Downloading Apps for New Mac Mini M4 P2

[Dogbreath]

Hi All . . .
I haven't set up a new Mac in over 14 years. Today I got a new Mini. Is Onyx still a "go to" app for clean up and maintenance?
Also, CCC vs SuperDuper!? I would like a bootable backup.
Best regards,
Brent

 

[Rod]

Last point first, bootable backups while still sort of possible are a thing of the past and pretty much pointless with the new Silicon Macs. I can refer you to a long technical article on the reasons why or you can just take my word for it.

 

[ferrarr]

Your Mac will do its own maintenance and clean ups, unless you prefer to shut down your Mac nightly?

And yes, OnyX is still a trusted and referred to app on this forum.

 

[RadDave]

Hi All . . .
I haven't set up a new Mac in over 14 years. Today I got a new Mini. Is Onyx still a "go to" app for clean up and maintenance/
Also, CCC vs SuperDuper? I would like a bootable backup.
Best regards,
Brent

Hi Brent - just to reinforce what has already been stated - Onyx for Sequoia is on my iMac and laptop (check HERE and of course DL the version for your macOS) - as to CCC vs. SuperDuper, probably your preference - I've always used CCC and works fine with the present MacOS - as to 'bootable' I no longer worry about the issue BUT much discussion if interested? Dave

 

[Rod]

Just summing up a bit; I too have OnyX for macOS Sequoia on my M1 MBP still does all the things I want/need it to do.
I have CCC to do full backups to an SSD and Time Machine to do full backups to a HDD.
If you don't have CCC already and you just want to make an incremental copy of your HD I'd suggest SuperDuper because you can use it to backup and clone your drive free, forever. See ad below;

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Hi All . . .
I haven't set up a new Mac in over 14 years. Today I got a new Mini. Is Onyx still a "go to" app for clean up and maintenance/

Well, it's free, so it's probably worth having around. I've found it to be much less useful than in the past, though, as the Mac OS is now much less prone to corruption than in the past.

Actually, unless you have an articulable reason for wanting Onyx specifically, I instead usually recommend Maintenance, also from Titanium Software. Maintenance is a subset of Onyx, and it has way fewer things in it that might confuse an ordinary user, or get them in trouble:

Maintenance (free)
Titanium Software | Operating System Utilities for Mac - Maintenance

(Some people prefer CCC over SD! because CCC has more features than SD!)

Also, CCC vs SuperDuper? I would like a bootable backup.

We've had several debates about this. Some people will tell you that making a bootable backup is no longer possible, and that's not true. (It is true that it was very hard to figure out how to do when Apple Silicon-based Macs were new.) But folks using CCC seem to still be having a hard time reliably creating bootable clones. Folks using SuperDuper! are having way fewer problems doing so from what I hear from users. Here is Shirt Pocket Software's guidance:

Shirt Pocket Watch - It’s a Trip to the Moon, Not a Marathon

Some will also parrot that having a bootable backup is "worthless" now because an Apple Silicon-based Mac with a dead internal SSD can't be booted and run from an external bootable drive anymore. (And that's true, but by no means the full story.) Now that Apple Silicon-based Macs have been out for a while, as have SSD's, I'm convinced that folks who tell you that bootable clones are worthless are misguided. (Of course, the only bone of contention is the "bootable" part. Having a backup of your data is still a wildly good idea.)

First, and this is fascinating, I've yet to hear from anyone whose internal SSD in an Apple Silicon-based Mac has failed! They seem to have become wildly reliable. Second, and this is also fascinating, my understanding is that when a modern SSD completely fails, it usually doesn't stop working, it just becomes read-only. That would mean that if you had a failed internal SSD, your Apple Silicon Mac would still run if you booted from an external bootable backup! (Unfortunately, a failed internal SSD generally isn't something that a user would fix themselves, as SSD's in Apple Silicon Macs, in most cases, are soldered-in.)

 

[ferrarr]

I'd suggest SuperDuper because you can use it to backup and clone your drive free, forever.

Just as an FYI, you can also use CCC in free mode, without all the options. Basic clone will still be made.

 

[Rod]

Deleted Error

 

[Rod]

Just as an FYI, you can also use CCC in free mode, without all the options. Basic clone will still be made.

I didn't know that ferrarr, I guess I've had a paid version so long I never checked. Really good to know, thanks.

 

[Dogbreath]

Thank you all.

 

[Dogbreath]

Randy....I downloaded Maintenance and even sent another donation! Which options should I tick in Maintenance?

