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Saying that the macOS desktop is vastly inferior to Linux desktops is absolutely nuts. I've tried to get my relatives on Linux desktops so many times, just for

Saying that the macOS desktop is vastly inferior to Linux desktops is absolutely nuts. I've tried to get my relatives on Linux desktops so many times, just for it to go completely wrong a couple of weeks after and having to reinstall Windows. It's just not made for average (or below-average) users, so I don't see how it can be VASTLY inferior to something as easy and polished as macOS.

cardanome 1y ago
[flagged]
- GuinansEyebrows 1y ago
  hey, i don't know if you've considered it, but this comes across as a pretty unnecessarily-insulting way to state a personal preference.
- jebarker 1y ago
  I do all my software development in remote clusters/supercomputers. I’d consider myself a power user. My laptop is for running a terminal, vscode, a browser and the various applications my company requires, e.g. Teams, Slack. So I want reliability, low configuration and maintenance overhead on my part and good battery life. Linux can’t compete on these fronts.
  - cardanome 1y ago
    All those pros you list have nothing to do with the desktop environment. Maybe low configuration but you can have that on Linux too. I totally agree that the hardware and the underlying Unix is decent. Audio on Mac is also way less of a hassle. I am not saying that a power user wouldn't have good reason to chose a Mac, just that the desktop is for me the weakest part of it compared to Linux.
  - trueismywork 1y ago
    I do the same and I prefer KDE much more than Mac OS X apart from battery part.
- cosmic_cheese 1y ago
  It’s more subjective of a thing than many would like to admit. As someone who’s been working as a dev for a decade and writing code outside of work for twice that, one of the things keeping me away from Linux is that there simply isn’t a true Mac analogue DE.
  - throwaway240403 1y ago
    It's funny how polarizing this is. Seemingly based on whatever system you grew up on, or are most accustomed to. I find Mac's window management to be something of a joke, and can't imagine why anyone would want to replicate it. I do see the value of the global menu but everything else feels wholly unintuitive to me. I can't stand that cmd+tab takes you to the last app, not the last window, and raises all that apps other windows as well. I literally never want that.
    - cosmic_cheese 1y ago
      The way Mac window management works, ironically, is that you manage windows as little as possible. You don't even go as far as to maximize or tile most of them. Instead, windows are sized to fit their content and sit where they may, overlapping each other and allowing the most relevant portions of each to peek through, like the digital analogue of a desk with a pile of odd-sized papers. Windows are foregrounded by either clicking a bit that's peeking out or triggering Exposé and choosing a thumbnail. It's a very different mindset than that of a Windows-like desktop or tiling window manager.
- wqaatwt 1y ago
  Sometimes jumping through random hops to solve things just work on other operating systems is fun (not sarcasm).
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
trueismywork 1y ago
I just got a work Mac and I have spent around 20 years now on linux before it. I was making a list compared to KDE (not pros/cons just differences) It is still a work in progress since its only a couple of days since im using it. 1. No delete button. I know you can do Fn delete but It is more problematic. And I do use delete often. 2. System keeps important system stuff in Library directory in home. Do not do remove any directories. 4. Os x doesnt quit apps and then expects me to go through all apps in windows switcher. 5. The spaces dont wrap around. 6. Finder is always in your alt +tab? Causes issues with switching. 7. Corners are round. How to Disable it control the roundedness 8. Alt +Tab doesnt automatically restore minimized windows. 9. App store is quite weak compared to archlinux 10. There is no spaces pager (a small bar at top where I can immediately see which desktop im in) 11. It seems that I cannot have windows of same app in multiple spaces. 12. Same app has only one window. Apple mail for example. Cannot copy text from email to settings. 13. How to Disable HTML display in apple mail. 14. Kmail has much better interface for signing Both for viewing rhe signed emails and for deciding which key to use 15. Opening a new windows from spotlight is not possible 16. Download multiple wallpapers at same time is not possible 17. All operations related to an app should be inside an app. Alt+w for tab and ctrl+tab for switching makes me move two fingers instead of one. 18. Spectacle is so much better than screen shot on MAC os 19. Ramdisk on mac os x 21. Threads view in emails isnot possible in apple mail 22. Application specific power optimization (for good battery life) on OS X 23. Better security and access on OSX for apps. 23. Switching between apps of same windows on OSX does not bring up a visual aid.. 24. Long press leads to accents which is very cool but also I didn't use it.
