MacOS Catalina: Slow by Design?

I still love macOS, a lot. Since moving over after the disaster that was Windows 8 (and by then I was already using MacBook hardware), I've become a loving power user e.g. with AppleScript and setting up hotkeys or other ways to do absolutely anything I want on the screen. It really is still as powerfully customisable as Linux. Turn off SIP if need be.

My only problem in moving to Linux software is that I prefer Apple's hardware. I'm on the 2019 16-inch MBP. Linux's compatibility with all the T2 and SSD hardware isn't there yet, but apparently it almost is.

If Linux on the T2 MBP becomes solid and stable in the next 1-2 years, after extensive testing I may move over permanently. I already use Linux on secondary computers, and I love and value its privacy. Same with my phone. I just love my privacy.

My needs are a high bar though. Productivity must be held back by nothing. I use macOS notes extensively and it syncs with my iPhone which is an extremely useful tool for me to note things down both in audio and. It needs to be reliable and - heh - 'just work'. I just discovered the cross-platform 'Standard Notes' app, with a bit more money paid out to Linux-compatible services like that, maybe it can all work. Casual photoshop can be taken care of via a VM.

Surprisingly, macOS Catalina is itself a disrupter to my productivity. It seems buggy as hell - glitchy, and weirdly slow for many extremely basic things - all since Catalina. I just don't get it. Is it caused by this article's observation? Something's definitely going on.

Maybe Apple will fix this in the next release? Like how they fixed the keyboard?

Either way, I still want to move to Linux on this fabulous (fixed) hardware that is the 16-inch MBP. (T2 issues aside.)

I have a 2019 Macbook Pro 16in and I hate it. It runs exceptionally hot (leading to massive performance problems), doesn't get enough power from the adapter to start with no battery, doesn't play nicely with my display, needs restarting every couple of days so Chrome doesn't crash and takes forever to boot.

That's just the technical problems. I'm willing to give the UI a break, since it's probably as much me adjusting as it being bad.

This is my first Apple anything, and if this is what "just works" looks like, I don't want it. I could be more productive on an Android tablet at this point.

Counterpoint, I also have the 16 inch 2020 MBP as my first Mac work laptop and absolutely love it. No issues, it works perfectly, and I’m 2x as productive on it as I was on my previous Ubuntu setup.

Do you write anywhere online about your workflow setup using AppleScript? It sounds interesting. I’d like to configure my macOS experience more.

Mine starts spinning up the fan (theres kind of a pattern as to when), heating up the entire computer. The computer previously had been fine.

I usually have to restart and reset the "SMC" to stop the fan from nuking the computer.

I can let the computer drop to 5% battery life and the fan will turn off and the computer will cool down. Which is the opposite of what you want if it was actually overheating.

Actually, I do agree with you with some of those observations. Apple's been trying to fix their terrible T2 issue and I suspect some of the problems lately have been them trying to prevent the T2 reboot crash, while ruining other parts of the experience in the process as a necessary compromise. It may get worse (or better) as they move to all-Arm architecture.

I also am sick of the touch bar now - after 2 years living with it. I have to press it twice to actually pause my media, because it's an LCD screen and it has to auto turn off to prevent burn-in. That's a regression from the old hard media button in the Fn row which was both instant and far easier to press. At least we got 'Esc' back.

But man, their trackpad...nothing beats it. Still.

Oh it's not like I have a Cmd+<X> for every single possible task you can imagine, it's a very tailored and customised set of sometimes complicated scripts for my weird personal needs that I've built up over the years.

Each time I want to do something, I goddamn will spend 8 hours figuring it out if have to. E.g. this: https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/381441/163629 - one hotkey to change macOS Notes text into a specific hex colour (and/or bold etc). It took me a day but I worked it out. Where there's a will there's, 99 times out of 100, a way.

You can seemingly do almost anything with AppleScript. Emphasis on almost.

Here's another example: Right after I plug in my iPhone via USB, I have one hotkey to automate a little-known feature of macOS where you can turn your Mac into a speaker dock for the iPhone. Awesome thing when you have the dramatically improved 16-inch MBP speakers. Here's my applescipt for that, just customise according to your iPhone name near the bottom and try it out: https://pastebin.com/raw/9BY710Y6

YMMV, if you have additional audio devices in sound prefs so may need to change the code a bit.

AppleScript also has the ability to perform unix bash scripting and commands, so with homebrew able to install most common Linux packages, you can go wild if you want.

I'm definitely not 'advanced' applescript level, I'm intermediate. Hundreds of HN readers would know more than me. I just google and think until I find a way. I'm not a programmer.

I have other shortcuts e.g. to control the MPV media player even if it's not the currently active window. Again, weird personal needs, but awesome. AppleScript to the rescue.

FastScripts is how I assign universal hotkeys to any of my applescripts.

> it's an LCD screen

OLED.

I hear OLED can be just as bad if not worse. So same diff.

Much worse. Just explaining why that would be a problem.

Would be great if you could write about the scripts you hack to optimize your workflow