If you are a former Mac user who moved to a Purism Librem, I’d love to know your story.
Etc.
I would say I have moved from a Mac to Librem. I still am partially using both machines. I have an iPhone and my wife has my old Mac.
I have dabbled with Linux for a number of years. For me, it was after the the security holes that came up around 2012-2013. I started to look to move away from Mac around that time.
I saw my first true ability to do so when Dell made the Dell XPS-13 Developer with Ubuntu pre-installed. It worked fine, but it seemed still a bit unsecure.
I have not completely switched away as I still have my iPhone. Once I receive my Librem5, I will then cut all cords to my Apple ways.
I will say, if you are dabbling, understand that now, especially with Librem One, Purism offers about everything you will need to make that move completely.
For me, I will want to use an ultra-secure back-up method, other than locally in my home…i.e., something in the cloud.
I have a Librem 15 and love the device. It is ultra secure and I purchased it with a bunch of upgrades.
If you have not yet purchased a device, I can definitely recommend the devices.
I’m planning a move as well, but one problem I noticed is the Librem v4 laptop is not nearly as consistently quiet as the MacBook Pro. just during a simple PureOS installation process, the fan goes suddenly to full speed and back down again a few times. Not gradual increase/decrease as on my Mac.
Yes!
What motivated you to make the switch?
Several things, including their say-one-thing-do-another approach to privacy and respecting of users rights. I won’t elaborate on that unless you want me to. Beyond that, things made me skeptical of closed-source systems, and the ME on the Intel chips they use.
How was the experience?
A little bumpy at first, but I got through it. I used Linux for a number of years, and even larger number of years ago. Once i scraped off the rust from that nook of my brain, I was off to the races. Really, it isn’t bad, and I don’t think it would be for even a new Linux user, so long as they are willing to invest a bit of time and effort. It seems that Purism is making great efforts to take the need for terminal comfort out of the equation.
Once that is done, I think it will only be a matter of learning a new GUI and finding replacements for software that is Mac-only, etc.
As for the hardware, it is good quality. Compared to a Mac, that I would rate at 9/10, I would put a Librem at 8/10. I’ve been thinking of putting up a thorough review on hardware based on that comparison. Main reason for the down step v a Mac is the aluminum is not as sturdy as that used on a Mac, port tolerances aren’t as tight, fit and finish isn’t as good, etc. Don’t get me wrong, still a very fine machine.
Have you completely switched to FLOSS?
Yes.
Any advice for Mac users considering making the switch?
Make a list of applications you use and research he FLOSS alternatives that might be available. This way you can get up and running as rapidly as possible.
As for that, it can be very beneficial to set up a VM in Boxes for tinkering, figuring out what works, etc. That way if you break something, you don’t need to reinstall the whole system. Recovery from a mistake is much faster. On the other hand, having to reinstall the OS is a good experience and know-how to have.
Please do if you have time.
Don’t even try to compare recent Macbooks to Librems. Years away in both materials,
specs and feel.
The latest Librem can be compared to a 2012 Macbook by it’s thickness and feel.
Regarding software and OS, it’s a different question.
I moved from a MBP where I lived in the Apple garden since OSX came out. I have been all Linux all the time now, for the past year. I have tried the great Linux Desktop experiment almost every year since 1999. Finally 2018 was the year of success! I do still have an iPhone but Librem is not available yet. That may go too.
I must qualify this by saying I run Manjaro on my Librem 13/v3. I tried pureos but need a less strict OS to live in and work in daily.
I bought my Librem13 for the openness of hardware and the overall company ethics. If you are coming from a Mac you already pay a premium for hardware. Purism is less of a premium and to be honest I am not sure it is a premium as it holds up like a champ. There are cheaper machines but a clean Bios and hardware that just works is worth the extra, for me.
The biggest loss for me is Messages. The integration of the phone and laptop messaging is very nice. But not a deal breaker, obviously. I have retained some icloud services like calendar and contacts.
I work as a software developer and don’t use any proprietary software that cannot run on Linux which may be a deal breaker for some. To be honest look at alternatives before you just decide you can’t change. There is a lot of great software out there for Linux.