AppAddict Newsletter

On my workstation, where I get most of my work done, I have a dual monitor setup dialed in over a period of time to match my preferences for the apps and processes that I use daily. I am partial to a keyboard-centric workflow. I have used keyboard-driven launchers for many years, including LaunchBar and currently Raycast. However, I deal with a great many files, primarily photographs, videos, music, and eBooks, moving them from different locations in my file system to other locations. This requires me to use a mouse and to do quite a bit of application switching. When I am away from home, whether at a coffee shop or on an extended trip, I prefer to remote into my primary workstation to get things done rather than use the native interface on the MacBook Air I carry with me. This can be problematic because, rather than having two 27-inch monitors, I'm limited to one 15-inch Retina display. I've tried a variety of remote access applications, but right now, what works best for me is native screen sharing through a Tailscale network.

I am constantly switching not only between applications but also between monitors. For various reasons, using the native Mac dock is not always practical because of screen space and window placement. Likewise, using a keyboard-driven launcher is also difficult, and the same goes for application switchers. Depending on the last thing you clicked on, you may activate an app on the remote machine, or you may activate something on your local machine. It can be a coin toss.

I've started using ExtraDock from Appitstudio as a way to simplify application access and switching when working remotely. I had been switching and launching apps with Start from Innovative Bytes, a menu bar app, but it takes too many fine motor skills to access the menu bar on a shrunk-down remote display for my liking. ExtraDock lets me create a variety of dock-like launchers for different workflows and activate one or more of them when needed.

Features I Like

• Different docks for different displays without interfering with the native dock
• Custom-sized dock icons
• Custom dock orientation (horizontal or vertical)
• Autohide or always on top choice
• Widgets in the dock (Finder, Time, Trash are the ones I use)
• Appearance customization for colors, borders, and spacing

Using ExtraDock in conjunction with Stay from Cordless Dog, an app that lets me configure apps to launch to assigned positions on different monitors, has been a real game changer. Getting to the apps I need when I need them while working remotely is no longer aggravating.

A lifetime license for ExtraDock is available for €31.99, or if you prefer, a one year subscription €9.99 . Both options have a 14-day money back guarantee. 

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My personal media collection dates back to the days of ripping Netflix DVDs, back when the Internet used to come in the mail. Consisting of thousands of titles and weighing in at 20 TB, it presents some management challenges. Keeping things organized and standardized is important to me, and while I value automation, I also want full control over my files. To that end, I use tinyMediaManager (aka TMM), a cross-platform (macOS, Windows, Linux) app written in Java. Since it is optimized for Apple Silicon, I use it on my M2 MBA rather than my vintage Intel MBP. The actual files are located on my self-hosted server and on a USB drive I use for archival purposes. Not having to keep the files on a local drive is a big plus.

What It Does

It scans directories of movies and TV shows to scrape metadata from multiple sources (IMDB, TVDB, Trakt, etc.) to include:

• Trailers
• Subtitles
• Posters and artwork
   
  It allows you to tag and organize your media into sets and collections. It generates NFO files used by the media-playing app Kodi (XBMC). It has powerful renaming tools, but be careful when using them, as there is no undo button. Test on a subset of files before going hog wild on your whole collection, and remember that backups are your friend.

Where It Shines

• Flexible metadata scraping: If you are really into maintaining a well-managed collection and have a subscription to Trakt Pro or similar services, TMM works well with them (and free sources) to retrieve rich metadata (cast, awards, artwork, subtitles, etc.).
• File/folder renaming & NFO generation: If you ever change your primary media player and need to reformat your metadata to use a new standard for Kodi (XBMC), TMM has got you covered.
• Large-library support and bulk operations: There are lots of folks with media collections that dwarf mine, and based on feedback I have seen in forums, TMM doesn't choke, although it can be slow to start up with large collections.
• Cross-platform and Apple Silicon support: On macOS, it has a dedicated ARM build (v5), so the tool is kept up to date with newer Macs, but if you're still on an Intel machine, it is supported.
• Highly configurable: You can rename tokens, adjust scrape settings, set file naming schemes, filter and sort large collections, and integrate with external tools like FFmpeg and yt-dlp.
• Good community feedback for power users: Reddit is the best resource r/TinyMediaManager.

Where It Doesn't Shine

• Look and feel: Because it's a cross-platform Java app, it doesn't follow typical macOS design standards. While it isn't as jarring as the Calibre interface, people who are picky about UX/UI will be put off.
• Steep Learning Curve: Some of the basic features, such as scraping, are pretty straightforward, but advanced features like renaming tokens, filters, and naming schemes take time to set up.
• Subscription/licensing changes / free version limitations: The software used to be freeware. Currently, the free version is limited (in loaded objects/API calls), and the Pro version requires a license that costs 1 euro a month.

If you manage your media through the "arr" stack, you can still benefit from using TMM to download subtitles and obtain trailers. I use a combination of Plex with Infuse as a front end and Jellyfin and have never had an issue with my files attributable to TMM.

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The free and open-source e-book manager, Calibre, by developer Kovid Goyal, has been around for quite a few years now. It is multi-platform, with versions for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is somewhat homely, although it includes functions to customize its appearance. It definitely does not follow typical macOS interface standards, so if that's something you require, you might have to compromise if you want access to Calibre's features. However, for anyone with a moderate to large-sized collection of e-books, it is a must-have toolbox, and after using it for a decade, I am still finding new things it is capable of doing.

When you use Calibre to organize your collection of e-books, it can quickly show you all the books by the same author or in a book series or even books based around a specific set of topics if you take the time to tag your books when adding them to the app. It supports a huge number of formats (EPUB, MOBI, AZW3, PDF, TXT, CBZ/CBR comics, etc.) and has a built-in format converter if you want to standardize into something like ePub. The built-in viewer is perfectly fine for reading books on your computer. The Calibre database allows you to create your own fields with a list of data types that you can use. You can choose to display them or not, and organize your books accordingly. It's easy to dump your entire collection into a single logical organization but view different subsets as virtual libraries. You can group books by very specific criteria, such as books about baseball published in the 1990s with a four-star or above rating that you have already read and own a physical copy of.

Calibre has a robust collection of free plug-ins that are integrated with other services such as Goodreads, The Open Library, and Hardcover. You can tap into the review and book jacket databases of many different websites. If you are looking for a book that you do not own, you can search for it from within the Calibre interface using both free and paid websites. Calibre can perform many actions on individual books, such as page counts and determining reading levels. You can choose to have it index the contents of your entire collection of e-books, which will enable you to quickly perform full-text searches, a feature that can be invaluable when doing research. You can use Calibre to edit e-books and to join and split e-books, which is useful when you have an omnibus edition of a collection and you want to make individual files.

