Actually the above historical stream is incomplete. I actually started on a homebuilt 8080 in 1975 (No OS. Load from cassette tape and execute memory 0x0100), and happily used it for years.)
The OSX Macs have been a great platform for my programming uses (once professional and now hobby) until now. Unix based and solid, it could be used to code for about any platform besides Windows. Actually, I guess it could build for that also, but such is out of my expertise.
But... With the release of MacOS Sequoia 15.1, Apple has firmly made the declaration that ANYTHING run on a Mac will now require the ok of Apple. Utilities that I have used for twenty years suddenly are banned. Code that I wrote and that cannot see the outside world in any way and that Apple knows nothing about, including the existence of such, is now labeled with the condemnation "Unknown Developer" and effectively sent to /dev/null.
Since MacOS is still BSD based, I can unhook such prohibitions from underneath (with some effort - at least until they tighten the screws further), but that does not address my absolute dislike of being told that a machine in my personal possession, that I paid for, and that I consider owned by myself in full, can now only be used if and when some remote company gives permission.
After lots of research, I upgraded my Debian system with new insides and moved almost everything to it. (Actually, it was more of a new build than an upgrade, since almost everything but the case and power supply is new and I am still looking for a really good case.) I still have a pair of good apps that I don't have a replacement for as yet, but that will come.
The Studio Mac has been sold and replaced with an older M1 mini, now de-screened back to a single monitor. On a desk across the room, it will be kept up to date and used for financial stuff only.
So... I guess what goes around really does eventually come around.
The OSX Macs have been a great platform for my programming uses (once professional and now hobby) until now. Unix based and solid, it could be used to code for about any platform besides Windows. Actually, I guess it could build for that also, but such is out of my expertise.
But... With the release of MacOS Sequoia 15.1, Apple has firmly made the declaration that ANYTHING run on a Mac will now require the ok of Apple. Utilities that I have used for twenty years suddenly are banned. Code that I wrote and that cannot see the outside world in any way and that Apple knows nothing about, including the existence of such, is now labeled with the condemnation "Unknown Developer" and effectively sent to /dev/null.
Since MacOS is still BSD based, I can unhook such prohibitions from underneath (with some effort - at least until they tighten the screws further), but that does not address my absolute dislike of being told that a machine in my personal possession, that I paid for, and that I consider owned by myself in full, can now only be used if and when some remote company gives permission.
After lots of research, I upgraded my Debian system with new insides and moved almost everything to it. (Actually, it was more of a new build than an upgrade, since almost everything but the case and power supply is new and I am still looking for a really good case.) I still have a pair of good apps that I don't have a replacement for as yet, but that will come.
The Studio Mac has been sold and replaced with an older M1 mini, now de-screened back to a single monitor. On a desk across the room, it will be kept up to date and used for financial stuff only.
So... I guess what goes around really does eventually come around.