- jakeydus 1y ago
  To be fair a lot of these might be because OS X was unveiled in 2016 /s
- Nevermark 1y ago
  > The spaces dont wrap around. Indeed. I would love it if I could name spaces too. Amazing how little details improve productivity. > It seems that I cannot have windows of same app in multiple spaces. Right-click app icon in dock. For different app windows in the same app, appearing in different spaces: Options->Assign to Desktop->None. For app windows appearing across all spaces: Options->Assign to Desktop->All Desktops. ("Desktop" here actually refers to spaces, for some reason. And it would be nice to be able to do "All Desktops" at the window level, but nay.)
baq 1y ago
I don’t need polished and superior, I need to get work done. I want the OS to get out of the way, not slow me down with animations, stage managers and pretty docks. I don’t even need customization, I just need it to stop trying to outdo itself and fall over. I’d run kde or even gnome on my work MacBook if it let me without a second thought. PS just installed ios 26 and what is this? If this low contrast blobby window thing makes its way to the laptop I’ll be very, very not impressed.
- zer00eyz 1y ago
  > If this low contrast blobby window thing makes its way to the laptop I’ll be very, very not impressed. You have quite a bit of control over all of these features. Dark mode, contrast controls... There is a lot there you can tweak to have it look how you want and it stays that way through pretty much all upgrades. > animations, stage managers and pretty docks. You can turn all this off for the most part. Spend as much time and effort customizing your Mac as you do customizing your Linux desktop and a lot of your laments will go away. I use both often enough to know that linux on the desktop is a much steeper investment if you want it to work for you.
  - echelon 1y ago
    Finder can't be replaced. Finder the least flexible file explorer of any OS. There's no location bar. You can't have a dynamically resizing grid of icons, so if you resize your windows, the icons are constantly outside of the horizontal scroll blinds. The view modalities make it difficult to sort and find files. Major system paths (eg. Applications) are locked down and hidden. The window manager can't be replaced. Window manager placement hacks exist, but they are not first class. You'll never have first class tiling windows in Mac. Many of the window manager quirks are forced upon you. You can't change how to cycle and alternate windows. Exposé is flakey...
    - leakycap 1y ago
      > There's no location bar. Option 1: View > Show Location Bar (you can right-click or double-click on any folder to interact) Option 2: Option-click the folder name in the Finder Window's title bar to immediately jump to other folders Option 3: If you want to type a location and go there, press Command-Shift-G for Go > Go to Location > You can't have a dynamically resizing grid of icons, so if you resize your windows, the icons are constantly outside of the horizontal scroll blinds. Of course you can. Select View > Clean Up By > and choose the option you like best. > The view modalities make it difficult to sort and find files. Name a built-in file explorer with semi-spatial (Sidebar off), browser icon mode, hierarchical list mode, gallery, and column view. Bonus points if they have anything remotely like QuickLook. > The view modalities make it difficult to sort and find files. What is difficult about Command-1, Command-2, Command-3, Command-4 to switch views? What is hard about Command-J for granular settings? > Major system paths (eg. Applications) are locked down and hidden. Applications is visible at the system-wide and user level. Applications folder is listed in the "Go" menu, present in every Finder menubar. Applications is, by default, on the left sidebar of every Finder window. If you want to type, Command-Space brings up any Application at a whim. Can't find an Application or want to see EVERY app on the system and connected drives? Hold Option while going to Apple > System Information and click the "Applications" listing on the left sidebar. > Window manager placement hacks exist, but they are not first class. Moom wants a chat. BetterTouchTool wonders if you've heard of it. Heck, DockDoor is free and excellent, too! They're only second-class in the sense they won't bring down your system when they act up. > You can't change how to cycle and alternate windows. Exposé is flakey... This is either a configuration error or not being familiar with how to use it. Exposé works better than any similar system on any other platform I've tried - what do you think is a better example of a systemwide Exposé alternative on another platform? Wait, I don't need one because Mission Control & Exposé are bulletproof.
AuthAuth 1y ago
MacOS is just missing way to many core features. It feels more like a demo than actual software to be used day to day for a variety of computing work. I know the technical under the hood are all solid but the software the user interacts with is bad, all the default apps are barebones with bad defaults and no settings to fix it. My final point is: finder. When I put non techy people on mac they end up having a good experience because they learn quickly there is no reason to touch anything except the web browser. I also want to highlight Macs are high end hardware in a premium package compared to Linux where people usually try it on a really old low/mid range device.
