GetaLife2 wrote:
as understand you, I can log on as an admin into the computer, open the encrypted drive. Log out and log in as a user and some of the Mac features will work with the user folders on the encrypted drive but some unspecified things will not work right.
The whole point of this is to have no personal data on the Mac. I can take the encrypted drive and leave it in a safe place or have a cloned Mac mini located in to different location and have every bit of data with me without hauling a laptop or Mac mini with me. Seems like a reasonable design criteria that would make these computers more secure and user friendly.
I think what you are looking for Apple implements through iCloud.
If you are planning on hauling a bus-powered drive around hoping to works every time and you won't ever drop it (SSD would alleviate that concern), I don't imagine you will have much fun. It is certainly possible to move the home folders to an external drive, but there are many reports here of that going poorly. People who are successful likely don't come here to profess the grandness of the scheme.
I don't know why it is so difficult to save to the external. Just put a folder from the external drive in the sidebar. Remove the Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc.
With the entry level Mac having small SSD, you would think that would be the way to go. It seems like you have done this integration with the cloud and just want to sell us a subscription instead of a standalone system.
I haven't done anything related to Apple's design, policy, or fabled malevolence. We don't work for Apple. We are just users like you. You should contact Apple if you want to discuss their policy.
You can buy a Mac with a large SSD. If you buy a small one to save money, you will spend it elsewhere trying to overcome the shortsighted savings.