If you use an electronic reader of almost any type or vintage, you can use Calibre to add and remove content, especially file types that the native software doesn't handle well. If you want to read news articles and magazine articles on an e-reader, Calibre has built-in functionality to download and format them for you.

I keep my Calibre library in a couple of places: my always-on Mac and mirrored to my self-hosted server. I have local and remote access to it, allowing me to share books with other people via links and email and to read anything in my collection from a browser, no matter where I am.

Strengths

• Versatility
• Conversion
• Metadata and library management
• Device and content server support
• Open source and extensibility
• Frequent updates and new features

What Mac Users Don't Like

• Non-standard interface
• Poor handling of complex conversions (although to be fair, even expensive paid apps like Abby Fine Reader can struggle with these)
• Complexity and learning curve
• Limited support for older macOS versions - There are versions of Calibre that will work all the way back to OS X versions, but don't expect them to match the latest version feature for feature.

What's New

If you used Calibre in the past but haven't checked it out recently, here are a few of the latest feature additions:

• Native Kepub support for Kobo readers
• "Connect to folder" capability to treat remote folders as if they were USB storage devices
• Interface changes in the Mac version to meet some Mac design specs
• Improved opening speeds for large ePubs
• Light/Dark mode for the display grid using book covers
• Metadata merging (including comments) for books
• Bulk operations improvement, including the ability to cancel remaining actions in a large queue without losing the actions already performed on the queue.

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Few categories of software arouse as much debate as apps designed to work with PDFs, primarily because there are such a variety of use cases and work flows around these documents. As anyone who has ever worked in IT support can tell you, every ignorant enterprise user that has ever lived is convinced they need Adobe Acrobat Pro - to hell with its huge footprint, huge cost and hefty learning curve. Even knowledgable Mac users who are infrequent users of PDFS, remain in the dark about all the powerful features available in the native macOS Preview app:

• Annotate and mark-up Documents & Images: add highlights, underlines, shapes, text boxes, free-hand drawing, callouts, sticky notes. 
• Fill out PDF forms / add signatures: you can type into form fields (where detected) and insert an electronic signature via trackpad or camera. 
• Rearrange, delete, insert pages in PDFs: drag pages in the sidebar, drop in images or other PDFs, merge documents.
• Redact or permanently hide sensitive content in PDFs/images: Black-out (redact) areas so they cannot be recovered. 
• Export/convert file formats: e.g., change image formats, export PDFs with encryption/passwords, save in various file types.
• Built-in OCR/text selection on images (in supported cases): lets you hover/select text in an image and copy it. 
• Password protect & set permissions in PDFs when exporting: you can lock a document so it can’t be printed/copied/edited.

Users who have easily defendable specific needs for powerful PDF apps include those in academia, the legal profession and finance, where there are often laws concerning data retention for the massive amounts of data generated. And, of course there are lots of one off cases for different roles that can be incredibly specific.

For many users, occasional PDF needs can be easily met by free online tools that do document conversion, signatures and advanced annotation:

• iLovePDF | Online PDF tools for PDF lovers
• Smallpdf.com - A Free Solution to all your PDF Problems
• Best PDF Editor | Edit, Sign, Merge & Secure

For my advanced needs, which are primarily the conversion of large PDFs into ePub and other formats along with adding OCR to PDFS that don't have it, I am partial to Abby Fine Reader, which is a hefty $70 a year.

Currently, SwiftDoo PDF for Mac is on sale for $7.99, a considerable discount from the usual price of $98. At the discounted price, it's a decent bargain if your PDF needs fall in the these categories:

• Text/Image/Link editing – Unlike many simpler PDF viewers, you can edit text, change font/size/style, insert images, and embed hyperlinks. (Vendor version 2.0.0.3 added this explicitly.)
• Annotation tools – Highlights, underlines, strikethroughs, sticky notes, shapes, drawing freehand: useful when marking up documents rather than just reading.
• Page-/document-management – You can rotate, insert, delete pages, reorder, etc. Good for cleaning up multi-page PDFs. 
• Security features – Password protection, permission settings (view/copy/print/edit) are included in the Mac version.

When compared to the Windows version of the app, the Mac version comes up short, primarily because it lacks OCR conversion and batch conversions. It's also not optimized for Apple Silicon, meaning it requires Rosetta which will not be supported after the current version of macOS. You can spend more money and get more features from other PDF suites like PDF Expert ($140 one−time)and Foxit PDF Editor ($130 - year).

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Ping Uptime Monitor by Neat Software is a lightweight menubar app that monitors the availability and response time of any entity with an IP address: websites, APIs, servers, routers, devices and workstations. When problems are detected, it alerts you. It has a limited free tier and a pro upgrade to unlock the full feature set(one-time purchase, not subscription). You may be thinking that you don't ned a tool to do your pinging, since that's a command line tool that's among the first that many of us ever learned, but bear with me, because Ping Uptime Monitor can de some useful stuff.

Features

• Heads up display via a color coded icon in the menu bar, allowing you to quickly assess the status of your website or API without keeping a browser tab open
• Local notifications when the status of a monitored address fails or exceeds a user-defined metric so that you are the first to know if an asset goes offline before its users can start complaining
• Supports HTTP and ICMP pinging so you can monitor your home router (ICMP) and a public website you want to track (HTTP)
• Supports IP4 and IP6
• Reportson slow response times, not just a binary up/down. You can determine at what speed you want to be notified so that you can mitigate anything running slow or dropping packets
• User defined ping intervals so that you don't flood some poor endpoint. You can set different intervals for different targets and the more important a device is, the more frequently you can check it
• Excellent logging capabilitythat can be piped or streamed out. Although you don't get a different log for every device, it is quite easy to filter the log so you can see exactly what you want to see
• Automation- Webhook capable so that it can use email, Slack or SMS to notify you when there are problems and you are AFK. It is also has AppleScript support
• Display customization so that you can select just want you want to see: icons, status colors, response times, etc.
• Privacy focused - nothing is routed through third-part devices. All communication is between your Mac and the endpoints you monitor.
• **CSV Imports **- got a spreadsheet with all the wireless access point IP addresses in your building? Import that sucker!

What's in the Newest Version (September 2025)

• Support for macOS26 Tahoe
• Auto-restores paid pro upgrades when moved to a new machine
• Auto-restart after 1 million pings to relieve any memory pressure and improve stability

This app is not for you if...

