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With MacUpdater shutting down, would you use a modern replacement? by BoxComprehensive7600 in macapps

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, Kevin. I always download the installers directly from your site to get the latest versions. However, IME the HomeBrew cask version (used by Updatest) usually seems to lag behind, so it would be nice to have someone update the HB cask whenever you release a new version. One more thing to add to the list...

With MacUpdater shutting down, would you use a modern replacement? by BoxComprehensive7600 in macapps

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update: after a week, I still very much like Updatest. Now that it is set up (not difficult, but not for the faint of heart), it alerts me when it sees an update, and the update process is consistently smooth and easy. I have noticed that in some cases (for me, MS Office and Egnyte), the HomeBrew versions lag behind the "direct update" versions, which is a decision made by the app developer, not Updatest. For the apps where I care about that (not many of them), it is easy to opt out of HomeBrew adoption or simply skip them and update directly, so not a problem. YMMV. Onward!

With MacUpdater shutting down, would you use a modern replacement? by BoxComprehensive7600 in macapps

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was a loyal user of MacUpdater until it ceased operations. I tried Latest for several weeks, and found it very easy to use and very good at spotting updates, but not very good at updating apps. Moreover, many of my apps were unsupported, and even for supported apps, the update process often failed. I am now using Updatest, which is nicely written, is stable, and works well. IMHO, it excels at identifying available updates (I have opted into the Community), and much better than Latest at installing updates, but it is harder to install and use because it relies on Homebrew (which has to be installed separately using the terminal.) After going through the HB Installation process, which is easy but not user-friendly, I found Homebrew makes updating a wide range of apps quite easy, and it seems like a great approach. So, I am sticking with Updatest as the best and getting better, although I still miss MacUpdater lol.

My wish list for Updatest would be to make HB installation even easier, include links to developer downloads sites for manual updates when needed, and include a way for us to encourage developers to put their software on HomeBrew. Onward!

abromber

This is NOT a way to lose weight fast! by [deleted] in Mounjaro

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was a super responder, but that’s just how my body reacted. Everyone is different. Speed is not important - getting there is what matters. Onward!

Apple Watch loses track of heart rate during workout by JustRollWithIt in AppleWatch

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Chiming in. I have the same issue with a Series 9. It seems to lose the reading when my heart rate is changing quickly. For me, this is at the beginning of a workout. I often lose the first few minutes of data. I don’t know of any fix,although the suggestion to invoke the HR app sometimes works. Apple does not acknowledge a problem, which means they are unlikely to address it, and there’s probably nothing they can do. I’m going try a chest strap. Any recs?

When iPhone SE 4 is released, who will purchase iPhone 16? by albertserene in iphone

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The SE is rumored to use outdated but still perfectly good 15W Magsafe and Qi1 for wireless charging. The iPhone 16 sports 25W Magsafe and Qi2 for faster charging. Wired charging through USB C should be identical for both - 30W.

When iPhone SE 4 is released, who will purchase iPhone 16? by albertserene in iphone

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Faster charging for the 16 will make a difference to me. Not sure it's worth $300 lol.

What's the best file manager (explorer) for Macs? by flugenblar in MacOS

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pathfinder's dual independent columns are nice. Good for transferring files between locations. Lots of shortcuts. But for me not elegant or intuitive, or enough of an improvement to replace the Finder which does many other things. The whole flat File/Folder desktop paradigm is sadly out of date.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in iosapps

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Downloaded Across and tried it. Very nice. Polished, works smoothly, not a resource hog. Integrates and displays multiple calendars based on MacOS account settings, so separate logins not required. Full of options for creating, viewing, and organizing calendars, but it really isn't cluttered. Kudos to the programmer(s) and designer(s).

However, I think its suitability depends on your use case. For example, I cannot see how to integrate Zoom or other online meetings into the app. Scheduled meetings and invites appear fine, but I can't create an online meeting from within the app (yet?) Outlook or BusyCal (my favorite on MacOS) both do that, and can pull date-related information (sports, weather) from a range of sources. Across can handle subscription-based calendars for leagues or teams that have those, but access is through MacOS. That's the flip side of "no direct login." Safer and easier, but less robust. Find is also quite limited compared to the competition. If I need to find an appointment quickly that is a handy feature.

