Just let the Macbook update

Dang, that thing is slow.

There was a time it seemed fine because software demands were quite small, whereas now they're relatively huge and getting huger (Yeah, I know that's not a word, but it's more fun than some other choices) and the poor old thing struggles & sweats.

The update download - it's too old to run Mojave, which the app store tried to suggest as an update - was more than 1GB, and the installation time is estimated at 13min. Curiously, I remember the first point update to OSX when I'd only had the machine a couple of months, and THAT was also 1GB, which was a real problem since we only had 2meg broadband, possibly not even that, and it took fully overnight to arrive.

It's presently got 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, but there's simply no substitute for a fast processor; I can hear the fans whistling away as I type this while it's working.

So now it's done one restart after 6 or 7 minutes whistling and there's now 11 minutes remaining. Where's that rolleyes smilie?

I'd been using it because we wanted to recover a facebook password for an account created in 2016 in order for Chris to follow Ben using an Android tablet. It never happened, but it's the only current facebook account we have now AFAIK, and she will now use it to generate an Instagram account so she can see the stuff he regularly posts there. Using OSX again is a little like laying down in a soft bed where a number of prickly things have been scattered: some of it feels really good, but there are aspects that make the overall experience unpleasant. The app store requiring you agree to updated Ts&Cs before doing the updates, presenting you with an enormously long piece of text and then requiring that you have read and accept them at the bottom when it's obvious that you couldn't reasonably do so was one. The keychain tool presenting hashed passwords instead of plain text was another (I'm sure it used to give plain text).

After I complained out loud about the terms & conditions Chris said I was always like that with the Mac. I'm just not an Apple person, and their complete arrogance sticks in my craw.

Update done eventually.

It's tempting to flog the Macbook, but I'm not sure it's worth it. The machine is a handy spare laptop, and even though the battery isn't up to much now, it's still useful portable computing for light stuff.

We bought Chris a new laptop just a few weeks back - a Lenovo C530 - and it's really nice. Light, fast (faster than this XPS, although that's not a surprise) and with a much better screen than the Mac. It was far from expensive, but feels really nicely made, with a clean, slim aluminium shell that fits together well. Spent a couple of days moving data over, installing applications and migrating accounts. On a Mac it would have been easier/faster using time machine, but OTOH this is a chance to de-clutter & re-organise stuff a bit. I also made sure there's wasn't another nested 'Chris stuff' folder that never got unpacked as has happened in the past, more-or-less putting everything back on the desktop where it had been.

Oh, and Office XP applications start in the blink of an eye. ;)

Eventually I'll need to upgrade the XPS, but for now it's still good.