• You need advanced or per-device logging
• You want to create different groups of addresses to reflect different sites
• You need enterprise level features such as deep analytics, long-term trend reports and other features common in more expensive monitoring suites.
• You need an audible alarm (although this is a much requested feature)

Other Tools

This is a useful tool for small workplaces, home lab and power users. It compares to the FOSS app, nping. For broader use cases, check out Uptime Kuma. An online tool that you might useful is Uptimerobot

Availability

You can get the free and paid version ($14.99) of Ping Uptime Monitor from Neat Software. It's currently on sale for $3 for Black Friday -  here.

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I've been taking iPhone photos since 2009, lots of them. I also own and use a DSLR, and my hard drive is full of huge raw photos stretching back to the last century. I've used a variety of photo management apps through the years, but let's face it, for all its many faults, Apple's native Photos app makes it super simple to create and share images right out of the box. This makes it tempting to use, and few people abandon it entirely, even if they also use something more powerful.

PowerPhotos by Fatcat Software is a powerful tool that just about perfectly complements the native macOS app. It's got the features the native app is missing. It works in conjunction with Photos to handle the tasks Apple still doesn't handle well, if at all—splitting/merging libraries, finding real duplicates, bulk metadata edits, multi-library search, and moving or copying items across libraries without losing edits or keywords.

Key Strengths

• Multiple libraries Create, split, merge, browse, and search across multiple Photos libraries (including nice touches like merge reports and album preservation).
• Real duplicate control. It groups duplicates and lets you choose keepers with rule-based logic (by metadata, keywords, etc.) instead of Photos’ opaque auto-merge. You can just delete the photos or place them into albums first.
• Batch metadata editing Edit titles, keywords, captions, individually or in bulk with templating.
• Advanced multi-library search. Build nested AND/OR queries (file size, duration, dimensions—criteria Photos lacks), search one or many libraries, and save queries.
• Copy or move between libraries. Keeps edits and metadata; the current version (3.x) provided the move option. Previous versions were copy only.

Not Perfect

• Apple is still in control - Certain actions depend on Photos/app/macOS versions. Apple changes can impose limits or require upgrades.
• Learning Curve - This is a power user's app with multiple options and features, not a set-it-and-forget-it option. Making frequent effective backups, which you test and verify, is more important than I can stress. You could mess around and delete your library with this app not paying attention. It wouldn't be easy to do, and I don't think the app is inherently dangerous. It is just powerful.
• Paid Upgrades - Although Fatcat Software offers a 50% discount to upgrade to new major versions, it's still not free. I'm not saying it should be, but I know some of you prefer a true lifetime purchase.
• Scary Apple Warnings - Apple doesn't endorse any third-party apps to integrate with Photos, including this one. This is a well-established application used by thousands of people, but be sensible and make backups. Apple isn't going to help you if you use some other app and screw up your photos.

Latest Feature Additions

As of today, the last update to PowerPhotos was in October 2025. The last update added a "Copy To / Move To" option to the context menu, something that was previously only available in drag-and-drop operations that weren't always obvious. Recent bulk metadata editing and improvements to the in-app viewer make operations quicker and smoother than in previous versions.

PowerPhotos normally sells for $39.95 on the developer's website. Upgrades are 50% off.

For just the next two weeks, you can pick up a copy from Bundlehunt for just $5.99 as part of their Black Friday sale. Don't wait around, though, because it will be gone by mid-month.

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Mountain Duck is an app that allows you to integrate a variety of remote storage providers directly into Finder without the need for other proprietary software. This gives you the option to "open remote files with any application," just as you can with the ones on your hard drive.

Some key features are:

• Multiple protocols supported: SMB, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.
• "Smart Synchronization," where files remain remote until you open them; at which point, it opens and caches them. This can be complicated and a little tricky.
• Full Finder integration (via extensions) allowing context menu actions, link sharing, sync status, and more.
• Licensing - one license lets you use it on all the computers you own, but major upgrades are paid. Mountain Duck v. 5 is recent, so you should be good for a while if you purchase it now.

Strengths:

• Flexible - I used it to mount OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, two WebDAV providers, and a remote SMB share.
• Finder integration is consistent across providers, something you don't get by running the software from multiple providers.
• Background operations (smart sync/offline options).
• Actively maintained. The changelog shows frequent updates and bug fixes, which is typically the sign of a dependable developer.

Weaknesses:

• Predictably, mounts with lots of folders and files are not as responsive as those with fewer files and folders. I noticed this when working with my photo collection (100K+ files) on a remote WebDAV server.
• Working with cached files requires pretty careful monitoring. Not going to lie, setting up caching can be confusing, and it pays to keep your eye on what's going on.
• The lack of free updates for major versions.
• Working with multiple protocols and options (sync vs. online vs. offline vs. integrated vs. smart modes) presents a learning curve. If you just want to mount an S3 bucket and go about your business, this may not be the app for you.

New Features in Version 5

If you used Mountain Duck in the past (as I have), there are some cool new features in version 5:

• Now uses the native File Provider API, the same as iCloud and OneDrive.
• Supports Spotlight search.
• SMB support.
• Versioning (can be customized).
• Improved sync conflict handling.
• Activity monitoring.
• Resume pending operations (helps with big data workflows).

Mountain Duck normally sells for $49 on the dev's website. It's currently on sale for $14.99 as part of the Black Friday Bundlehunt offerings.

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The bargain software shopping spree that happens every November leading up to Black Friday is officially underway. The new Bundlehunt offering debuts today with an unusually strong offering of power user tools as opposed to a collection of cookie-cutter clipboard managers and AI chat wrappers. It's got good automation tools, some real creative apps, and a few niche power-user picks that would normally run you $40 or more.

I've been buying apps from Bundlehunt since 2015. When you make a purchase from them, you get a personally generated page with download links, license codes and installation instructions. Some apps are for a single computer, but often you can install what you purchase on multiple Macs. You can also download a CSV with all that info for your records. Not every app is a gem of course, but it's been a great way for me to pick up some real keepers at a fraction of the normal price. Additionally, I have never had a security issue with anything purchased there if you are wondering "Is it safe?"

My usual disclaimer - I'm not affiliated with any of these developers. In most cases, I've listed alternative apps that provide similar functionality to what's on sale here.