heavyset_go 1y ago
What are your relatives doing? If they're like 95% of computer users, they use them to check their email, their FB/IG/etc and browse the web. A Chromebook would suit their needs, but in my experience, so would a modern Linux installation + a browser. The biggest friction in my experience is UI differences, but that is solved by just mimicking Windows/macOS UI in KDE. Put buttons and components where they expect to find them and it seems to just work, in my experience.
- hbn 1y ago
  You can also just tell them to get an M2 MacBook Air for $800. You'll have to do near zero troubleshooting, it'll last them the better part of a decade, they get unmatched battery life and hardware reliability, and if they do run into issues they'll have top-of-its-class support from Apple. I know Linux guys don't mind putting up with the Linux experience but if your family is trusting you as "the techie," you'd be doing them a huge favor by not making them put up with that stuff.
  - heavyset_go 1y ago
    > You can also just tell them to get an M2 MacBook Air for $800 Yes, you will find that most material problems can be solved by buying more stuff. If they wanted to buy a new laptop, they would have done that. > You'll have to do near zero troubleshooting That's the case now. Meanwhile, with the Macs they use, I have to explain that there's a difference between Intel and ARM Macs, that no, their software won't work in MACOS_VERSION because Apple deprecated some API, and no, you can't upgrade to MACOS_VERSION+1 to use something that works, no the hardware they've been using for years won't work because the driver for it is no longer compatible with their Mac/macOS version, the simple thing they want to do actually requires $30 paid software to do, I can't help you when Apple sold you a small hard drive at a premium and macOS takes up half of it, etc. > I know Linux guys don't mind putting up with the Linux experience but if your family is trusting you as "the techie," you'd be doing them a huge favor by not making them put up with that stuff Yeah, having a fast computer that just works must be tough lol
    - 1y ago
mistercheph 1y ago
Yeah, and my fisher price car is a lot easier for my 3 year old to drive than my car. Sometimes powerful tools need sophisticated users that have time to invest in learning to use the tool. "Inferior" might depend on who is trying to accomplish what, but it's hard to argue that if you're trying to do or build the most sophisticated and cutting edge things that computers are capable of doing, you probably don't want to be using macOS or window. That doesn't mean that it doesn't work marvelously when you have 0 time to invest in learning to use your computer, and all you want is to access web applications and manage a few files on a screen bigger than your smartphone and with a physical keyboard.
dustbunny 1y ago
My parents can never understand windows because they keep changing the ux design and my parents can't tell the difference between Microsofts AI ad stuff and the real os. My parents will literally type "email" into the Google search bar and hope to find their email address. Windows has failed them. Linux Mint/Cinnamon is closer to windows 95 than windows 11 is. It's cleaner, simpler, better. Mac osx is annoying compared to cinnamon. I hate the empty space around the dock. I hate how Mac windows don't always consume the same amount of space for some reason so I can see the different rounded corners on different "maximized" windows. I hate Mac osx's full screen mode forcing each fullscreen app onto a different desktop. I prefer cinnamons default window tiling/desktop switching/fullscreening keyboard shortcuts and animations. Finder's default mode of unaligned randomly placed folder icons is so wild. .DS_Store is so annoying. The lack of a system tray meaning you have to use the dock in order to see if you have a DM in slack. Spotlight opening the "spotlight" app when I type the "spot" of Spotify. Idk I just truly prefer cinnamon. There's things about Mac osx that are great. The central nature of /Applications and of ~/Library is great. Lots of things are great. Mac hardware is by far best in class but Mac osx is honestly pretty ugly compared to Cinnamon imo. I'm not biased. I paid through the nose for my MacBook. But I like the esthetics of Cinnamon on my desktop much more than osx.
yehat 1y ago
People's habits have nothing to do with "superior" or "inferior" qualities of a certain OS. No matter how good or bad, the habits have a strong resistance force against any change. That's not necessarily bad, but let's not make it part of judging OSes qualities.
UK-Al05 1y ago
You're forgetting the target market here. Linux is better for power users. Not average joes.
Theodores 1y ago
Clearly this is a matter of opinion and opinion requires belief and belief means facts don't matter.

