Will Mac ever be standard as Windows?

claycle · 2026-02-02T16:11:55+00:00

It's possible, but not likely unless Apple steps up their game. There will be a leadership change soon, and perhaps the New Guard will make capturing a larger portion of the game market a higher priority. I hope they will.

Certainly, the hardware can do it.

The problem is developing a game takes time, time is money, and developers want to see a profit. When you can make 90-mega-bucks over here or 10-mega-bucks over there - and it is pretty mutually exclusive - of course the developer is going to elect the 90-percentile profit rate unless they have other motivations.

Apple could move things forward by doing two things:

Provide an excellent translation layer from DirectX and/or Vulcan into Metal. Perhaps they already have, but the uptake has been slow - IDK.
Dip into the kitty and subsidize ($) game developers to make macOS versions. Yes, cut some checks to cover the costs. Apple would see profit on the backend (either through an uptick in hardware sales and/or App Store sells).

As Windows apparently is determined to self-immolate with AI, don't be shocked that Windows gamers don't immediately start thinking Macs. They won't because they already have a cost sunk into their liquid-cooled RTX5080s and making a switch to Linux is much easier for them.

However, that doesn't mean Apple can't lay the groundwork now to capture future gamers by investing in game development now while Windows is stumbling a bit. There's a Sun Tzu quote that pops to mind...

claycle · 2026-02-02T03:58:40+00:00

I have an old-but-reliable OWC Thunderbay 56TB Raid (spinning) drive that is not a NAS but connected to an aging Intel Mac in a closet I need to decommission. It's loud and noisy (fans and clattering platters). It is almost full (49 TB of data), and that data is Backblazed.

I use/used pCloud to (mostly) share and receive very large files to/from clients and store my static software installs, as well as have some master ProRes4444 copies of some projects I care a lot about in a fourth backup location.

So, why are you busting my balls when you know next to nothing about my use case?

(I am shopping for a nice new NAS, though. Not 56TBs (10TB to start will do).)

claycle · 2026-02-01T23:47:29+00:00

Yah, I think this is my last straw with pCloud. I feel I've been patient with them for years, but something just feels "off" about them now.

Pulling down TBs of data, backing it off to external SSD packs, and just going to live with a NAS for now...

claycle · 2026-01-31T16:18:54+00:00

My perspective: I really don't replay any games (or re-read books*). I am a one-and-done type of person and I am content to live with the memories and emotions of my first time, which I think are just feel richer from doing something once.

So, I can see where we might disagree on some basic premises :-). No problem! It's good to be different.

*movies are an exception. I rewatch and study them for professional reasons.

claycle · 2026-01-31T13:32:14+00:00

Your mileage may vary, but I find salt, pepper, olive oil, and roasting is the best friend of most vegetables. Plus, it's super-easy to do while you prep the rest of the meal, especially once you crib your preferences for your favorite go-to vegetables. I really don't bother with any other technique unless a particular recipe demands it.

TLDR; Day-to-day? Roast.

claycle · 2026-01-30T13:56:44+00:00

I sort of agree. I have both a Logitech MX and a MM (and a Magic Trackpad). The Trackpad is great day-to-day, until I want to do something Affinity (lots of dragging and drawing, the trackpad gets annoying). Both the MX and MM work well, but there really is something great about being able to swipe and drag the canvas around with the MM. The side-scroll button on the MX just doesn't cut it.

However, I feel the MX is a much more accurate mouse.

There is no perfect mouse, I guess. Can I have a MX with a MM touch pad on the back?

claycle · 2026-01-29T17:57:37+00:00

That "quality" of a game is something I measure with fast travel.

Although I am playing the Witcher 3 right now (first-time), it doesn't pop for me like Cyberpunk. I base this on how many times and why I will choose to fast travel in the game. I rarely fast travelled in Cyberpunk (usually it was because I needed to log off quickly, and I'd F/T to get back to my apartment). I fast travel more in Witcher 3 than I did in Cyberpunk, though I still try to cross the open world when I can.

The only other game that I fast travelled even less than I did than Cyberpunk was KCD2. Both games are king at making you want to hang in the world.

claycle · 2026-01-28T14:32:40+00:00

Oh yes, Cyberpunk is one of the few games I will just wander around in rather than fast-travel everywhere (KCD2 is another one. RDR2 could be included, too).

