#DeApple lesson #9684574:
The choice of Linux distro will be a challenge, don't lose heart. You will end up with "good features but meh UI" as the probable winner. Don't treat that as "less-than": Remember the objective.
There will be "Shovel Polishing" required, THAT'S the big change to get used to.
And backups are now critical to preserve the polish.
#DeApple -ing has switched for me from #LinuxMint to #ElementalOS.
Used #Aptik to move my stuff from one to the other. Imperfect, but complete success.
#DeApple -ing:
I'm now out of #PayPal. (That's just general #DeNazification )
#DeApple means #DeGoogle and #DeMicrosoft
And it looks like the third on that list just destroyed months of research and hacking together the software needed to maintain my motorcycle.
Going to see if I can "get back in" to my MS account from this, the last machine to open OneDrive.
I'm too <something> to be mad right now. All because they can't find the email-slot to send me a confirmation code.
Working to deGoogle and deApple myself by the end of the year. Mostly involves buying a Fairphone running Murena's /e/OS, building a Linux desktop machine, and replacing apps/services, but the exercise of mapping all of this out alone is already proving to be fun, enlightening, and liberating.
Are you worried about your content if you #DeApple ? Think you need to move that first, then dump the hardware?
WRONG.
Dump the hardware IMMEDIATELY. Keep your iCloud subscription and move the content as you find solutions.
Hints:
#GrapheneOS on a used* Pixel 9 phone #DeGoogle 'd
#LinuxMint on a used* laptop.
*Craigslist, eBay, friends, or ask #Fediverse.
Doing my part. Buncha hardware going up on Craigslist next week.
Damn I'm tired of "Clean, simple" music players.
Just once, could "cross platform" actually mean ACROSS platforms?!
#DeApple -ing is a real chain of chores of chores of chores of...
#DeApple
I'm going to call it "Finished."
My daughter's offering the hardware up to her friends first, but I want it all gone (and hopefully some $) before the end of April.
It would seem that Apple decided to accept uploading of some of my MP3s, then decided I can no longer have them. Thet can no longer be taken out of the cloud.
Some might be name-collisions, which is weird that they uploaded.
But others make no sense. Kindly, though, they'll let me purchase some of them. Again. So kind.
Dear god NO, #DeApple as well!!!!!
#DeApple
Watch OFF Waiting 1 week for Erasure.
Phone OFF. Waiting 1 week for Erasure.
Mini OFF. Erasure can happen.
MacBookPro asleep . Placeholder for remaining content-moves.
Woo-hoo!
#DeApple
Swinging the phone number today. Shut off the watch yesterday, the phone will be off today. Woo-hoo!
#DeApple
Everyone points to #ImportExportNG as THE tool to import mbox files into Thunderbird.
But for fuck's sake, there isn't a more obtuse, obscure, and obstinate tool in all of Linux-land.
I might just try to run this whole process on a Win11 machine to see if it works. Or "works," as this add-on seems to like to sit there doing nothing giving no indication that it's sitting there or doing nothing.,
#DeApple -ing is a series of compromises. That's not a bad thing at all, but it does meaning one needs to choose "best fit for me" instead of "ideal."
Email, for example.
#DeApple flip-flop #9,153:
Ok, I'm going back to the Xiaomi RedMi 5 Active watch. Attempted BanglJS2 (can't read the screen.) Fossil Gen 6 (their servers are down...forever).
The ReMi default watch face is kinda fun. And I've got weather! Well, as long as I learn C->F in my head. 
I'm embracing the limitations as low-hurdles or -cones to negotiate. And the working-parts (zero surveillance once #GadgetBridge took over) as the triumphs that this entire project is going for.
I'm still going to proceed to #DeApple myself, and never entering the #GoogleTrap .
But it's taking a lot of time to determine that the solution is lowered expectations.
The hidden cost of #DeApple -ing:
Shovel Polishing.
Surprising lessons from #DeApple -ing:
When first setup with #GraphenOS and its default applications, the Pixel 9 said it could go 5 days on a charge.
Nowhere near done, and it's down to less than 2 days.
The screen still burns the most battery, but all those background applications really do hit.
Wow, I'd forgotten how slow and unreliable the #ZWave is on #HomeAssistant
I guess I'll learn YAML to put pauses between every node called in every automation.
Letting current auto run for a couple more days before I begin renaming everything to remove spaces, and then drag through learning YAML.
The price of #DeApple -ing continues to rise.