The Bundle BundleHunt Black Friday Bundle

Mountain Duck (💯 - Get This)

A file-system client that mounts remote servers and cloud storage as local drives in Finder, providing direct file-level access without syncing. Supports S3, WebDAV, SFTP, Azure, Google Cloud, and more.
Comparable tools: Transmit (mount feature), ExpanDrive MSRP 39–60 / Bundlehunt $14.99

Mountain Duck

 PowerPhotos  (💯 - Unique Feature Set)

Advanced Photos library management: merge/split libraries, detect and remove duplicates, search across libraries, and project migration assistance. Comparable tools: iPhoto Library Manager (legacy), Photos tools MSRP $30 / Bundlehunt $5.99

PowerPhotos - Merge Mac Photos libraries, find duplicate photos, and more

 DearMob iPhone Manager  (💯 - Comes in Handy)

Local device management utility for backup, media transfer, encryption, and device migration without relying solely on iCloud or Finder. Comparable tools: iMazing, AnyTrans MSRP 40–70 / Bundlehunt $3.00

OfficialDearMob iPhone Manager for iOS Data Transfer, Backup and Management

SwifDoo PDF

Full-function PDF suite offering editing, annotation, OCR, conversion, and signing with cross-platform licensing. Comparable.tools: PDF Expert, PDFElement MSRP 20–60 / Bundlehunt $7.99

PDF Editor and Reader for Mac - SwifDoo PDF

Mosaic Pro  (💯 - Worth It!)

Advanced window management for macOS with custom keyboard shortcuts, snapping grids, automation, and multi-display support. Comparable.tools: BetterSnapTool, Magnet MSRP 30–40 / Bundlehunt $4.00

Mosaic

EaseUS NTFS for Mac  (💯 - If you have the need!)

NTFS driver for macOS enabling full read/write access to Windows-formatted drives.

Comparable.tools: Paragon NTFS, Mounty MSRP 15–25 / Bundlehunt $6.00

NTFS for Mac|Read and Write NTFS Volumes on Mac - EaseUS

 Yoink  (💯 - Been Using this for Years)

A shelf utility that provides temporary storage for files, text, images, and clippings to streamline drag-and-drop operations across macOS. Comparable.tools: Dropzone, Paste MSRP 8–10 / Bundlehunt $1.99

Yoink for Mac - Simplify and Improve Drag and Drop

Spotless

Automated file organization based on user-defined rules for naming, sorting, moving, and tagging files. Includes scheduled cleanup features. Comparable tools: Hazel, A Better Finder Rename MSRP 10−20 / Bundlehunt $3.00

Spotless

AWZ Screen Recorder

Screen recording utility supporting region and full-screen capture, webcam overlay, and system/microphone audio recording.
Comparable tools: ScreenFlow, Capto MSRP 25−40 / Bundlehunt $5.99

AWZ Screen Recorder for Mac | Easy & Feature-Rich Screen Recorder

Super Vectorizer Pro

Raster-to-vector tracing tool for producing scalable vector graphics from photographs and artwork with adjustable edge detection and color reduction. Comparable tools: Vector Magic, Inkscape Trace MSRP $30 / Bundlehunt $6.00

Super Vectorizer - Image Vectorizer on Mac Win

Super PhotoCut Pro

Foreground extraction and background removal tool optimized for batch product and portrait workflows.
Comparable tools: Pixelmator Pro, Remove.bg MSRP $30 / Bundlehunt $5.00

Super PhotoCut Pro for Mac

Ping Pro  (💯 - Must Have)

Network diagnostics tool focused on continuous ping monitoring, packet-loss tracking, and troubleshooting unstable connections.
Comparable tools: PingPlotter, iNet Network Scanner MSRP 5−15 / Bundlehunt $3.00

Ping • Network Uptime Monitor for macOS

MindArchitect Pro

Diagramming and mind-mapping software for structuring concepts, brainstorming, and visual planning.
Comparable tools: MindNode, XMind MSRP 30−50 / Bundlehunt $4.00

MindArchitect Pro

RocketCake Pro

Visual website builder supporting responsive design, CSS editing, and export-ready HTML without requiring coding.
Comparable tools: RapidWeaver, Blocs MSRP 50−80 / Bundlehunt $7.99

Rocket Cake Pro

SurFast Video Downloader Pro

Video acquisition utility for saving online video streams locally in multiple formats.
Comparable tools: Downie, VideoDuke MSRP 20−40 / Bundlehunt $5.00

SurFast Video Downloader for Mac - Download it from Uptodown for free

Almighty  (💯 - Top Pick)

System customization and automation tool offering deep macOS behavior tuning, quick toggles, and workflow shortcuts. .
Comparable tools: One Switch, BetterTouchTool MSRP 20−30 / Bundlehunt $3.50
Almighty - Powerful configurations for Mac

ColorHound

Color picker and palette tool for identifying on-screen colors, saving swatches, and managing palettes. Comparable tools: Sip, ColorSlurp MSRP 5−8 / Bundlehunt $1.50

Color Hound | Image color palette generator for macOS

Watermarker+

Batch watermarking solution with text and image overlays for catalog photography and brand asset protection.
Comparable tools: PhotoBulk, uMark MSRP 15−30 / Bundlehunt $2.00

Watermarker+ | Batch watermarker tool for macOS

DMG Wizard

Utility for creating customized DMG installers with compression and branding options.
Comparable tools: DMG Canvas, DropDMG MSRP 10−20 / Bundlehunt $1.50

DMG Wizard | DMG app packager for macOS

Textilicious

Lightweight text transformation utility offering formatting tools (case changes, cleansing, quick conversions) for clipboard or batch text operations. Comparable tools: TextSoap, BBEdit (scripts) MSRP 5−8 / Bundlehunt $2.50

Textilicious | Advanced Text Transformation Tool for Mac

Finder Windows

Tool for quickly navigating, switching, and managing open Finder windows and workspaces.
Comparable tools: Commander One, Path Finder MSRP 3−8 / Bundlehunt $2.00

Access macOS Finder windows easily | Finder Windows – Zevrix Solutions

Total Video Converter

Comprehensive format-conversion tool supporting a wide range of codecs, batch conversion, and device-target presets.
Comparable tools: Permute, HandBrake MSRP 30−40 / Bundlehunt $5.00

Total Video Converter - Convert Any Video and Burn to DVD

MultiDock

Creates multiple customizable app docks to group workflows and reduce clutter. Comparable tools: uBar, Station
MSRP 5−−15 / Bundlehunt $3.00

Multi Dock: Organize your favorite folders, files and applications with Dock's (Dragthing alternative) • MacPlus Software

Tab Finder

Search utility for locating open browser tabs across windows to streamline tab-heavy workflows.
Comparable tools: Tab Space, Tab Manager extensions MSRP 5−10 / Bundlehunt $2.50

Tab Finder | A list of all your open tabs across all browser windows in one place • MacPlus Software

One I Would Skip

Mail Archiver X

I've written a full length review of this app. It didn't function as advertised and tech support was a whopping $70 per incident at the time I evaluated the app. Long-term email archiving and indexing software designed to preserve searchable, offline access to mail across clients and accounts. Supports IMAP, Apple Mail, Gmail, and Microsoft 365.
Comparable tools: EagleFiler, MailSteward MSRP 50−60 / Bundlehunt $6.99

Mail Archiver X

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When I retired in February, one of the first things I did was set up a home lab using the various components that I've been socking away for years. For me, 2025 has been the year that I've left the tech giants in my rearview mirror. To that end, I wanted to experiment with Linux, even though I don't plan to abandon the Mac or iOS as platforms. After a couple of months fooling around with Ubuntu on an old Lenovo ThinkPad, I decided to build a self-hosted server using the same computer and a bevy of external hard drives that I had accumulated.