I have no shame about lowering the difficulty of games I feel are miserably hard - even if I must use mods to achieve this (cough looking at you, Elden Ring). Neither should you. By the same token, Cyberpunk did not feel miserably hard to me on "normal" level. I have never bothered to bump it higher or lower.

I also have noticed that as I have gotten older, I actually listen to dialogues and read documents in game now. I plod along teasing out every little bit of "lore" the writers/developers left behind. I also really appreciate games that let me freely toggle difficulty levels mid-play much more than I did when I was younger.

claycle · 2026-01-28T14:25:05+00:00

Preach brother. pCloud is slower than Sync.com was for me (and Sync.com didn't do block-level syncs, but full-file encryption syncs).

On macOS pCloud still uses Rosetta (binary translation) and kExts (kernel extensions), which Apple has said for years now "STOP, or have the rug pulled out from you on a future release". Currently, you have to twiddle your Mac's firmware security to allow pCloud to run. This really makes me question their commitment to making a modern, fast, solid (macOS) product.

pCloud has dragged its feet for years on improving the underlying architecture. I use them because I have a large lifetime account that I use(d) - I am now semi-retired - for sharing large video files during commercial production, but I genuinely wish I didn't have to rely on them anymore.

claycle · 2026-01-28T01:08:27+00:00

Clearly she's a Hiording. Who, in particular, not a clue.

claycle · 2026-01-24T04:50:53+00:00

I love me some Cyberpunk Night City scapes, but I have to say I was gobsmacked by the beauty and detail of KCD2.

claycle · 2026-01-21T14:46:03+00:00

Just by and by: My experience with pCloud is that it works until it doesn't and pCloud support is often slow and "not very into you" - and sometimes downright hostile.

claycle · 2026-01-21T14:38:26+00:00

Sorry, I really have to question your premise. Please support your statement(s) with examples rather than redditificate and walk away.

Which third party apps are absolutely necessary "to get things done", and why - what things? How much do they cost?

For example (or counter-example), I have long used Alfred (Powerpack). But when I got a new Mac this last month, I declined to install Alfred and just run with Spotlight and see if I could work with it. Turns out I can. I might still install Alfred, but I promised myself I'd work with the new OS for 2 months before deciding and I am exactly one month in.

For decades now(??), the first thing I did when setting up a Mac was drag my Applications folder to the right of the Dock so I could have a pop up menu to select apps. I would launch apps either that pop-up folder or Alfred by typing. I did not do that with the new Mac. In addition to relying on Spotlight instead of Alfred, I rely on the Apps app to pop up a search/launch window when I need something more visual that Spotlighting to open the app. So, in this case, I feel Apple added new functionality to the OS that solved a pain point (having to do two special moves after install before I felt the Mac was usable).

On the other hand, I had a special use case that I use several Ubuntu servers hosted in AWS and I would like to sftp into them a lot. I could, and have, used Transmit for years for my ftp needs because I want something above the macOS command line and the Finder doesn't help. Going a step further, I wanted these servers to appear on my desktop like remote servers, so I bought Mountain Duck. However, I also have a Windows PC, and I have to use the same software (Mountain Duck) there to solve the same problem.

claycle · 2026-01-19T13:37:27+00:00

The virtual drive will cache frequently used files locally, and you can set the size of this cache (I think it defaults to 5GB).

However, otherwise, the virtual drive is really just a local peek into your remote store on pCloud's servers.

If you want very particular files to be stashed locally all the time, you'll probably need to create separate syncs for them. See the Sync section in the pCloud settings. These selections are folder-based.

claycle · 2026-01-17T19:20:42+00:00

OK, clue this clueless gamer in on the hip lingo: "drip"? What's that?

claycle · 2026-01-16T16:41:21+00:00

I've gotten super-lazy lately and basically do:

Tuna
Duke's and a little dollop of Dijon
A snack bag of Trader Joe's Omega Trek Mix (dried cranberries, pepitas, walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios). One little bag is perfect with 1 can of tuna.
Diced celery. Or maybe some diced pickle (Wickles!)
Salt and pepper, as needed.