cardanome 1y ago

[flagged]

GuinansEyebrows 1y ago
hey, i don't know if you've considered it, but this comes across as a pretty unnecessarily-insulting way to state a personal preference.
jebarker 1y ago
I do all my software development in remote clusters/supercomputers. I’d consider myself a power user. My laptop is for running a terminal, vscode, a browser and the various applications my company requires, e.g. Teams, Slack. So I want reliability, low configuration and maintenance overhead on my part and good battery life. Linux can’t compete on these fronts.
- cardanome 1y ago
  All those pros you list have nothing to do with the desktop environment. Maybe low configuration but you can have that on Linux too. I totally agree that the hardware and the underlying Unix is decent. Audio on Mac is also way less of a hassle. I am not saying that a power user wouldn't have good reason to chose a Mac, just that the desktop is for me the weakest part of it compared to Linux.
- trueismywork 1y ago
  I do the same and I prefer KDE much more than Mac OS X apart from battery part.
cosmic_cheese 1y ago
It’s more subjective of a thing than many would like to admit. As someone who’s been working as a dev for a decade and writing code outside of work for twice that, one of the things keeping me away from Linux is that there simply isn’t a true Mac analogue DE.
- throwaway240403 1y ago
  It's funny how polarizing this is. Seemingly based on whatever system you grew up on, or are most accustomed to. I find Mac's window management to be something of a joke, and can't imagine why anyone would want to replicate it. I do see the value of the global menu but everything else feels wholly unintuitive to me. I can't stand that cmd+tab takes you to the last app, not the last window, and raises all that apps other windows as well. I literally never want that.
  - cosmic_cheese 1y ago
    The way Mac window management works, ironically, is that you manage windows as little as possible. You don't even go as far as to maximize or tile most of them. Instead, windows are sized to fit their content and sit where they may, overlapping each other and allowing the most relevant portions of each to peek through, like the digital analogue of a desk with a pile of odd-sized papers. Windows are foregrounded by either clicking a bit that's peeking out or triggering Exposé and choosing a thumbnail. It's a very different mindset than that of a Windows-like desktop or tiling window manager.
wqaatwt 1y ago
Sometimes jumping through random hops to solve things just work on other operating systems is fun (not sarcasm).
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

trueismywork 1y ago

I just got a work Mac and I have spent around 20 years now on linux before it. I was making a list compared to KDE (not pros/cons just differences) It is still a work in progress since its only a couple of days since im using it. 1. No delete button. I know you can do Fn delete but It is more problematic. And I do use delete often. 2. System keeps important system stuff in Library directory in home. Do not do remove any directories. 4. Os x doesnt quit apps and then expects me to go through all apps in windows switcher. 5. The spaces dont wrap around. 6. Finder is always in your alt +tab? Causes issues with switching. 7. Corners are round. How to Disable it control the roundedness 8. Alt +Tab doesnt automatically restore minimized windows. 9. App store is quite weak compared to archlinux 10. There is no spaces pager (a small bar at top where I can immediately see which desktop im in) 11. It seems that I cannot have windows of same app in multiple spaces. 12. Same app has only one window. Apple mail for example. Cannot copy text from email to settings. 13. How to Disable HTML display in apple mail. 14. Kmail has much better interface for signing Both for viewing rhe signed emails and for deciding which key to use 15. Opening a new windows from spotlight is not possible 16. Download multiple wallpapers at same time is not possible 17. All operations related to an app should be inside an app. Alt+w for tab and ctrl+tab for switching makes me move two fingers instead of one. 18. Spectacle is so much better than screen shot on MAC os 19. Ramdisk on mac os x 21. Threads view in emails isnot possible in apple mail 22. Application specific power optimization (for good battery life) on OS X 23. Better security and access on OSX for apps. 23. Switching between apps of same windows on OSX does not bring up a visual aid.. 24. Long press leads to accents which is very cool but also I didn't use it.