I solicited advice on Mastodon and ended up going with Unraid, a NAS-based operating system based on Ubuntu. I know someone who has an Unraid server, and that played a part in my decision. Unraid is not free. I spent $49 for a license that allowed me to use six connected hard drives, and after three months, I upgraded the license so that I can use an unlimited amount of hard drives. Shortly after that, I ditched the old ThinkPad in favor of a new mini PC with USB 3.2 and a faster CPU. It was $150 for a machine with 16GB of RAM, a 512 GB HD, dual ethernet ports, 2 HDMI ports (although I run it headless) and four USB 3.2 ports. I oped to immediately replace the hard drive with a 2 TB model. Much to my surprise, the computer had space and a connection for a 2.5 inch SATA drive, so I threw in a 1 TB model I had laying around in there.

My external storage consists of three 8 TB drives (all purchased since I started self-hosting), a 1 TB and 4TB SSDs, a 3 TB drive left over from the days when I took a thousand shots a day on my DSLR and a lonely old 2 TB external drive that lived most of it's life as a Time Machine drive. My future plans involved larger drives, housed in four drive bays with USB 3.2 connectivity. I've become an expert in finding good deals on hard drives.

I didn't have to buy a new domain name for my server. I just use subdomains from one I already won. Cloudflare takes care of all the networking and routing under their generous free program. I set up a tunnel to my server and now adding access to a new self hosted dervice takes about two minutes to make live.

Another free service that's proven invaluable is Tailscale, which allows you to create a private mesh network, assigning an IP address to your devices in a way so that even your hundreds of miles away, you can still make connections and use resources as if your two devices were sitting on the same desk.

My Services

Immich - Since I removed my photos from Apple, Google and Amazon, I needed a way to share them with my family over the Internet. I also needed a system that my wife and I could use together. Immich is a powerful photo management solution with excellent facial recognition and object identification when searching and it all lives on your computer. I have back up copies of my photos on a cloud server from a European company. Koofr. Immich has iOS and Mac app, although the latter only works on Apple silicon.

Audiobookshelf - Although I am no longer contributing to the enrichment of Jeff Bezos, I do want to have access to the audiobooks I purchased from Audible. I used the free app, Libation to liberate my library. It downloads all your books and removes the DRM that prevents you from with Amazon's hand in your pocket. Now I have a self hosted audiobook library, complete with metadata where I can stream of download books. If I want to gives access to antone else, it's easy to create an account to give them access too. There are various iOS apps compatible with Audiobookshelf.

Calibre-Web - Although you can no longer download the books you've purchased for your Kindle, if you have copies you saved befor April, 2025, you can strip the DRM from them tooand make your whole library available to you from any Internet connected reading device from your own server, wherever you are. You can use the Mac or iOS version of Calibre, or you can import books into the Mac and iOS program.

Plex - If you've obtained movies and TV shows from various sources (no judgement zone), you can create a media server on your computer than you can access from your SmartTV, streaming device, iPad or computer. You don't even have to be at home. If you want to give access to those resources to other people, you can do that as well. Plex works best when you buy the $40 a year Plex pass.Oh, and Plex also can display your photos and give you access to your music collection. If you still have all those ripped CDs and the spoils of the Napster days, you can ditch Apple Music and Spotify.

Copyparty - Although i still use (European based) cloud storgae, it serves primarily as an offsite backup. My day to day work is done on files that live on my self hosted server. Copyparty is an app that runs on my server and is accessible through any browser or file manager you can think of. It handle uploads and downloads, plays music and displays videos to boot.

The ARR Stack - For those sailing the high seas to obtain their media, there are self hosted apps like Radarr, Sonarr, Prowlarr, Huntarr and many more. The ARR stack automatically searches for titles you want, downloads them, adds metadata, subtitles and trailers and makes them available in Plex or Jellyfin. I'm so tired of contributing the the enrichment of billionaires, that after a more than 20-year absence, I have unashamedly returned to the seas myself. Arghhh!!

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When troubleshooting system issues or thoroughly evaluating a piece of software, experienced and knowledgable Mac users often turn to activity monitor to get information on memory, CPU usage, power consumption and more. It's often helpful but at times it can be cryptic. The developer of Process Spy has an example. "I was juggling several Java apps, each using a different JDK version — and I couldn’t tell which process was which in Activity Monitor. All I saw was “java”. No version, no path, no details. So I built ProcessSpy — a developer-focused tool that shows full command-line info, version details, environment variables, and more."

ProcessSpy has quite a few free features and even more in the inexpensive ($6.99) paid version.

Features of ProcessSpy

• Advanced tree view -  can show cumulative totals for CPU, Memory and Threads.
• Javascript filters - create complex filters with multiple conditions.
• Version information - shows the version information of the process right in the main table.
• Context menu actions - Show in Finder, copy path, search process online and more
• Advanced process info (paid) - view advanced information like entitlements, Info.plist, and bundle ID and more
• Environmental variables (paid) - view environment variables of the process.

ProcessSpy iis distributed as a signed app in a DMG or through Homebrew. It runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs using macOS 14 or higher. In the free version, there is a 10-second wait screen before the program loads. Buying a license gets rid of that and offers extra functionality as described above.

You can purchase a license for ProcessSpy on Gumroad.

To install with Homebrew

brew install --cask processspy

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When troubleshooting system issues or thoroughly evaluating a piece of software, experienced and knowledgable Mac users often turn to activity monitor to get information on memory, CPU usage, power consumption and more. It's often helpful but at times it can be cryptic. The developer of Process Spy has an example. "I was juggling several Java apps, each using a different JDK version — and I couldn’t tell which process was which in Activity Monitor. All I saw was “java”. No version, no path, no details. So I built ProcessSpy — a developer-focused tool that shows full command-line info, version details, environment variables, and more."

ProcessSpy has quite a few free features and even more in the inexpensive ($6.99) paid version.