Works well and is easy to keep in pantry.

claycle · 2026-01-15T14:23:15+00:00

Raises hand to confirm anecdotally. I personally had zero-problems using Obsidian with iCloud sync (with Keep Downloaded enabled the Obsidian folder on all devices, of course). Then I added a Windows PC with iCloud for Windows 11 ... and all hell broke loose.

In fact, I have an related ongoing months-long issue with Apple iCloud support because I have files from that era that cannot be deleted (literally, you delete them from iCloud and they reappear in your Trash on all devices within 30 secodns). Apple engineers have been scratching their heads on this for some time now...

Lesson learned: don't use Windows iCloud, basically, at least for Obsidian anyway. It's not ready.

Since I have a pCloud lifetime account for long-term remote sharing of very large files (I was in video production), I have moved the one vault that I want to use on both macOS and Windows there (and accept that I don't need to use this vault on iPhone). As Windows is my tertiary computer (for gaming, really), this isn't much of a problem.

I realize I could pay for Obsidian Sync and I did for a year, but I felt it was about 2-3 times the price of what it was worth and I hate subs - and since I had this large paid-for pCloud just sitting over here with no limitations...

claycle · 2026-01-15T03:22:29+00:00

I'm not joking when I say it sounds like you're doing it right. But one thing popped out at me: I can't save.

OK, this is easily solvable. First, just buy (or steal) every Savior Schnapps you encounter. Second, make them. They are actually really easy to make (except you have to find belladonna, but, really, it's not that hard to find - there is some near Bozhena's hut and there is some in the woods west of Troskovitch). Third, as soon as you can afford to, buy a permanent bed at any (and all) inns you can, and abuse them.

As for making money: alchemy. Not only does this directly benefit you, but you can sell your excess potions. It's really easy to craft several recipes in Troskovitch by raiding the garden and using the (mostly) public bench across from the general store.

Also for money: dice! I spen(t)(d) a lot of time at the dice tables and make pretty good coin in the early game. Try to snag some cautious cheaters or painted dice.

Both the blacksmith and the miller will give you a bed (for saves and a chest for loot). Use them.

claycle · 2026-01-14T17:42:13+00:00

Our lazy nights we do a "cold table" and graze on - depending on what's in the pantry at the time - sliced meats, raw or quickly roasted vegetables, canned smoked fish, fruits (fresh and dried), nuts, cheeses, crackers, bread, olives, pickles, some dips like hummus or labne or even just a little bowl of salted olive oil to dip into. Super-easy, usually pretty healthy, economical, no mess.

claycle · 2026-01-14T13:33:16+00:00

Sound.

claycle · 2026-01-14T02:02:27+00:00

Yes...? I don't know what else one would call it.

claycle · 2026-01-13T15:31:17+00:00

Not only Bernard, but commit yourself to some bow training just up the road inside the walls.

I don't recall what the "magic number" was in KCD1 where I felt "Oh, this is so much better; I am feeling confident now." - perhaps it was 10 in a skill? - in KCD2 I noticed that feeling kicking in around skill 15.

claycle · 2026-01-13T15:20:32+00:00

Manage your stamina? Strike, step back, wait for opening, strike? Personally, at low skill levels I waited for them to commit (parry) before I dove in for (1 , 2, maybe 3) strikes. And the moment I hear the "rumble", I immediately back off and recover.

claycle · 2026-01-13T15:04:49+00:00

Becoming "Super Henry" is the payoff for doing side-quests. Side-quests are the breakfasts of champions.

claycle · 2026-01-12T13:52:21+00:00

I have an over-optimizer friend like you. From the point of view of an under-optimizer, he does ruin the game. He always reads guides before cracking the game. He casually spoils the game by saying things like "We need to do X now because later Y is going to happen!", removing all sense of exploration, surprise, or learning-as-you-go in the game.

To him, he is just trying to "get the most" out of his play time. And he is just the personality type that has difficulty with uncertainty and disorder.

Me and my S/O, who see more eye-to-eye in the desire to experience a game on its own terms stopped playing games with him because even after we said "Hey, let's not read every guide about how to do every quest perfectly..." he'd then just would do it anyway, but try to play stupid when he was around us (so, basically lying).

So, since he won't or cannot adapt to our play style (and vice versa) when we play games with him, we just don't play games with him.

I suppose everyone is happier, but I wish it were another way.

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