jakeydus 1y ago
To be fair a lot of these might be because OS X was unveiled in 2016 /s
Nevermark 1y ago
> The spaces dont wrap around. Indeed. I would love it if I could name spaces too. Amazing how little details improve productivity. > It seems that I cannot have windows of same app in multiple spaces. Right-click app icon in dock. For different app windows in the same app, appearing in different spaces: Options->Assign to Desktop->None. For app windows appearing across all spaces: Options->Assign to Desktop->All Desktops. ("Desktop" here actually refers to spaces, for some reason. And it would be nice to be able to do "All Desktops" at the window level, but nay.)

baq 1y ago

I don’t need polished and superior, I need to get work done. I want the OS to get out of the way, not slow me down with animations, stage managers and pretty docks. I don’t even need customization, I just need it to stop trying to outdo itself and fall over. I’d run kde or even gnome on my work MacBook if it let me without a second thought. PS just installed ios 26 and what is this? If this low contrast blobby window thing makes its way to the laptop I’ll be very, very not impressed.

zer00eyz 1y ago
> If this low contrast blobby window thing makes its way to the laptop I’ll be very, very not impressed. You have quite a bit of control over all of these features. Dark mode, contrast controls... There is a lot there you can tweak to have it look how you want and it stays that way through pretty much all upgrades. > animations, stage managers and pretty docks. You can turn all this off for the most part. Spend as much time and effort customizing your Mac as you do customizing your Linux desktop and a lot of your laments will go away. I use both often enough to know that linux on the desktop is a much steeper investment if you want it to work for you.
- echelon 1y ago
  Finder can't be replaced. Finder the least flexible file explorer of any OS. There's no location bar. You can't have a dynamically resizing grid of icons, so if you resize your windows, the icons are constantly outside of the horizontal scroll blinds. The view modalities make it difficult to sort and find files. Major system paths (eg. Applications) are locked down and hidden. The window manager can't be replaced. Window manager placement hacks exist, but they are not first class. You'll never have first class tiling windows in Mac. Many of the window manager quirks are forced upon you. You can't change how to cycle and alternate windows. Exposé is flakey...
  - leakycap 1y ago
    > There's no location bar. Option 1: View > Show Location Bar (you can right-click or double-click on any folder to interact) Option 2: Option-click the folder name in the Finder Window's title bar to immediately jump to other folders Option 3: If you want to type a location and go there, press Command-Shift-G for Go > Go to Location > You can't have a dynamically resizing grid of icons, so if you resize your windows, the icons are constantly outside of the horizontal scroll blinds. Of course you can. Select View > Clean Up By > and choose the option you like best. > The view modalities make it difficult to sort and find files. Name a built-in file explorer with semi-spatial (Sidebar off), browser icon mode, hierarchical list mode, gallery, and column view. Bonus points if they have anything remotely like QuickLook. > The view modalities make it difficult to sort and find files. What is difficult about Command-1, Command-2, Command-3, Command-4 to switch views? What is hard about Command-J for granular settings? > Major system paths (eg. Applications) are locked down and hidden. Applications is visible at the system-wide and user level. Applications folder is listed in the "Go" menu, present in every Finder menubar. Applications is, by default, on the left sidebar of every Finder window. If you want to type, Command-Space brings up any Application at a whim. Can't find an Application or want to see EVERY app on the system and connected drives? Hold Option while going to Apple > System Information and click the "Applications" listing on the left sidebar. > Window manager placement hacks exist, but they are not first class. Moom wants a chat. BetterTouchTool wonders if you've heard of it. Heck, DockDoor is free and excellent, too! They're only second-class in the sense they won't bring down your system when they act up. > You can't change how to cycle and alternate windows. Exposé is flakey... This is either a configuration error or not being familiar with how to use it. Exposé works better than any similar system on any other platform I've tried - what do you think is a better example of a systemwide Exposé alternative on another platform? Wait, I don't need one because Mission Control & Exposé are bulletproof.