Features of ProcessSpy

• Advanced tree view -  can show cumulative totals for CPU, Memory and Threads.
• Javascript filters - create complex filters with multiple conditions.
• Version information - shows the version information of the process right in the main table.
• Context menu actions - Show in Finder, copy path, search process online and more
• Advanced process info (paid) - view advanced information like entitlements, Info.plist, and bundle ID and more
• Environmental variables (paid) - view environment variables of the process.

ProcessSpy iis distributed as a signed app in a DMG or through Homebrew. It runs on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs using macOS 14 or higher. In the free version, there is a 10-second wait screen before the program loads. Buying a license gets rid of that and offers extra functionality as described above.

You can purchase a license for ProcessSpy on Gumroad.

To install with Homebrew

brew install --cask processspy

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I have an "always on" Mac on my desk with several external drives connected to it, drives I need frequently, but not continuously. I'd been putting up with a cluttered Finder and needless spin-ups for months when I discovered MountMate this week. MountMate is a menu bar app that mounts and unmounts external drives. Without MountMate, after a drive is ejected, I'd have to go into Disk Utility to mount it back, or more likely I'd just unplug and replug the drive, not a small task on a desk with three computers and eight external drives. Some people use shell scripts and other fancy methods to accomplish this, but that's a notch above my comfort level.

With MountMate, those days are over. When I need to add or access files on one of my drives, I can do so with just a couple of clicks. MountMate has a lot going for it. It's a native app, not electron, and it has no dependencies. It doesn't require Internet access or root permissions and it doesn't access your files. It even has a bonus feature - reporting used/free space.

The developer, Homielab, is very responsive. The original release of MountMate didn't have Intel support, and he added it in just a couple of days when I requested it. He's also working on a solution that will display the authentication prompt in MountMate when encrypted drives (e.g., Time Machine) are mounted.

MountMate can be downloaded from the HomieLabs website or GitHub. It's free/donationware.

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I have an "always on" Mac on my desk with several external drives connected to it, drives I need frequently, but not continuously. I'd been putting up with a cluttered Finder and needless spin-ups for months when I discovered MountMate this week. MountMate is a menu bar app that mounts and unmounts external drives. Without MountMate, after a drive is ejected, I'd have to go into Disk Utility to mount it back, or more likely I'd just unplug and replug the drive, not a small task on a desk with three computers and eight external drives. Some people use shell scripts and other fancy methods to accomplish this, but that's a notch above my comfort level.

With MountMate, those days are over. When I need to add or access files on one of my drives, I can do so with just a couple of clicks. MountMate has a lot going for it. It's a native app, not electron, and it has no dependencies. It doesn't require Internet access or root permissions and it doesn't access your files. It even has a bonus feature - reporting used/free space.

The developer, Homielab, is very responsive. The original release of MountMate didn't have Intel support, and he added it in just a couple of days when I requested it. He's also working on a solution that will display the authentication prompt in MountMate when encrypted drives (e.g., Time Machine) are mounted.

MountMate can be downloaded from the HomieLabs website or GitHub. It's free/donationware.

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MacMenuBar.com is the best place on the Internet to find apps with that particular interface. Its recently added section is always worth checking out for new free, freemium and paid apps. Here are five recently added apps that are worth checking out.

Always on Top

Always on Top lets you choose any window on your Mac to pin above all other windows. It's got a nice menu-driven interface and is a nice addition to your multi-tasking routine. (Free)

Signal Shifter

Signal Shifter gives you a convenient location to control the inputs, outputs, Bluetooth devices and volume control right from your Menu Bar. (Free)

QuickGif

QuickGif provides a searchable Gif menu for use in any app. Drop GIFs into Slack, iMessage, Discord, and more. Save your favorites. (freemuim)

AppLockr

Applockr allows you to password protect any app on your Mac to prevent it being opened by anyone who should not access it. it's better suited for apps like Apple Notes that have an internal database rather than apps that create separately accessible documents. You should also lock Terminal and Activity Monitor to prevent unauthorized users from using those apps to force quit AppLockr itself. (one time payment)

Calendr

Calendr provides quick calendar access from your menu bar, complete with reminders. it has 1600 stars on Github, so plenty of people find it useful.

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MacMenuBar.com is the best place on the Internet to find apps with that particular interface. Its recently added section is always worth checking out for new free, freemium and paid apps. Here are five recently added apps that are worth checking out.

Always on Top

Always on Top lets you choose any window on your Mac to pin above all other windows. It's got a nice menu-driven interface and is a nice addition to your multi-tasking routine. (Free)

Signal Shifter

Signal Shifter gives you a convenient location to control the inputs, outputs, Bluetooth devices and volume control right from your Menu Bar. (Free)

QuickGif

QuickGif provides a searchable Gif menu for use in any app. Drop GIFs into Slack, iMessage, Discord, and more. Save your favorites. (freemuim)

AppLockr

Applockr allows you to password protect any app on your Mac to prevent it being opened by anyone who should not access it. it's better suited for apps like Apple Notes that have an internal database rather than apps that create separately accessible documents. You should also lock Terminal and Activity Monitor to prevent unauthorized users from using those apps to force quit AppLockr itself. (one time payment)

Calendr

Calendr provides quick calendar access from your menu bar, complete with reminders. it has 1600 stars on Github, so plenty of people find it useful.

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During a one hour period today, my computer contacted 63 different Apple domains while i was not logged on and using it.

I have been trying to minimize to the extent possible the reach of big tech into my life. A full 25% of the DNS queries from one of my computers (M2 MBA with macOS 15.4) are to Apple owned domains - even though my DNS provider (NextDNS) blocks Apple's native telemetry. Additionally, since I do not use Apple for my mail, contacts, calendars, podcasts or news, I already have the routes to those Apple services blacklisted.

Interestingly, my 2019 Intel MBP with the same DNS settings has less than 3% of it's DNS queries hitting Apple domains.

