I have been a Mac user since 1987. I used the Linux OS for two years, but went back to the Mac with my M4 iMac. I still dabble in Linux, but you cannot beat macOS. But, I have reached a dilemma regarding some of the Apps I use on my Mac. Let me explain.
If you use macOS, you expect third-party Apps to have a Mac-like interface and workflow. Some third-party Apps are better than others at this. Some third-party Apps are more powerful, but are not as Mac-like in their overall workflow. I can illustrate this with some of the Apps I currently use on my Mac.
Mac-like Interface
Ulysses — Currently, I use the excellent writing App Ulysses to do the Dougman blog. Ulysses is a great writing App with a blogging feature added on to it. The Ulysses App has a nice Mac workflow interface. However, it is not a true blogging App. The blogging feature is added on to it. You cannot completely interact with your blog. The App is limited that way.
Spark Desktop — I am using the Spark Mail Desktop App as my email client. Spark has always been very Mac-like in its workflow and integration with macOS. Even though I use the paid-for version, it still has limited features. It is a little buggy as well.
Power Features
MarsEdit — The MarsEdit blogging App has been around for a long time on macOS. It is very powerful with lots of features. One of the best aspects of MarsEdit is that it is a true blogging App. It is designed for blogging and nothing else. It can completely interact with your online blogging account. However, it’s writing interface is not as elegant as Ulysses or even iA Writer. So, there are tradeoffs there.
eM Client — the eM Client email App is fairly new to the Mac space. It is a Windows App that has been ported to macOS. So, it’s interface is more like Windows than macOS. However, it is a very powerful App. It has settings for just about everything you can imagine. It is super reliable and costs considerably less than Spark Desktop.
I go back and forth using these Apps. The bottom line though is I am favoring staying with the Apps with all the power features. They are not quite as elegant as the more macOS oriented Apps, but the power features are very handy. I will see how this goes, but for now, the power features win.
Doug
