cautious about upgrading to Sequoia of either current version.  You get locked in.  Reseting to Sonoma seems to be a real bitch of a process!  It seems, that if you don't make a backup of everything at the end of your daily use, everything you did since the previous backup can be lost.  And I don't mean your last Time Machine app backup.  They say Time Machine won't help you revert this OS!

And speaking of upgrades, Firefox seems to do it weekly.  Which wipes out all your saved logins.  Yeah, just login again, but that gets pretty tiring.

Blowing off some steam!

Fixing My Computer World

There are computer problems you expect and ones you don't.  I have been gradually examining all my apps to see which aren't 64 bit.  There are a LOT, so I have some work to do.  That is likely the source of most of my problems.

I have also added a Password Manager and better security software.  Until I actually go through them, though, they actually cause problems.  For example, when is the last time you turned on your computer to be met with the sound of a growling lion?  That surprised ME for sure.  It turned out it was a signal from the security app that I had malware ad apps that needed attending-to.  Not the easiest way to start a day, LOL!

Fortunately, Consumer Reports magazine has a 10 part step-by-step article on computer security.  I will follow that over the next week.  Some I learned myself; some I was not so aware of.  For example, I had just gotten their recommended password manager, but I also just acquired my first smartphone and was clueless.  So it is very helpful (and includes things I don't have but you might).

I will be spending some time following MOST recommendations.  I have a problem with deleting cache and cookies.  It always causes problems getting into some standard sites.  For example, I deleted them on recommendation from my security software (which, naturally, I don't want to identify for security reasons, LOL!).

But it took me almost an hour to get back into Feedly.com.  Apparently, I have it directly through Google, and they didn't want to recognize me for Feedly.  I got around it, but it took a while.  I'll be more careful of security advice.  After all, their purpose is "security", not "accessibility".  

My password manager may help on that, but my list is daunting.  I have so MANY sites with accounts.  Well, time to trim the list.  Many sites are old, and some are easy to access once a year as a "guest". 

Such fun!

Like, I only order seeds once a year.  I don't need to keep track of an account with 6 companies when I really only order from 1 or 2.  And entering my address once a year as a "guest" isn't worth keeping track of username/password.

Simplify and update.  Keep a clean machine.  Search for and delete 32 bit old stuff and replace with 64 bit apps.  That's my new rule...

After that, get my darn email straightened out.  I may reduce to one.  Having several themed-accounts was nice when it was supported by Verizon, but it is getting impossible to keep them working on AOL (which Verizon sold my account to).  Time to accept the inevitable and go with one.  

And that "one" will be "cavebear2118@verizon.net".   The others receive but replies stick in the outbox.  I will miss them, but I won't keep fighting about them.  You can always reach me at cavebear2118@verizon.net.  The others are less certain and will vanish eventually.  But they receive so it's OK to use them for the time being.

One Day At A Time...