Here are the domains Apple contacted during one 60-Minute Period When I Was Not Using My Computer

One Hour - 63 Apple Domains

• 1-courier.push.apple.com - Apple Push Notification Service
• 1-courier.sandbox.push.apple.com - Apple Push Notification Service
• api.apple-cloudkit.com - CloudKit, Apple's backend service for developers to store and sync app data
• api.apple-cloudkit.fe2.apple-dns.net - DNS/gateway services for Apple's infrastructure
• app-site-association.cdn-apple.com - Used for Universal Links
• apple-relay.cloudflare.com
• apple.com - Core Apple websites
• bag.itunes.apple.com - iTunes/App Store purchase container
• configuration.apple.com - for fetching various system configurations, including location services
• configuration.ls.apple.com - for fetching various system configurations, including location services
• cts.cdn-apple.com - CDN for network content
• entitlements.itunes.apple.com - Checks your entitlements for apps and content
• fbs.smoot.apple.com - for crash reports, analytics, or user feedback.
• fpinit.itunes.apple.com - Initialization for iTunes/App Store services
• gateway.fe2.apple-dns.net - DNS/gateway services for Apple's infrastructure
• gdmf.apple.com - Device Management Framework
• gsa.apple.com - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gsa.idms-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gsas.apple.com - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gsas.idms-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gspe1-ssl.ls.apple.com - related to Location Services (LS) and certificate validation (SSL)
• gspe35-ssl.ls.apple.com - related to Location Services (LS) and certificate validation (SSL)
• iadsdk.apple.com - Apple's iAd advertising network SDK
• init-p01md.apple.com
• init.ess.apple.com - Apple's Entitlement Services
• init.itunes.apple.com - Initialization for iTunes/App Store services
• kt-prod.ess.apple.com - Apple's Entitlement Services
• lcdn-registration.apple.com - related to Software Update and (CDN) registration
• musicstatus.itunes.apple.com - For checking the status of Apple Music or iTunes Match
• ocsp2.apple.com - Online Certificate Status Protocol
• p44-buy-lb.itunes-apple.com.akadns.net - related to the iTunes Store and App Store purchase
• p44-buy.itunes.apple.com - related to the iTunes Store and App Store purchase
• pancake.apple.com - telemetry
• pd.itunes.apple.com - related to the iTunes Store and App Store purchase
• proxy.safeBrowse.apple - for Apple's Safari Fraudulent Website Warning (Safe Browse)
• sandbox.itunes-apple.com.akadns.net - used by developers for testing in-app purchases
• sandbox.itunes.apple.com - used by developers for testing in-app purchases
• sas-uw2-pcms.apple.com - related to purchase or content management systems within Apple's retail or media ecosystem.
• sas.pcms.apple.com - related to purchase or content management systems within Apple's retail or media ecosystem.
• setup.fe2.apple-dns.net - DNS/gateway services for Apple's infrastructure
• st11p01su-lcdnreg.isu.apple.com.akadns.net - related to Software Update and (CDN) registration
• suconfig.apple.com - related to Software Update and (CDN) registration
• swallow-apple-com.v.aaplimg.com - related to content delivery or image services
• swallow.apple.com - related to content delivery or image services
• testflight.apple.com - for TestFlight, Apple's platform for beta testing apps
• time.apple.com - Network Time Protocol
• token.safeBrowse.apple - for Apple's Safari Fraudulent Website Warning (Safe Browse)
• us-ne-courier-4.push-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple Push Notification Service
• us-sandbox-courier-4.push-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple Push Notification Service
• use1-wps-prod.apple.com
• weatherkit.apple.com
• wps.apple.com
• www.apple.com - Core Apple websites
• xp.apple.com - telemetry
• gateway.icloud.com
• p177-content.icloud.com
• edge-062.usatl5.icloud-content.com
• p104-content.icloud.com
• setup.icloud.com
• p150-content.icloud.com
• p176-content.icloud.com
• p101-content.icloud.com
• mask-api.icloud.com

Apple Domains I Already Block

• apple.news
• apple.tv
• podcasts.apple.com
• siri.apple.com
• caldav.icloud.com
• contacts.icloud.com
• mask.apple-dns.net
• mask-api.icloud.com
• doh.dns.apple.com.v.aaplimg.com
• doh.dns.apple.com
• apple-relay.cloudflare.com
• mask-canary.icloud.com
• mask-h2.icloud.com
• mask.icloud.com
• p120-caldav.icloud.com

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During a one hour period today, my computer contacted 63 different Apple domains while i was not logged on and using it.

I have been trying to minimize to the extent possible the reach of big tech into my life. A full 25% of the DNS queries from one of my computers (M2 MBA with macOS 15.4) are to Apple owned domains - even though my DNS provider (NextDNS) blocks Apple's native telemetry. Additionally, since I do not use Apple for my mail, contacts, calendars, podcasts or news, I already have the routes to those Apple services blacklisted.

Interestingly, my 2019 Intel MBP with the same DNS settings has less than 3% of it's DNS queries hitting Apple domains.

Here are the domains Apple contacted during one 60-Minute Period When I Was Not Using My Computer

One Hour - 63 Apple Domains

• 1-courier.push.apple.com - Apple Push Notification Service
• 1-courier.sandbox.push.apple.com - Apple Push Notification Service
• api.apple-cloudkit.com - CloudKit, Apple's backend service for developers to store and sync app data
• api.apple-cloudkit.fe2.apple-dns.net - DNS/gateway services for Apple's infrastructure
• app-site-association.cdn-apple.com - Used for Universal Links
• apple-relay.cloudflare.com
• apple.com - Core Apple websites
• bag.itunes.apple.com - iTunes/App Store purchase container
• configuration.apple.com - for fetching various system configurations, including location services
• configuration.ls.apple.com - for fetching various system configurations, including location services
• cts.cdn-apple.com - CDN for network content
• entitlements.itunes.apple.com - Checks your entitlements for apps and content
• fbs.smoot.apple.com - for crash reports, analytics, or user feedback.
• fpinit.itunes.apple.com - Initialization for iTunes/App Store services
• gateway.fe2.apple-dns.net - DNS/gateway services for Apple's infrastructure
• gdmf.apple.com - Device Management Framework
• gsa.apple.com - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gsa.idms-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gsas.apple.com - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gsas.idms-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple ID (IDMS) and Game Center Services (GSAS)
• gspe1-ssl.ls.apple.com - related to Location Services (LS) and certificate validation (SSL)
• gspe35-ssl.ls.apple.com - related to Location Services (LS) and certificate validation (SSL)
• iadsdk.apple.com - Apple's iAd advertising network SDK
• init-p01md.apple.com
• init.ess.apple.com - Apple's Entitlement Services
• init.itunes.apple.com - Initialization for iTunes/App Store services
• kt-prod.ess.apple.com - Apple's Entitlement Services
• lcdn-registration.apple.com - related to Software Update and (CDN) registration
• musicstatus.itunes.apple.com - For checking the status of Apple Music or iTunes Match
• ocsp2.apple.com - Online Certificate Status Protocol
• p44-buy-lb.itunes-apple.com.akadns.net - related to the iTunes Store and App Store purchase
• p44-buy.itunes.apple.com - related to the iTunes Store and App Store purchase
• pancake.apple.com - telemetry
• pd.itunes.apple.com - related to the iTunes Store and App Store purchase
• proxy.safeBrowse.apple - for Apple's Safari Fraudulent Website Warning (Safe Browse)
• sandbox.itunes-apple.com.akadns.net - used by developers for testing in-app purchases
• sandbox.itunes.apple.com - used by developers for testing in-app purchases
• sas-uw2-pcms.apple.com - related to purchase or content management systems within Apple's retail or media ecosystem.
• sas.pcms.apple.com - related to purchase or content management systems within Apple's retail or media ecosystem.
• setup.fe2.apple-dns.net - DNS/gateway services for Apple's infrastructure
• st11p01su-lcdnreg.isu.apple.com.akadns.net - related to Software Update and (CDN) registration
• suconfig.apple.com - related to Software Update and (CDN) registration
• swallow-apple-com.v.aaplimg.com - related to content delivery or image services
• swallow.apple.com - related to content delivery or image services
• testflight.apple.com - for TestFlight, Apple's platform for beta testing apps
• time.apple.com - Network Time Protocol
• token.safeBrowse.apple - for Apple's Safari Fraudulent Website Warning (Safe Browse)
• us-ne-courier-4.push-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple Push Notification Service
• us-sandbox-courier-4.push-apple.com.akadns.net - Apple Push Notification Service
• use1-wps-prod.apple.com
• weatherkit.apple.com
• wps.apple.com
• www.apple.com - Core Apple websites
• xp.apple.com - telemetry
• gateway.icloud.com
• p177-content.icloud.com
• edge-062.usatl5.icloud-content.com
• p104-content.icloud.com
• setup.icloud.com
• p150-content.icloud.com
• p176-content.icloud.com
• p101-content.icloud.com
• mask-api.icloud.com

