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The best part of MacOS for me is the unix tools. The command line is a real unix command line. And the rest just works. If I need a linux environment I ssh into

by vuggamie 11mo ago

The best part of MacOS for me is the unix tools. The command line is a real unix command line. And the rest just works. If I need a linux environment I ssh into a VPS.

epistasis 11mo ago
Or even just containers on the Mac. Unless you need a GPU with specific hardware, or to connect to a cluster, there's ever decreasing need to use remote boxes.
Daneel_ 11mo ago
Well, kind of.. the commands on Mac OS all just a little bit different and a little bit janky. I still had to relearn all the common commands I use in order to function. I survived 6 months before I went back to a Windows/WSL combo.
- epistasis 11mo ago
  If you want the GNU versions of tools rather than the Mac POSIX versions, then brew can help replace your bin directory with all the GNU niceties. If you're talking about hardware interaction from the command line, that's very different and I don't think there's a fix.
- MobiusHorizons 11mo ago
  Notice the op said Unix not Linux. Gnu made a lot of incompatible changes from the Unix tools it was cloning. Many people in the Linux community prefer the GNU quirks (they are definitely more performance optimized for example). But if you are talking about Unix, the FreeBSD derived userland on a Mac has real Unix lineage.
ghaff 11mo ago
It doesn't matter for everyone/most. But, yes, having a Unix command line within MacOS is a pretty big win for some of us. Not something I use on a daily basis certainly. And I'd probably set up a Linux box (or ssh into one) if I really needed that routinely. But it's a nice bonus.
BeetleB 11mo ago
> If I need a linux environment I ssh into a VPS. I want good window management. Linux gives me a huge number of options. MacOS - not as much.
a456463 11mo ago
Unix tools that are barely supported by an external community via brew or macports? Mac is not a dev machine. It is a dev hostile machine.

The best part of MacOS for me is the unix tools. The command line is a real unix command line. And the rest just works. If I need a linux environment I ssh into a VPS.

epistasis 11mo ago

Or even just containers on the Mac. Unless you need a GPU with specific hardware, or to connect to a cluster, there's ever decreasing need to use remote boxes.

Daneel_ 11mo ago

Well, kind of.. the commands on Mac OS all just a little bit different and a little bit janky. I still had to relearn all the common commands I use in order to function. I survived 6 months before I went back to a Windows/WSL combo.

epistasis 11mo ago
If you want the GNU versions of tools rather than the Mac POSIX versions, then brew can help replace your bin directory with all the GNU niceties. If you're talking about hardware interaction from the command line, that's very different and I don't think there's a fix.
MobiusHorizons 11mo ago
Notice the op said Unix not Linux. Gnu made a lot of incompatible changes from the Unix tools it was cloning. Many people in the Linux community prefer the GNU quirks (they are definitely more performance optimized for example). But if you are talking about Unix, the FreeBSD derived userland on a Mac has real Unix lineage.

ghaff 11mo ago

It doesn't matter for everyone/most. But, yes, having a Unix command line within MacOS is a pretty big win for some of us. Not something I use on a daily basis certainly. And I'd probably set up a Linux box (or ssh into one) if I really needed that routinely. But it's a nice bonus.

BeetleB 11mo ago

> If I need a linux environment I ssh into a VPS. I want good window management. Linux gives me a huge number of options. MacOS - not as much.

a456463 11mo ago

Unix tools that are barely supported by an external community via brew or macports? Mac is not a dev machine. It is a dev hostile machine.