 

[Rod]

Just my take on it, Randy may have other advice but from my point of view it's more a matter of what options not to tick. For example, you may be happy to clear the Launch Services Database but not rebuild Spotlight Index. I'm sure you don't want to clear Downloaded Screen Savers or Desktop Wallpapers. I would never normally clear APFS snapshots but maybe you have a lot. I wouldn't clear my Browser or Downloads Cache, I prefer to do this in my browser.

What I'm getting at is it's an entirely individual thing. You can run the default set, it won't do any "harm" but you may want to turn off clearing the Mail Downloads folder, again it's up to you, I leave it on but I don't store my mail downloads unless I need them.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Randy....I downloaded Maintenance and even sent another donation! Which options should I tick in Maintenance?

Just use the default settings, unless you see one that you think should be run.

 

[Dogbreath]

I have also added MS Home Office 2024, Find Any File, Spam Sieve, and Skype. What is your choice and maybe a word or two why?...AdAware vs AdBlock vs AdGuard vs Ghostery?

 

[Randy B. Singer]

...What is your choice and maybe a word or two why?...AdAware vs AdBlock vs AdGuard vs Ghostery?

I don't use any of these. All of these products are browser extensions. Browser extensions are often said to be a security risk.

I think that the best Web browser is Brave, and Brave includes a very effective ad blocker built-in (no need for installing any extensions). It can even block ads on YouTube! In addition, Brave is fast, it's the most secure browser out there, it's loaded with features, it is extremely customizable...it's a joy to use.

Brave browser (free)

The browser that puts you first | Brave

The Brave browser is a fast, private and secure web browser for PC, Mac and mobile. Download now to enjoy a faster ad-free browsing experience that saves data and battery life by blocking tracking software.

brave.com

 

[Rod]

#1 for Brave Browser, no need for any other browser security or ad blocking extensions, Vivaldi is also pretty good. I don't use Safari.

Spam Sieve is good, once it's trained, doesn't work with my email client.

If you are an Apple Mail user you might want to look at iCloud+. This provides some additional security features for both Mail and Safari.

Skype is good, I use it exclusively for overseas voice calls, it's by far the cheapest option. As for Video Conferencing everyone uses Zoom these days but you can do the same stuff with Apple's Face Time, FB Messenger and others.

 

[MacBiter]

Skype is good, I use it exclusively for overseas voice calls, it's by far the cheapest option. As for Video Conferencing everyone uses Zoom these days but you can do the same stuff with Apple's Face Time, FB Messenger and others.

You can only use Facetime for conferencing if everyone is using an Apple device. In any case, if you're not limited by time (40 minutes free) I find Zoom far superior.

 

[Rod]

Me too

 

[Slydude]

You can only use Facetime for conferencing if everyone is using an Apple device. In any case, if you're not limited by time (40 minutes free) I find Zoom far superior.

That's not 100% true anymore. People who are using non-Apple devices can now join FaceTime calls. As of IOS 15 Apple device users can FaceTime unfortunate souls who are not using Apple devices. The Apple user generates a web link that gets sent to non-Apple users and emails that link to those who need it,

The link can be opened in a browser. I've never tried it personally but it does work.
FaceTime Access for Android: How to Join a FaceTime Video Call ... - CNET

12 Useful Things to Know About FaceTime Links - TechWiser

Wondering what are FaceTime links and how to create, send, or rename them? Read the post to know 12 FaceTime links features and tips.

techwiser.com

EDIT:
This feature is also in FaceTime on the Mac and appeared about the same time it appeared on the iPhone. You can tell whether you have this feature by launching FaceTime and looking in the left corner of the FaceTime window. If you have a "Create Link" button you should be able to FaceTime Android users.

 

[Jimmysb]

That's not 100% true anymore. People who are using non-Apple devices can now join FaceTime calls. As of IOS 15 Apple device users can FaceTime unfortunate souls who are not using Apple devices. The Apple user generates a web link that gets sent to non-Apple users and emails that link to those who need it,

The link can be opened in a browser. I've never tried it personally but it does work.
FaceTime Access for Android: How to Join a FaceTime Video Call ... - CNET

12 Useful Things to Know About FaceTime Links - TechWiser

Wondering what are FaceTime links and how to create, send, or rename them? Read the post to know 12 FaceTime links features and tips.

techwiser.com

EDIT:
This feature is also in FaceTime on the Mac and appeared about the same time it appeared on the iPhone. You can tell whether you have this feature by launching FaceTime and looking in the left corner of the FaceTime window. If you have a "Create Link" button you should be able to FaceTime Android users.

That will be this then