Apple Domains I Already Block

• apple.news
• apple.tv
• podcasts.apple.com
• siri.apple.com
• caldav.icloud.com
• contacts.icloud.com
• mask.apple-dns.net
• mask-api.icloud.com
• doh.dns.apple.com.v.aaplimg.com
• doh.dns.apple.com
• apple-relay.cloudflare.com
• mask-canary.icloud.com
• mask-h2.icloud.com
• mask.icloud.com
• p120-caldav.icloud.com

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One of the things that make the tools of Big Tech so seductive to use are their rich feature sets. Photo management apps from Google, Amazon, and Apple require little more than flipping a toggle switch to begin uploading photographs from your phone. Each company provides you a ready-made website with the ability to create albums, share photographs, and do basic editing. All you have to do is to give them your data, your privacy, and I suspect your soul.

This year I opted to remove all of my personal photographs from the servers of the big tech companies and to manage them on a self-hosted server in my home. My challenge was to automate the process as much as possible for both me and my wife and to get the same benefits: iOS access, backup and sharing.

The canonical location of our photos is located on the hard drive of an always on Mac which has multiple backups including Time Machine, two different European based cloud storage companies (Koofr and kDrive)and multiple external hard drives. The iOS app of my cloud service, kDrive by Infomaniak automatically uploads all images added to the phones library to their server and those are synced to to the Mac in our home. I created an Apple shortcut that runs once a day when triggered by a Keyboard Maestro macro that copies all of the photos added in the past 24 hours from the upload location to the canonical photo location. Then Hazel moves those photos to a folder corresponding to the current year and month. During this process, images are converted from HEIC to JPG.

I use the powerful and full featured open-source photo management app, Digikam, to rename and tag my photos and to make any adjustments to the geolocation. Digikam also does editing and duplicate detection. I have Syncthing running on the Mac to two other computers. One is my server which uses Unraid. The other computer is a 16-year-old iMac with Xubuntu, a good distro for old hardware, that serves as a 24 inch digital picture frame to rotate our photo collection in a never ending loop. On my server, the synced photo library is used by the photo management application, Immich. I have Immich connected to the Internet through a secure Cloudflare tunnel. It allows us to view our photo collection on the Immich iOS app and to create shareable albums with our friends and family.

Hopefully, if you are interested in removing your photos from the clutches of big tech, this will give you some ideas on how to use some of the software I've reviewed to create your own solution. Feel free to hit me up with questions.

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One of the things that make the tools of Big Tech so seductive to use are their rich feature sets. Photo management apps from Google, Amazon, and Apple require little more than flipping a toggle switch to begin uploading photographs from your phone. Each company provides you a ready-made website with the ability to create albums, share photographs, and do basic editing. All you have to do is to give them your data, your privacy, and I suspect your soul.

This year I opted to remove all of my personal photographs from the servers of the big tech companies and to manage them on a self-hosted server in my home. My challenge was to automate the process as much as possible for both me and my wife and to get the same benefits: iOS access, backup and sharing.

The canonical location of our photos is located on the hard drive of an always on Mac which has multiple backups including Time Machine, two different European based cloud storage companies (Koofr and kDrive)and multiple external hard drives. The iOS app of my cloud service, kDrive by Infomaniak automatically uploads all images added to the phones library to their server and those are synced to to the Mac in our home. I created an Apple shortcut that runs once a day when triggered by a Keyboard Maestro macro that copies all of the photos added in the past 24 hours from the upload location to the canonical photo location. Then Hazel moves those photos to a folder corresponding to the current year and month. During this process, images are converted from HEIC to JPG.

I use the powerful and full featured open-source photo management app, Digikam, to rename and tag my photos and to make any adjustments to the geolocation. Digikam also does editing and duplicate detection. I have Syncthing running on the Mac to two other computers. One is my server which uses Unraid. The other computer is a 16-year-old iMac with Xubuntu, a good distro for old hardware, that serves as a 24 inch digital picture frame to rotate our photo collection in a never ending loop. On my server, the synced photo library is used by the photo management application, Immich. I have Immich connected to the Internet through a secure Cloudflare tunnel. It allows us to view our photo collection on the Immich iOS app and to create shareable albums with our friends and family.

Hopefully, if you are interested in removing your photos from the clutches of big tech, this will give you some ideas on how to use some of the software I've reviewed to create your own solution. Feel free to hit me up with questions.

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I just got into self hosting about a month ago with an old Lenovo Thinkpad I pulled out of the recycling pile at work and a couple of big external hard drives. Tonight I discovered that there is a Docker version of Obsidian that works on my server. In a couple of hours, I had an https connection to a test vault, accessible over the Internet via a URL through a CloudFlare Zero Trust tunnel (which is a free service that does secure routing for you). You can password protect the vault to keep out intruders. You should also use a cryptic subdomain and not obsidian.mydomain.com

All the people who want to use Obsidian at work but are prohibited from installing anything could surely find use in this. Additionally, folks with one of those big ass iPad Pros can now use the desktop version of Obsidian and the plugins that don't work on iOS. Any time you don't have access to your own device, you can jump on anything with a web connection to access your data.

This is probably old news to old school self hosters, but to this neophyte, it was a cool-as-hell discovery.

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