Notes from the café
Guides, release notes, and the occasional brew log - everything we're pouring at getapps.cafe.
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Native Windows Apps Without a Subscription
Two out of three apps on the menu now install on a PC. The office shelf is complete on Windows, the creative shelf is nearly there, and 42 apps have not been ported yet.
Mac Battery Draining Fast? 8 Things to Check
Eight checks, in the order that finds the cause fastest, for a MacBook that used to last a day and now dies by lunch.
How to Build a Zero-Distraction Writing Environment on macOS
A writing block that produces 200 words rarely has anything to do with willpower. Here is the macOS setup I use: what to switch off first, the apps that hold the page in front of you, and how to keep a session from drifting.
ScribeSteep: Record Both Sides of a Call, Transcribe Locally
ScribeSteep records both sides of a call, your mic plus one app, and writes the transcript on your own machine. No bot joins the meeting and nothing gets uploaded.
Mac Fan Running Loud? 8 Things to Check
Your Mac's fan is loud because something inside is working. Eight checks, in the order that finds the cause fastest, from a runaway browser tab to dust in the heatsink.
You Can Only Back Up What You Actually Have
A backup only counts if something else can open it. Why the file format, and not the schedule, decides whether your work survives the next five years.
Automating Your Mac: From Shortcuts to Shell Scripts
Shortcuts handles the clicky jobs, the shell handles anything with a loop. Where each layer earns its keep, how to schedule a job with launchd, and the Mac automation you should not build yourself.
Fresh Brews: ProjectCafe, XSaver, and MultiInstance Join the Menu
Three apps went up on the menu since the last round-up: a planner that recalculates every date when one item moves, a screen saver that turns an idle display into a control room, and a way to run two copies of the same app at once.
Portfocino: Stocks, Crypto and Property in One Encrypted File
Portfocino tracks 16 asset classes and 4 kinds of debt in one encrypted file on your own disk. Prices for stocks, funds, crypto and bullion arrive when you press the button, never on a timer, and strict money rules stop a failed refresh from quietly lying to you about what you are worth.
Why We Don't Call Ourselves a Setapp Alternative
"Oh, a cheaper Setapp?" is the first thing people say, and the answer is no. One side is a library of 330+ Mac, iOS and web apps you browse. The other is 126 apps packaged in one place, 50 of them also on Windows. Where the two really do overlap, their apps are better. Every number dated 18 September 2026.
Your First LaTeX Document Shouldn't Start With an Error Log
A first LaTeX error usually arrives as "! Undefined control sequence." and a line number that points somewhere else. How to read a TeX error, why it lands after your mistake, and four habits that keep the log short.
How to Open .docx, .xlsx and .pptx Files on a Mac Without Office
Six ways to open a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file on a Mac without Office, ranked by whether the file gets uploaded, whether it saves back as .docx, .xlsx or .pptx, and what breaks. Includes a Quick Look test that hid a tracked change and a comment.