AuthAuth 1y ago

MacOS is just missing way to many core features. It feels more like a demo than actual software to be used day to day for a variety of computing work. I know the technical under the hood are all solid but the software the user interacts with is bad, all the default apps are barebones with bad defaults and no settings to fix it. My final point is: finder. When I put non techy people on mac they end up having a good experience because they learn quickly there is no reason to touch anything except the web browser. I also want to highlight Macs are high end hardware in a premium package compared to Linux where people usually try it on a really old low/mid range device.

heavyset_go 1y ago

What are your relatives doing? If they're like 95% of computer users, they use them to check their email, their FB/IG/etc and browse the web. A Chromebook would suit their needs, but in my experience, so would a modern Linux installation + a browser. The biggest friction in my experience is UI differences, but that is solved by just mimicking Windows/macOS UI in KDE. Put buttons and components where they expect to find them and it seems to just work, in my experience.

hbn 1y ago
You can also just tell them to get an M2 MacBook Air for $800. You'll have to do near zero troubleshooting, it'll last them the better part of a decade, they get unmatched battery life and hardware reliability, and if they do run into issues they'll have top-of-its-class support from Apple. I know Linux guys don't mind putting up with the Linux experience but if your family is trusting you as "the techie," you'd be doing them a huge favor by not making them put up with that stuff.
- heavyset_go 1y ago
  > You can also just tell them to get an M2 MacBook Air for $800 Yes, you will find that most material problems can be solved by buying more stuff. If they wanted to buy a new laptop, they would have done that. > You'll have to do near zero troubleshooting That's the case now. Meanwhile, with the Macs they use, I have to explain that there's a difference between Intel and ARM Macs, that no, their software won't work in MACOS_VERSION because Apple deprecated some API, and no, you can't upgrade to MACOS_VERSION+1 to use something that works, no the hardware they've been using for years won't work because the driver for it is no longer compatible with their Mac/macOS version, the simple thing they want to do actually requires $30 paid software to do, I can't help you when Apple sold you a small hard drive at a premium and macOS takes up half of it, etc. > I know Linux guys don't mind putting up with the Linux experience but if your family is trusting you as "the techie," you'd be doing them a huge favor by not making them put up with that stuff Yeah, having a fast computer that just works must be tough lol
  - 1y ago

mistercheph 1y ago

Yeah, and my fisher price car is a lot easier for my 3 year old to drive than my car. Sometimes powerful tools need sophisticated users that have time to invest in learning to use the tool. "Inferior" might depend on who is trying to accomplish what, but it's hard to argue that if you're trying to do or build the most sophisticated and cutting edge things that computers are capable of doing, you probably don't want to be using macOS or window. That doesn't mean that it doesn't work marvelously when you have 0 time to invest in learning to use your computer, and all you want is to access web applications and manage a few files on a screen bigger than your smartphone and with a physical keyboard.

dustbunny 1y ago

My parents can never understand windows because they keep changing the ux design and my parents can't tell the difference between Microsofts AI ad stuff and the real os. My parents will literally type "email" into the Google search bar and hope to find their email address. Windows has failed them. Linux Mint/Cinnamon is closer to windows 95 than windows 11 is. It's cleaner, simpler, better. Mac osx is annoying compared to cinnamon. I hate the empty space around the dock. I hate how Mac windows don't always consume the same amount of space for some reason so I can see the different rounded corners on different "maximized" windows. I hate Mac osx's full screen mode forcing each fullscreen app onto a different desktop. I prefer cinnamons default window tiling/desktop switching/fullscreening keyboard shortcuts and animations. Finder's default mode of unaligned randomly placed folder icons is so wild. .DS_Store is so annoying. The lack of a system tray meaning you have to use the dock in order to see if you have a DM in slack. Spotlight opening the "spotlight" app when I type the "spot" of Spotify. Idk I just truly prefer cinnamon. There's things about Mac osx that are great. The central nature of /Applications and of ~/Library is great. Lots of things are great. Mac hardware is by far best in class but Mac osx is honestly pretty ugly compared to Cinnamon imo. I'm not biased. I paid through the nose for my MacBook. But I like the esthetics of Cinnamon on my desktop much more than osx.

yehat 1y ago

People's habits have nothing to do with "superior" or "inferior" qualities of a certain OS. No matter how good or bad, the habits have a strong resistance force against any change. That's not necessarily bad, but let's not make it part of judging OSes qualities.

UK-Al05 1y ago

You're forgetting the target market here. Linux is better for power users. Not average joes.

Theodores 1y ago

Clearly this is a matter of opinion and opinion requires belief and belief means facts don't matter.