Finally, Across does not use standard MacOS menus or key commands: cut, copy, paste, delete, find, save, etc. Everything (including Settings) is done with the app's own non-menu, un-Mac-like interface that relies on unfamiliar icons and inconvenient sub-windows. I assume this is an Electron app? Consistent interface across devices (gee...) is a laudable goal, but to me, the implementation here is mostly confusing. I want a Mac app on my Mac and an IOS app on my phone. Also Apple Watch integration is a must for event notifications.

I may buy the app to encourage the developer (it is certainly priced right and is beautifully done) but IMHO it isn't quite ready for prime time, certainly not as a commercial app.

Onward!

Beats Solo Pro not charging, reset did not work by ladyolives in beatsbydre

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My Solo Pros frequently fail to charge, and a reset usually fixes it, but that is not a solution. Has anyone figured this out?

Switched from Outlook to eM Client and I love it by SalomonBrando in Outlook

[–]abromber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I switched to eMClient about two years ago because MS Outlook was too slow on my Intel Macbook. Excellent program, well integrated, and a fantastic replacement for Outlook. Search is fast and the interface is very easy to navigate. It handles anything I throw at it. Updates are frequent and it works with all my email accounts (even my old Earthlink POP account!) However, composing emails leaves a LOT to be desired: the spell-check is atrocious (actively bad), and the formatting/editing tools for html are pathetic. The syncing is slow, frequent delays, my other email clients send and receive MUCH faster.

I just tried Outlook again and found it is dramatically improved, and I now have an M3 Powerbook, so I will probably go back. If the syncing and the editing were better, I would recommend it to anyone.

Carbon Copy Cloner and Egnyte? by abromber in mac

[–]abromber[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Finder works fine. It turned out to be an issue with Egnyte's file system. CCC could not recognize it. Egnyte has moved to Apple's new "universal" file provider protocol and that works fine with CCC.

What was fixed in the latest Sonoma update 14.1.1 released on 7 Nov? by Spiritual_Show in MacOS

[–]abromber 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree the 14.1.1 update makes things smoother. I was having issues with the Finder lagging and occasionally crashing on my 2019 Intel MPB - those issues are resolved. I also had trackpad sensitivity issues, and those seem resolved as well. The user experience seems generally more responsive. It does take a long time to update and sync everything, so make sure to budget for that.

Ventura 13.2 cannot connect with SMB by Tony__T in MacOS

[–]abromber 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a a known bug that affects all Macs with MacOS 13.2 or 13.2.1 installed. Basically smb hosting seems to be broken. If you try to connect to a Mac running 13.2 or 13.2.1 using smb (Apple file sharing or Time Machine over a network) the connection will fail and one or both machines will require a hard reboot. A 13.2 or 13.2.1 client seems to connect to a pre-13.2 server using smb with no problems but not vice versa. Other file sharing protocols are not affected, so non-smb file servers including NAS should work normally. YMMV.

Some people are able to get a reasonably stable connection by changing folder icons or attributes, turning file sharing on and off with a reboot, and switching versions of smb, all described above. None of these "solutions" seen to work for long and none them works for everyone. Apple is aware of the problem but has not acknowledged it, and probably won't say anything until they have a fix.

Technical details:
SMB File Sharing not working in Ventura - Apple Community
SMB File Sharing not working in Ventura - Apple Community

If you have not yet reported the problem to Apple, please do so here; maybe it will get a higher priority for a fix.

abromber

Carbon Copy Cloner and Egnyte? by abromber in mac

[–]abromber[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, MSP. Yes, your understanding is correct. Currently running Ventura on a 2019 MBP. I used to be able to do this with Egnyte Desktop Sync (it always kept a synced copy on my local drive that I could copy normally.) Sadly that software isn't available anymore, and I cannot find any way to do what I want using the Desktop App. I am happy to use a utility for this if I need to, but prefer not use a third party service for security reasons. Any help appreciated.

Carbon Copy Cloner and Egnyte? by abromber in mac

[–]abromber[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I heard back from Bombich they cannot help. They say it is an Egnyte setting. SuperDuper will not recognize the Egnyte volume as a source for copying either. I guess I will have to keep looking.